Family Self- Portrait

geospatial_junkie

My fiancé wanted a fall shot of the entire family. It didn't sound to tough, since I would just use a timer... but then I remember the dogs...

Three dogs on a ten second timer while I was rushing to get in the photo... It took 20 minutes for this one shot. I told her it was as good as it was going to get!



Yup... thats a shih-tzu eating a leaf.

My setup was fairly simple. Natural light from the side throught the trees (especially so I get the sheen on my black dog's coat), my sb-800 to fill in and light needed, my D700 on a timer and my induro tripod with an Arcatech ballhead.

Note. *The printed version has my fiance's sock cloned out of the photo.

Travis

I think you did awesome especially having to corral 3 dogs. They add a little more dynamic to the photo - the lab with the ears up staring at the shepard. My only nit is the horizon line...it appears slightly crooked.

geospatial_junkie

Hence the blurring in post-process! The photo was taken on a slope. I also threw a little velvia post-processing into the foreground grass a leaves. Thanks for the look Travis (nice galleries by the way).

Swartzy

Hehe, I was going like, "why is my head tiltiing"... Yea, for sure square that baby up. It's a real nice capture. This is only a suggestion if you want: Take it now to a new processing level....give it that family portrait "look".

urbanaries

Wow, you look so different in real life, from your Avatar I thought you resembled Ron Burgundy just a tad

This is a gorgeous shot of a gorgeous family! Kudos on the nice lighting, sharpness in all the right places. I especially commend the nice group posing (very hard to do when you're IN the shot!) and getting the 3 dogs to cooperate so nicely! Print this one big!

geospatial_junkie

I'll work on it a little and get some different versions up.

Trevlan

That's pretty awesome considering that you put it on a timer. Great job, good PP, sweet looking dogs. And your family looks great also!

geospatial_junkie

urbanaries wrote:

Wow, you look so different in real life, from your Avatar I thought you resembled Ron Burgundy just a tad

This is a gorgeous shot of a gorgeous family! Kudos on the nice lighting, sharpness in all the right places. I especially commend the nice group posing (very hard to do when you're IN the shot!) and getting the 3 dogs to cooperate so nicely! Print this one big!

Thank you. The dogs were glued into place and the kids where threatened with the strap if they moved... just kidding!

Actually, it was quite easy. Our dogs are trained very well. One trick I did was place a mirror to the camera's left for two reasons.

1) So malamute-shepherd on the right would by amused by himself in the mirror (if I looked that good I would be too).

2) the sheen on the black dog's jacket would show up.

geospatial_junkie

After a little more pp....
Viola...

Before


After


Straighter horizon (just for you Swartzy!) and created a very slight s-curve to boost colours. I'm not sold on it yet though. This is serious stuff here people, it's going on the wall... and I hate photos of me on the wall.

Travis

geospatial_junkie wrote:

Viola...

This is serious stuff here people, it's going on the wall... and I hate photos of me on the wall.

Oh, then you need to definitely clone yourself out! but with a beautiful family like that, you can clone me in!

Mitchell

Beautiful shot with some nice, natural lighting.

Good job with the fill. Was the SB800 off camera with any modifiers?

lisap

Love the shot, especially that you got the dogs in as well. The natural setting is nice, the colours, lighting, etc. Very nice.

-- Lisa P.

geospatial_junkie

Travis wrote:

Oh, then you need to definitely clone yourself out! but with a beautiful family like that, you can clone me in!

I've got a huge head in photos. Really... my cranium is massive. I bring everyone down. Seriously though... you want in....

geospatial_junkie

Mitchell wrote:

Beautiful shot with some nice, natural lighting.

Good job with the fill. Was the SB800 off camera with any modifiers?

Nope... just used a small mirror close to the black dog to get the sheen on the coat. Straight-on fill flash and some good ol' dodgin' and burnin'. Thanks.

KoryJ

awesome family photo and the colors are great with the Velvia! I took some of a family this weekend that are very similar but it was about 3pm and the sun was very intense and while the family was in the shade, the background is somewhat blown here and there. The light in your photo is spot on to me!

crockett

Nice lighting! I can't believe you pulled off a photo with 3 dogs, using a self-timer. Bravo!

Next time if you are orchestrating your own family photo, I would have changed just a couple things.

Oldest daughter in a white blouse to match Mom and sis.

Dad definately loses the jacket and even better if he's in a white button down or a white sweater if that's your thing.

It's oh so cliche but it's that way for reason. The image instantly jumps a bunch of notches. The two dogs of contrasting color (from the white topped family) perfectly frame the group and it just works.

And if you want to get really cliche, the whole family should be wearing earth tones (maybe like your sweater) to blend with the BG and then the viewers attention will be drawn more to your faces.

Great work!!

adpace

Beautiful portrait! Very well done!