Mother and baby

Mary Sparrow · 11-05-2003, 10:27 AM

Do you think either one of these would work for a painting?

Mary Sparrow · 11-05-2003, 10:28 AM

These are all actually in color, and what you are seeing is a digital picture of the actual picture, so they are fuzzy looking.

Mary Sparrow · 11-05-2003, 10:31 AM

My original intent was to have the baby looking at the viewer and the mother looking at the baby, this is hard to get. Could this somehow be put into one of the other?

Kimberly Dow · 11-05-2003, 06:46 PM

Mary,

I'd try again if I were you. They are great subjects, but I guess getting the right look may take awhile. Babies must be hard to photograph for a portrait. I've never done a baby myself. Just my 2 cents on the matter.

Mike McCarty · 11-05-2003, 07:46 PM

Mary,

This is very difficult work. Not only are babies difficult to portray, but you have upped the ante by adding one more person to the composition. Two person composition, one being a baby, outdoors, this is tough duty.

As far as the photography goes I would offer one suggestion. I am assuming that these images are the full frame. If they are, try and remind yourself to be a bit more inclusive. I can't tell you how many times I have composed the scene exactly as I wanted it in the view finder only to discover later that something, just out of the frame, would have made all the difference to the composition. I routinely do my compositions from "too large" an image using my cropping guide. You will rarely be dissapointed with too much information. I'm not talking about including the whole room or down to their feet, just about 20-30% more than what looks good.

Mary Sparrow · 11-06-2003, 08:29 AM

Considering, that it is ME and MY baby in the picture, I didn't have much control over what was being seen from behind the camera.

I had painted a portrait similar for my mother of my sister in law and her daughter several years ago. While I was visiting last weekend, Liza and I were outside that morning and they took several pictures of us playing. While doing so, my mother commented how much she would like a portrait of us like the other one. So my SIL pulled out her Nikon and shot away. She in general takes excellent pictures so I was HOPING.

Funny to me how people always say how hard babies are to paint, I find it the other way around, and I have NEVER painted myself so that makes me nervous

Anyway, they live in another state and I don't really know anyone that can even figure out where the button on the camera is much less be helpful in setting us up, so maybe this wasn't meant to be.

Mary Sparrow · 11-06-2003, 08:32 AM

my wording up there is a little repetetive, sorry about that. I have an entire roll from that morning, maybe I will post some more and see if you think anything can be salvaged. I just really don't like the way I look in pictures, so really, that is going to be the big problem!

Jeff Fuchs · 11-06-2003, 09:25 AM

I don't think any of these pictures will do you justice. It's the age old problem of a good snapshot not being a good portrait reference.

I think the first photo poses very difficult problems with your face. Look how the curves of your cheek, nose, and chin overlap. Looks fine in a photo, but it will be hard to translate into paint (pastel?).

I think you could find someone to take the picture for you, if you do all the real work, and get the other person to snap the shutter. Set up in front of a large mirror to keep an eye on things. Getting a good picture of you AND your baby all in one shot will be tricky. You might want to wait until she's asleep, and take a nurturing-mom-sleeping-child picture.