Sad Little Girl

Dick Sanders · Apr 26, 2009

I hang here once in a while and try to help out, so I thought I'd post one for your comments. My next door neighbors' daughter turned 2, a good time to "attempt" a classic portrait. Hailey's her name, and she cooperated for about 3 minutes. You gotta work fast with these kids. The rest of the shoot was all squirming and crying, and we quit a half hour later. My serious work is rougher stuff, so this was fun for a change. Tech details: Pentax 645 film camera with 120mm lens; Ilford Delta Pro 100 film rated at 160; two strobe lights -- key light is a 12 inch reflector with diffusion disc, placed a foot behind and punching through a 4x7 white translucent panel about 4 feet from subject. Hair-and-fill light is a softbox on a boom 6 feet above subject. All this in my garage. Just threw a large black cloth over an old upholstered arm chair, in front of a black seamless. Comments welcome. Thanks for looking.

Jerseyshots · Apr 26, 2009

Great Picture, not your typical pic of a little girl, she looks so serious.

arkuro · Apr 27, 2009

beautiful eyes..

linpelk · Apr 27, 2009

What a lovely picture. I'm sure her parents are very appreciative.

LaFoto · Apr 27, 2009

I find her timeless look (hairstyle, dress), plus her non-smiling face the most "classic" in a children's portrait you could have wanted to achieve. Very well done. If "classic look" indeed was what you went for, she cooperated perfectly (for the first three minutes, that is!). And you planned and did really well. Even if this might be the ONLY good photo resulting from the entire session.

bdavis · Apr 27, 2009

Nice picture, but just looks a bit soft...

Dick Sanders · Apr 27, 2009

Hey, guys. Thanks for your comments. And bDavis, regarding the bit of softness, the lighting is heavily diffused, I used a portrait lens, and I blurred much of the picture in PhotoShop, then erased the blurring on the face. The 12x16 print has a very lovely, old-fashioned quality to it. And, yes, her parents are thrilled. Thanks again for looking.