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I tried photographing siblings washing dishes together but it didn’t turn out very professional looking. (I was trying to do it for the assignment). How could I have arranged things differently or had a more creative angle? I could removed the song from the wall but what else could I do? How could I make it more bright, airy and cozy looking?
For lighting I was using a bounce flash on the white celling. Would it look better to have the flash on an umbrella shining through the window?
Thanks for any tips!
-HannahAttachments:
So fun, @blessingscaptured!
How could I have arranged things differently or had a more creative angle?
Perhaps try decluttering the area. Go really simple. I might remove the frames and song from the wall and remove almost all the plants (especially the one that intersects with her head). Also, the bright object is that is in the window is an immediate distraction. Not sure what it is, but if that could be removed, I’d try to do so.
Angle-wise, perhaps get down a little lower? The angle feels like a normal head-height that most people would see things at, so going more chest-height may give more of an artistic feel.
Perhaps try a symmetrical, straight-on angle? I don’t know what surrounding elements you’re excluding, but I could envision some nice leading lines with the wood panels on the walls if you go wide and shoot straight from behind them if that’s a possibility.
How could I make it more bright, airy and cozy looking?
I think I would try to keep it nice and warm. Maybe try for more directional lighting. In general, I feel side-lighting or back-lighting tends towards a more professional look.
Also, be careful about the colors of your light sources and mixing warm light with cool light.
I’ve also attached two very different quick edits on the original photo you’ve attached, which I think could additionally help bring the photo to a more professional level.
Love the walls in that kitchen! Very picturesque 🙂
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Here’s a redo that I did this morning. I think it has improved a lot, but what else could I do? I was thinking if they both wore blue we could have some complimentary colors.
I put my flash with an umbrella shining through the window. Should I gel the flash with a warm gel? The lights in the room are daylight, but they seem a little bit warmer then the flash and outdoor light.
Should I have more unwashed dishes stacked on the left?
How could I take this to the next level?The wood panels end just a foot or so out of frame, so I don’t think I could use them as leading lines.
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Yes, yes! That’s looking better!
– Move the plant so it’s nestled in the corner of the window?
– Experiment with dish placement: maybe all dishes piled on the left, and none on the right? I say that because the dishes on the right are tending to grab the eye and pull it to the edge of the photo, rather than allowing the eye to circle back in between dish-washers and dishes to their left.
– I do think color coordinated outfits would be neat to explore! Perhaps whites/tans? Or both wearing blue, like you said?
– The light from the window is a little too bright. It’s washing out the girl’s face, thus the contrast is a bit too much for my liking. Something about the way it’s shining feels unnatural to me, too. Perhaps because I can see other windows on the porch area (?) outside this window, yet the light doesn’t seem to be coming from those windows? It feels like it’s at a lower angle than what would naturally shine through them.
– I would keep warming things up!
– Don’t be afraid to recompose. Zoom in, zoom out, try new angles. Explore ways to include more depth. Think about each element in the frame and whether they contribute or detract. Should there be more foreground element included or less?Something I think will dramatically bring this up a notch: capture them happily interacting with each other. The photo currently has a quiet, subdued feel. Two siblings standing silently side by side, diligently scrubbing the dishes. And that’s good! But, imagine if they were laughing with each other, talking with each other, brother looking up at sister? Now there’s energy. Life. Excitement. Happiness. Togetherness. I think that would introduce a whole extra dynamic element into the photo!
How does this look?
I changed the plates to blue ones. (I’m trying to cover up two light switches.) I raised the level of the light to slightly above the height of the window. Then I had them wear coordinating colored clothes.
He thought it was funny to “smile at the dishes”.
It’s amazing how much better it looks then my first try. Thanks for your help!Attachments:
Oh, Hannah, what an improvement! So. much. fun!
It’s amazing what a difference those blue dishes make! Not a distraction at all, and they color coordinate beautifully with the outfits without feeling unnaturally color-coordinated.
You nailed the lighting.
Well-edited.
Love both the different angles you took. Stepping back for the one, and the tighter feel of the other.
And the genuine expressions! Love it! His giggle is so fun in the first picture. 🙂 Really wishing his sister’s shoulder wasn’t interfering with his face in the second one (that would probably be my only remaining tweak 😉 ). But there’s still definite connection going on with them looking at each other. They really look like they’re having a blast tackling those dishes together! Great job!
That was really fun to read down through and see the progression of your photos! I thought that the final ones you posted have a really fun “family enjoying work together” feel because of the happy expression on the side of the boy’s face, and the body language telling me that they are chatting or telling stories and just enjoying their time together!😁 Nice work!
~Naomi
Thank you @momparfitt! It was really enjoyable to think through and apply the tips to get the pictures better.
It’s amazing you were able to incorporate some foreground blur too, with the chairs/wall, too! Well done.
Great job on that last one, @blessingscaptured!
I find it fun how much a picture can be improved by trying again, and again, and again, and getting input from really good photographers.
You certainly did take the picture, as you said, ‘to the next level.’ Really stellar shot, by any standard.
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