This weekends Family Photos

Ann McRae

The practicing I was doing with my lights this week was to prepare for two family shoots (2 adults, I toddler) this weekend. Did one yesterday, and there is another today.

The couple selected the room and location. Large window camera right, one light camera left, large white reflector camera left.




Moved the light to camera right here:





Tips, please. Oh - mom wanted 'close ups' so I am not worried about the cut off toes, because I am pretty sure she will crop them further.

ann

kidzmom

Colors are sharp, skintones look nice to me and overall very pleasant photos. I'm sure they will be very happy! I personally might have done something outside but that is just MY preference. I really like what you did with the closeup shot of the baby. Very sweet!

Ann McRae

kidzmom wrote:

Colors are sharp, skintones look nice to me and overall very pleasant photos. I'm sure they will be very happy! I personally might have done something outside but that is just MY preference. I really like what you did with the closeup shot of the baby. Very sweet!

Thanks! Did I forget to mention it was -15C and blizzarding out! Almost did not get out of our neighborhood, snow was about 18 inches deep!

ann

Snowgirl

Nice job Ann. Do you have help or did you prop your reflector up on something?

When you say a light camera left - what kind?

Well done.

Ann McRae

Snowgirl wrote:

Nice job Ann. Do you have help or did you prop your reflector up on something?

When you say a light camera left - what kind?

Well done.

Thanks, Ceci. I have a set of Elinchrome portable studio lights with umbrellas - I set up one for this shoot.

ann

BradfordBenn

#2 is great.

Ann McRae

BradfordBenn wrote:

#2 is great.

Thanks Brad.

Ann McRae

So Sundays shoot was not as good - the mom was not feeling well and the baby had to be woken from her nap

But I got this one:




and this of the three of them:

ivar

Hi Ann

Out of that last shots, I prefer the first one; I'm not to crazy about the expressions in the second one from both him and the kid.


From the first set I really like the second shot, I just hope that his fingers don't get cut off on prints.
I prefer the first two over the second two. The 'light on the right' seems just a bit overpowering.
I feel the first set is better in general, very nice but it seems that you felt the same way, also.

BradfordBenn

Hi Ann-

I really like the first one from the Sunday shoot. In the second one, I thought the mother was the only one feeling good from looking at the picture. I realize that one can't control everything, but the father's face just seems odd to me...

divamum

LOVE the shot of the baby girl - that's a serious keeper.

I like the first shot of the other family, but can you clone out whatever is hanging down behind them, to the left of the tree? I might invoke some vignette action on that one to try and minimize the background in general - the tree is nice, but the architectural details keep grabbing my eye away from them. Ditto the 4th one of them - I think I like this pose better than 1, but the sofa arm is distracting me - can that go buh-bye (crop in a tad more, clone and vignette?) so the focus is on them?

Looks like you had fun despite the challenges!

Ann McRae

Hi Ivar and Ben

Thanks - Sunday was not a good time! Poor mom was really sick and baby was not so happy. I think that made dad unhappy. There are some nice shots of the baby but either mom or dad has eyes closed. Overall, they just weren't in the mood. However, they still like many of the photos, so who am I to say otherwise

I adore the shot of Madison from above - quick grab as she walked toward me, but I think it is one for display, for sure.

I have newborn, 9 month and now 1 yr photos of her. She has been my guinea pig this past year.

Is this better of dad - he has a very broad, flat face and very narrow eyes.

Ann McRae

divamum wrote:

LOVE the shot of the baby girl - that's a serious keeper.

I like the first shot of the other family, but can you clone out whatever is hanging down behind them, to the left of the tree? I might invoke some vignette action on that one to try and minimize the background in general - the tree is nice, but the architectural details keep grabbing my eye away from them. Ditto the 4th one of them - I think I like this pose better than 1, but the sofa arm is distracting me - can that go buh-bye (crop in a tad more, clone and vignette?) so the focus is on them?

Looks like you had fun despite the challenges!

Yeah, I know! We closed the blind in the background later, and that helped but I didn't get quite the same shots

I can, and will, make tight crops for them. They have already asked if it is possible to edit out the tree - this after them moving the tree so it would be in the photos

We will see on that!

ann

BradfordBenn

Ann McRae wrote:

Is this better of dad - he has a very broad, flat face and very narrow eyes.

I think overall that one is more enjoyable. The baby looks happier, can't tell if she is waving or listening intently. The dad looks better