Another Vintage Children's Session

Bryce Wilson

I think I finally have the lighting schematic down pat on these. Shot in .jgp, SOC with a 4x5 crop and slight vignette applied. Main is a large softbox camera left at 5.6, fill a one by three softbox at 2.8, camera right. 5.6/125 200ISO. Printed images will look slightly different.


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KellyC

Excellent work as usual.

The only thing I do not like is the wrinkled backdrop under the wheel of the tricycle in #5

Hackbone

You've hit on a gold mine and you do it sooooo well.

Snowgirl

Brilliantly done! I am impressed! I bet the parents just love them.

jonh68

I think the lighting is great, and the poses and connection of the subjects to the camera are good.

Bryce Wilson

KellyC wrote: »

Excellent work as usual.

The only thing I do not like is the wrinkled backdrop under the wheel of the tricycle in #5

Thanks...
Yup that bothers me too! For some reason, parents just have a hard time not dragging their feet when walking on my background. Grrrrr

Hackbone wrote: »

You've hit on a gold mine and you do it sooooo well.

...Well, at the moment, I think it's more like a coal mine....but if I wait long enough the coal may just turn into diamonds!

Thanks Charles.

Snowgirl wrote: »

Brilliantly done! I am impressed! I bet the parents just love them.

Thanks Snowgirl...Yes, they did.

jonh68 wrote: »

I think the lighting is great, and the poses and connection of the subjects to the camera are good.

Thanks John, interaction with three and four year old children is always a challenge.

Sam

It's hard to image that with a little marketing you can't turn this into a premium children's photography business that makes real money!!

Sam

VayCayMom

oh my gosh, you have found your calling. Yep this could be a gold mine for you, awesome images, just wonderful. wow. love the bike, the teddy bear, love the kids, the eyes are fabulous. what do the parents say??

Bryce Wilson

Sam wrote: »

It's hard to image that with a little marketing you can't turn this into a premium children's photography business that makes real money!!

Sam

Thanks Sam!

Currently, I am indeed working in that direction. But, like the old adage, everyone wants to go to heaven, but no one wants to die currently applies.

Many people want to have this done, but, they want it done at Wal-Mart Studio prices. I just can't/wont do that. I do have the process streamlined from start to finish to the point where I can do it at a very reasonable price as compared to "custom" studio shoots, but it makes no sense to do so for people at chain store studio prices.

VayCayMom wrote: »

oh my gosh, you have found your calling. Yep this could be a gold mine for you, awesome images, just wonderful. wow. love the bike, the teddy bear, love the kids, the eyes are fabulous. what do the parents say??

Parents loved the images. They were however a bit upset that they couldn't get full res image files because they paid a 20.00 sitting fee.

Thanks for your kind words Mom!

jonh68

Bryce Wilson wrote: »

Thanks Sam!

Currently, I am indeed working in that direction. But, like the old adage, everyone wants to go to heaven, but no one wants to die currently applies.

Many people want to have this done, but, they want it done at Wal-Mart Studio prices. I just can't/wont do that. I do have the process streamlined from start to finish to the point where I can do it at a very reasonable price as compared to "custom" studio shoots, but it makes no sense to do so for people at chain store studio prices.

That is the current market we live with. There is a chain studio that advertises a family studio photo session and 8x10 for around $20. I can't compete with that. I would rather help my friend with his house painting business than do that.

divamum

One thing I have discovered: if the sitting fee is reasonable and you get good shots (which I have no doubt you will), people WILL buy extra edits (or prints, if you're selling paper). I have a "quickie" headshot package which is $150 for a 45 minute shoot including one edited image, and EVERY SINGLE PERSON who has ever chosen that package because they didn't want to pony up for the full package (no time limit + 3 edits) has after the fact wound up spending MORE than the full package would have been, because they wanted extra images.

Obviously, my heashot market is different than yours, which is more heavily saturated. It's definitely not a guarantee. You can't be sure. Your market may need to start with a lower sitting fee etc etc etc. BUT.... word it and structure it right, and you might be surprised.

Just my experience; YMMV.

Sam

Bryce Wilson wrote: »

Thanks Sam!

Currently, I am indeed working in that direction. But, like the old adage, everyone wants to go to heaven, but no one wants to die currently applies.

Many people want to have this done, but, they want it done at Wal-Mart Studio prices. I just can't/wont do that. I do have the process streamlined from start to finish to the point where I can do it at a very reasonable price as compared to "custom" studio shoots, but it makes no sense to do so for people at chain store studio prices.



Parents loved the images. They were however a bit upset that they couldn't get full res image files because they paid a 20.00 sitting fee.

Thanks for your kind words Mom!

First I would seriously market your children's photography as a premium service. Forget competing with Craigslist and Wall Mart. They can't do what your doing!

Obviously it will take considerable thought to develop a complete product line, pricing and marketing, but you have the basic product.

The mall portrait / children's photo studios around here have cheap sitting fees. $19.95 etc, but the average sale is in the $285.00 range. They typically spend 15 min shooting using $12.00 per hour photographers. They spend the time and effort selling mom and dad after the shoot. They get one chance then and there to buy outrageously priced prints.

I have seen anywhere from nice clean uncreative images to absolute junk from these places. Most clients could easily get better quality for the same or even less money.

Market your creativity, quality, upscale products (various print material, size etc.). Guarantee everything.

Sam

Gotham

Back to the subject of the photography (rather than the marketing): the shots are great. My only suggestion would be to shoot lower DOF on the wider shots. At 5.6, the background is too sharp for my liking on the full length and wide shots (though it looks great on the headshots).

cbbr

That is a very well thought out setup and the pictures are beautiful!

Bilsen

You really are brilliant at this style Bryce. Every one is as much artwork as photography.thumb

Now if I could get you together with a few of my models...............................