As topic, need more advice how to improve my skills. I accept trial and error and will try any advice given!
Above picture is cropped and lightroom with presets. Coz original picture looks bad so edited it. Please help, very keen to improve my skills, long time did not take picture with dslr, don't even know where to start how to improve my skills at least sifu's here can share some direction.

how bout photoshop to smooth out the blemish on the cheeks?

This post has been edited by hightechgadgets8: Aug 5 2016, 09:46 PM

actually I did try but skills can't meet, looks too fake after I try make it smooth. however I did smooth it abit. hehe
will try try harder next attempt

use the clone stamp or heal stamp

Congratulations - what setup are you using?

I use the heal stamp, not good at it. if the minor dot easy to fix but those bigger spots I tried enlarge/smaller the stamp also looks a bit fake. guess I need to watch more tutorial on these stamps tools.

thank you,

setup means gears i use to snap or setting i use for this photo? sorry ya, not gooding in english. hehe, anyway let me try give more details..

here is the original jpeg below;

enviroment: my bedroom
canon 550d + yongnuo yn660 flash attached bounce up with card and built in difuser
lens: canon 18-135 kit lens
iso 200, 1/200, f8

photo attached on first post was edited with PS and lightroom preset (only found that lightroom actually can do all the job without using photoshop coz I only use heal, crop, auto wb *(adjust abit left n right) & use downloaded presets)

*p/s: don't take easy on me, go all out n let me know any mistake I make. I really keen to improve!!*

This post has been edited by skydrake: Aug 6 2016, 01:08 AM

OK well you can afford to go lower aperture, f/5.6 also will do.

ISO 400 also fine.

The shutter speed you can lower it to 1/100 or even 1/60 but depending on how much movement your child has. All the above will make background brighter also.

As for your flash, if not familiar with manual mode then set to ETTL. Instead of pointing it upwards you can try pointing it to the back (as in behind you). If you have white wall / white ceiling around then it becomes like a huge softbox.

Overall effect will be better, less shadow under the chin.

great tips, this will be my next setting to try.
will got for lower aperture eg, f4 - 5.6, iso 400, *guess 1/100 will be better as movement a lot.

my yn660 only got manual, no ettl.. is ok, I guess this will take a bit time to improve on this manual setting.. will try point the flash behind coz got white ceiling above also white wall behind. I will use a teddy bear put on bed and try on the manual flash setting for trial n error, then only put my baby on it

thank you boss, sudah untung this time!!!

This post has been edited by skydrake: Aug 6 2016, 01:28 AM

oh since manual you start with 1/16.

1/8 will give you 2x the brightness of 1/16
1/4 will give you 4x the brightness of 1/16
1/32 will half the brightness of 1/16
1/64 will half and then half again (1/4th) the brightness of 1/16

nice guide! tomorrow will be another picture post in this thread again (this time should be better, ), go sleep now

You try to not shoot at night also can. When your child awake, put near window (on floor safer but near window or big door).

Then you can try use the outside light as main light. Light from outdoors quite nice, depends on your home and where it face.

Morning sun and evening sun more direct (if direct hit into your place) but for noon sun for example, usually it doesn't enter a home but it will deflect through clouds so if sui sui many clouds then you might get some good lighting.

I had tried this, not very good because my room setting not suitable. However, this is always in my mind earlier coz got no speedlight that time.. lazy make setting in room coz baby stuff all over >.<

I guess this should be a nice baby portrait and I should try it too. Maybe I should get a reflector and some simple floor matt put at my balcony *good light source there (*noted in my list for making this setting*)

this time with brother goldfires guide, I think got improvement right? at least not too dark.
1/125
iso 400
f4.5
35mm
1/16 flash point at right white wall 45 angle top white ceiling, behind me is yellow curtain
my position, standing facing down

*I noted, auto focus point wrongly to the leg. forgot to turn to manual focus point*


this on lightroom crop & downloaded preset.

will try harder next attempt. actual shoots about 15-16 pictures with different angle and setup, most of the photo was out eg, focus point wrong, face expression out, blur a lot, under expose. must practice more, this time got guideline.. definitely will improve, just take more time


getting better right? hopefully i did it right this time.


this one crop & presets.

This post has been edited by skydrake: Aug 6 2016, 06:43 PM

Yes, so much better. When you angle the flash properly using the surrounding surface, you will be able to soften the light.

For portraiture, your light should be soft. Hard light usually used as highlight / rim light / kicker.

Main lights should be soft.

When your child is awake, it can be a bit tricky la. Turn here, turn there. When they smile that time you missed or blur, when successful that time aiyah y u no smile or turn away.

Try too long already baby not happy or tired. Enjoy your moments!

your guide are so useful, I like it so much! thank you for sharing it! baby portrait is really tricky coz they can't stay long and very demanding, some more they won't pose for u coz they do not know whay u doing, LOL. no choice, have to standby always and now at least I have your guide and don't waste too much time googling with trial n error.

I'm really enjoying this moment man, getting old scare to have another baby coz too risky so this is my only child.

here below got more pic *both edited, wants to learn more about lightroom editing also, hehe*, slowly improving *ops, self praise pulak*




This post has been edited by skydrake: Aug 7 2016, 01:32 AM

Glad you find it helpful.

OK one thought - how do you focus?

If every time you shoot half press auto-focus then press again to shoot - wasted moment already.

You are using 18-135 - unfortunately that lens does not have manual override nor focusing indicator window BUT here's what you can do.

FOCUS one time on the subject. After that, switch AF to MF. Like that it won't half-press focus already.

Another method that is even better is you have to go into custom settings and disable half-press shutter and assign it to * button. Too complex step, I don't remember how also. I set it for all my cameras.

Also if you want best quality out of your subject, don't use 18 and don't use 135.

Hang around between 40mm to 100mm range. Best quality should be around 60mm to 80mm range - agak agak.

For zoom lens like this, middle point is where the image is best quality and least distortion. Max zoom is where you get distortion and chromatic abberation whatever nonsense creeping in. Wide - well, ok la but no one shoot baby photo with that wide.


I suggested f/5.6 because that's the aperture that's applicable through the zoom range of your lens. If you want it to have slightly more image quality then stop it down to f/8

From f/5.6 to f/8.0 that's half the light going through so you need to pump your flash up 1 notch higher. If flash was 1/16 then now it will be 1/8.

Lastly, try don't post-process first because if
a) your monitor not that good
b) don't understand what is good or bad color

The effort to post-processing may lead to photo being not so good......... but that doesn't mean you can't try. One good way I find is to view the photos via phone, phone display panel can be quite good.

If you are going show ah gong ah mah yeh yeh nai nai and everyone else via FB or whatever then chances are they going view through phone.

I did the AF - MF part but switching it on the lens, is very useful after I make use of it. I heard about the 18mm & 135mm part last time, glad u reminded me WITH details. I'm satisfied with the current image quality with your f stop guide, will try play around to f8 and pumping more flash power, also sometime really depending on the environment.

for the post processing part, from first picture I taken until now.. slowly I never process that much coz the picture getting better and better. no need process so much. however I really like this type of picture below,





it looks like those taiwan magazine and tv some tv shows from taiwan, duno what is this type photo call. really like it and wants to have my daughter photo taken like this also.

true also what u told me, use phone to see those picture color. haha, I got 2 monitor, old lcd 17" square type, lousy color + new 24" philip duno what IPS recently bought rm555 not very good but good enough for me to watch drama n PS a bit.
most simple to test out is post into FB draft and view it on my phone! never think of it until u told me.

this guide u shared to me is really helpful, if i were wanted to google all this.. i guess 1-2 month only able to find this out and another 1 month to understand it + 3 more month for trial & error.. until that day my daughter oredi running around and I still shooting poor photo with kaw kaw process punya photo just to cover up my poor skill of lighting, angle, focus n etc etc etc.

seriously, if got chance must spend u a drink maybe on some tea time. i won't mention dinner, coz u were bz to layan girls right? haha

This post has been edited by skydrake: Aug 7 2016, 11:18 PM