Great Photoshoot Today

chrisburke · Dec 3, 2008

well yesterday i decided to buy some more gear, as I had a gig today, I thought to myself, it's time to put some more money in this for my clients.. so i purchased some stuff to make a nice backdrop, and a few other things... so today, the client arrives, my new gear set up (it looked damn impressive) also used my DIY softbox (worked great by the way)...you know how every now and then you take a photo and you just say "that is going to turn out great" well i was shooting for about 2 hours, and I was so happy during the shoot.... it really helped that the family was CRAZY photogenic... they were all so great...

heres a few from today.

Harmony · Dec 4, 2008

Hmm. I am by no means a professional, but none of these seem very sharp. And I don't like how I can see the folds in the cloth... also, you can see their shadows, and some of the white background is actually grey.

ANDS! · Dec 4, 2008

You gotta do something about that backdrop. The third one is cool, but the fact that it looks like they are sitting on a blanket is killing me. I'm sure they'll like it though.

The first two are soft, ESPECIALLY that first one. On the second one, seems like a crazy missed opportunity for a wide-angle lens shot; the kid in the back is standing in such a way that a wide angle would crazy accentuate her height and angle. Plus the kid in front is almost begging to have her features distorted with those faces.

The lighting is also pretty uneven from picture to picture, considering this (I assume) was shot in a studio. Again - that background. Just not working. It's just becoming too much a part of the scene. If you're going to shot this family from tops to bottoms, you can't have that busy backdrop. Is there no place where you can paint the walls/floor. It seems like you were gonna for a slightly high keyed shot, but the backdrop just shat all over the place.

chrisburke · Dec 4, 2008

yea the shadows do bug me, and its funny, i kept telling them not to sit so close to the back (so the shadows would go away) but them kept moving back... as for not liking that it looks like they are sitting on a blanket... i guess thats a personal opinion.. i actually like it.... and they loved it to. as for the lighting... i agree.. my second flash kept malfunctioning... but instead of looking unprofessional, I worked with what I had, and am generally happy with the results (other than the shadows)

as for the wide angle.. I totally agree... and if i had one there with me, i would have used it, but i left it at home, thinking i would have no need for it.

it wasn't shot "in a studio" i have a huge backdrop that I set up (i actually did these shots in their home) some day i will have a studio, just no time soon... and when that day comes, I'll have some nice strobes instead of small flashes to get good lighting... but all things considered, i'm happy with the results I got, for the gear I used... and the parents saw the pictures last night, and they absolutely loved them (and they are VERY judgmental people)

gsgary · Dec 4, 2008

#1 it seems to be front focused
#2 it is better to focus half way between them at about f11
#3 same as 2

i think if the sheet on the floor is ruffled is best to make it look very ruffled as if on porpose

ANDS! · Dec 4, 2008

I would suggest, as the above poster did, that there be something other than the ruffles. Ruffled backdrop in and of itself isn't bad, but you can clearly see that this is a backdrop which kind takes me out of the picture.

What was wrong with their furniture that they didn't want to be photographed with it?

And how many lights are going on here. Even if they were a foot away from the backdrop, proper lighting could have taken care of any shadows you didn't want.

Village Idiot · Dec 4, 2008

Chris, spend $150 and get yourself a backdrop stand and a roll of white seamless. I'll admit that's it's hard as hell to transport and requires room, but I'll help out a ton.

I tell people that I shoot for that if they want that look, then they can come to my house. If I go to them, then we have to use something else.

Another thing to look into may be a white canvas or muslin. Something that doesn't wrinkle. The wrinkles look so unprofessional that it's almost comical.

And watch the aperture. The girl's socks in the first photo are in focus. The face isn't. Another thing to do if you have people purchasing prints is to shoot a little wide. 8x10 is still what all the people I talk to want. If you have some one that want's an 8x10 and you have an image like number two, some one's going to lose a head or some feet.

Kids can be so hard to shoot. It just takes patience.

Edit: Fun with seamless

epp_b · Dec 4, 2008

These are some great shots, but, yes, something needs to be done about those sheets. I don't like that it looks like they're sitting on sheets.

ANDS! · Dec 4, 2008

Village Idiot said:
Chris, spend $150 and get yourself a backdrop stand and a roll of white seamless. I'll admit that's it's hard as hell to transport and requires room, but I'll help out a ton.

I tell people that I shoot for that if they want that look, then they can come to my house. If I go to them, then we have to use something else.

Another thing to look into may be a white canvas or muslin. Something that doesn't wrinkle. The wrinkles look so unprofessional that it's almost comical.

Edit: Fun with seamless

I feel dirty, but - :thumbup:

Big Mike · Dec 4, 2008

I've been using something that is a compromise between fabric and seamless paper. It's a large piece of vinyl fabric...actually a matte finish vinyl called vina-sign. When I hang it, it is pretty much smooth like seamless paper but I can roll it up and even fold it for transport. Not as easy as folding up a cotton/muslin/canvas but it fits into my small car. It was perfect the first time I used it, but it got a few wrinkles after that...but they aren't too bad and disappear when I put light on them.

Maybe not a perfect solution but I think it's better than the sheets I had been using.

Some examples can be seen HERE & HERE.

Here are a couple I shot a few days ago...

Sorry to hi-jack

El2 · Dec 4, 2008

The pictures seem to be all OOF. The gray in the background could be due to WB issues. What were your settings?

Kendo · Dec 4, 2008

I don't know what to say about the wrinkles but every photo seems way out of focus. Was it set to manual or auto? Nice try though. This is what we post photos for.... Right? :sillysmi:
I also meant to ask about the white balance. Was it set correctly?

Village Idiot · Dec 4, 2008

El2 said:
The pictures seem to be all OOF. The gray in the background could be due to WB issues. What were your settings?

WB does not cause gray. Underexposure causes gray.

GeneralBenson · Dec 4, 2008

I thinking the lighting angle is too high and back. It's basically rembrandt light on the first and the family shot. Usually not too flattering for group shot. It's creating deep eye shadows. Also, they seem overexposed to me, and mom and dad's outfits are horribly mismatched.