Got the kids to stand for a shoot today....

NateW

So I've been posting comments, which I hope have been well received.
Here's the chance to offer pay-backs, if someone thinks they're necessary! (:hide)

My son is one of those people who almost cannot sit still. There are details, but suffice it to say, he's quite literally on the "busy" end of the scale for kids his age (4). Thus, to get him to stand still for anything is nearly impossible. OK, that's it for excuses. :wink
#1 error I'd point out if I were looking at them for C&C: subjects further from the backdrop! (youch!)

#1: Gangsta Chris

(If I'd thought more, I'd have drawn tattoos on him before the shoot!)

#2: Profile


#3: Here's The Deal, This Is My Territory! (her prop choice; hey, it kept her there!)


The more I look at these, the more I wish I'd seen how bad the being that close to the backdrop was going to be. We'll see what they're up for tomorrow.

WingsOfLovePhoto

Hi Nate, glad you posted. Aside what you said about the background...

I agree they need to be farther away. At least 4 feet

Personal preference is not to shoot kids over 2 without shirts on..... especially indoors. I might work better outside.

I find that kind of muslin distracting with kids. I think they would have looked nice against plain white or black.

On the positive....way cute kids you have!!!! and willing to pose

NateW

WingsOfLovePhoto wrote:

Hi Nate, glad you posted. Aside what you said about the background...

I agree they need to be farther away. At least 4 feet

Personal preference is not to shoot kids over 2 without shirts on..... especially indoors. I might work better outside.

I find that kind of muslin distracting with kids. I think they would have looked nice against plain white or black.

On the positive....way cute kids you have!!!! and willing to pose

I'm planning to try a re-shoot today (different theme, of course), so we'll see what comes of that if I can get them farther away (my studio room is kinda small, so this was actually shot at 31mm and only mildly cropped). Best bet may be to change up the kind of shot, i.e. not full length with some cropping, but more 1/2 length. If I get to this shoot, I'll post new ones.
(Uh, outside is a balmy 16deg F. I'll give it a go this spring/summer, though!)

The shirt off was for a specific purpose ("Gansta Chris" is what set off the shoot in the first place). I agree small bodies are not what we're used to seeing, shapewise. (Is there another reason why you'd avoid it? There's the obvious fear of showing off a kid and getting the wrong element paying attention, but other than that?)

I've got a section of black velvet that's just awesome, but last time I used it, Chris easily (and repeatedly) exceeded the borders. This was way wide enough, and I hadn't used it on the previously, so I gave it a go.
Do you typically stay away from this kind of background even when you can get enough separation to get out of focus? We'll switch to plain color this afternoon (again, assuming we do it).

Thanks for the commentary! (Why do I seem to see more in others' photos than I do in my own?!? Probably I'm too tied up in the shoot to think about it critically enough. Hm. Gotta work on that.)

ian408

If you're challenged by the lack of room, you could try the black background then under expose it. Use the flash to light your subject correctly. This might take away enough of the background.

Otherwise, I think you're going in the right direction.