@jamesstaddon
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Oooh, good for you, Joanna! It’s an big step, to take on the role of family photographer for another family!
I don’t know your personality, but it helps me a LOT when I scout out a location beforehand, preferably at a similar time and same lighting conditions as the real shoot will be (sometimes an hour or two before the real shoot works fine). In my mind I can have a Plan A where I’ll do such and such shots here, and such and such shots there, knowing that the lighting and background will be nice. This takes a lot of pressure off, and I don’t feel so nervous.
Use camera settings that you’re comfortable with. If you’re used to shooting in Av, use it. If you’re used to shooting in full Manual, use it. I have learned that I’m most comfortable shooting indoor event/wedding/family photos in full Manual with auto ISO, and shooting outdoor event/wedding/family photos in Av with auto ISO.
I like to think through all my poses ahead of time. Again, I have a Plan A. And then when other poses come to mind in the moment, or that are suggested, then I can run with them. But it always helps me to have some ideas tucked in the back of my mind, especially if it’s not an outgoing family.
One thing I find in family photography is the parents sometimes take on the job of “forcing” their kids to smile and stand perfectly and do everything just so so. This doesn’t foster genuine smiles or poses. There will inevitably be one (or many) kids (of any age) who are hard to work with because they don’t want to smile or don’t want to do as their told, or they say they don’t like being in front of a camera, or whatever. Take your TIME with THOSE kids! Get them to be your buddy. Like @blessingscaptured said, make them feel special somehow UNRELATED to having their “formal” picture taken. In between poses, give them a task, like running to get a stick or colorful leaf for you over at the other end of the yard, and let them hold it until you’re ready…then set up the family, and then tell them you’re going to borrow it and you take it and hold it next to your lens when you take the photo….you know, get them thinking about something other than the fact that their photo is being taken. Do what is natural, fits with the family/person you’re working with. If mom is getting up tight, stay relaxed and smile and go slow and be patient and work it out. Eventually, perhaps, you will have to take photos with the one kid frowning because there’s nothing else you can do, but don’t let someone else set a tense tone.
I like to chose locations where they have things to interact with. Rock walls, benches, stairs, porch, rocks, tables, paths, swings, etc.
Let us know how it goes!
It was fun to watch so many submissions come in last week!
While it doesn’t technically have anything to do with photography, learning how to add text to a photo is a very good skill to have! So I’m glad you took the time to work through the process and figure out how to do it, Jake @lenorascholl.
And what a wide variety of photos, @parrisfamily! Different seasons, different genres, some wide, some closeup. And colorful too. And a wide variety of fonts too; not stuck with the same fonts.
Looking forward to looking over them in more detail here over the next 45hrs. 🙂
Webinar (tomorrow, the 25th, at 7pm) registration link is: https://www.lenspiration.com/product/photo-coaching-128/
Good to know. Thank you @blessingscaptured Hannah! That’s a neat idea to make the black party transparent behind the text.
What colorful photos, @laura-aome! Curious, what program do you use to add text to your photos?
Thanks for the heads up, @loganlamar!
Took an evening with the family on Saturday to check out some new local locations! The main sunset location was closed to vehicular traffic, but we did discover an interesting dam, a covered bridge, a bunch of neat walking trails, and an old historic barn! Didn’t go live on Instagram because I was with folks, but maybe next time.
Looking forward to doing something NEW for this assignment!
I’m going to try livestreaming some landscape photography excursions as I go out and explore new places to add to the Scouting Guide.
If you’re on Instagram, keep a eye out for notifications for when I go LIVE. When I go live, it will most likely be around the times of sunrise or sunset. Now that I’ve reached a certain threshold on Instagram, they give me the option to livestream to followers while I’m out in the field. So I’m going to give it a try!
Be sure to follow @lenspirationphoto on Instagram, and then keep an eye on your notifications.
EXCELLENT use of foreground blur, @blessingscaptured!
From looking at the photos, I would never have guessed you were low on honey, Henry @samuelwest.
Those are some amazing closeups, @loewfam!
You’re really controlling the light well there, @william-fallow72gmail-com
I really enjoyed seeing these previews and can’t wait to dive deeper into critiquing them tomorrow.
Hi @kansasgirl! As @nateb said, there are a lot of factors making it hard to diagnose long-distance, but my first advice would be exactly what @loganlamar said. When shooting in full Manual, keep an eye on the light meter (it can also be called the “exposure compensation indicator”) and use the three settings (aperture, shutter speed, and ISO) to put the arrow on 0 (I like to call that “center the needle”). The resulting photo should be in the ballpark of a nicely exposed photo, and you can make it brighter or darker from there depending on what you think looks good.
If that doesn’t help, let us know!
Hi @eagleeye, thanks for your comment! I’m so glad you’ve discovered Simon d’Entremont’s YouTube channel, especially since your focus is on wildlife. He’s got some great content!
Which part about the video helped you in making your photos less grainy? The tip about not cropping, using noise-reduction software, or not brightening intentionally underexposed images? Or perhaps the insight on shooting in full Manual with Auto ISO at the end?
It made it kind of easy for me because I have a brother who does beekeeping. Do you know of anyone in your area that does beekeeping? Perhaps you could reach out to them and find out if there would be a time they could let you shadow them with a camera for a time?
I just sold mine last year after upgrading to mirrorless as well. I’ve found myself really missing it a few times, it was such a fantastic lens.
Anyone out there with the kit 18-55mm, this is totally worth the upgrade. It doesn’t expand focal range, but it open the door to more professional looking portraits and low-light photography like events and astrophotography.
And this is a perfect steal of a deal, $375. Normally $600+. There’s a bit of risk involved because of the repairs Logan mentioned, but I know Logan personally and know he’d be upfront with everything. I think the risk would be very low and you should be able to get many enjoyable years out of it.
Believe it or not, this is the final week for submissions! Here’s a glowing scene I encountered recently.
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Oh my, that’s aweful @dotremain! What a miserable realization that must have been.
