First Family Session

KelSS90 · May 21, 2014

This was my first "real" family session (I have only shot kiddos since last fall -- when I did a couple quick shots for my SILs Christmas card) and the first time I shot for someone that I didn't personally know. It was still free and just for fun, but I hope they'll be happy with the results. I would love some C&C if you have any to give! I have another family session this coming weekend and would love to know any improvements I can make.

Shot with my 50mm prime (first time shooting more than 2 people with this lens, so getting everyone in focus was a huge concern). ISO 200, f/4, and shutter speed around 1000 for each. Only natural light used.

I read somewhere that a good rule of thumb for beginners is to set your aperture at the number of subjects you are shooting (so F/4 for 4 people). I normally like to open it up more so that the background is more OOF, but I stuck with F/4 to be on the safe side.

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

radiorickm · May 21, 2014

Well, I have some comments.
In picture #1, the background is very distracting. Because both girls are the same distance from the camera, a larger aperture could have been used.

I cant see the reason, although it was perfectly fine to do so, In using ISO 200.

In both #1 and #2, I would like to have seen MORE of the family and a LOT less of the bridge. The family is the object of the photo.

In #3 and #4, you will notice that you have a shallower depth of field, even though you still shot at F4/1000. This is because they were CLOSER to the camera and even though the BOKEH is not that pretty, it is at least not that distracting.

Overall, you did a great job capturing the girls and the family. Keep up the learning and Keep shooting.

KelSS90 · May 21, 2014

Thanks for the feedback! The family chose the location and it was definitely different than anywhere I have shot before. They have two crops of both of the more distant ones above, the ones here and then one cropped much closer. I did like the framing that the bridge provided on the family shot, but I agree that it's very distracting.

KelSS90 · May 21, 2014

Bump... Just in case the evening crowd has any advice/opinions

Designer · May 21, 2014

KelSS90 said:
Thanks for the feedback! The family chose the location and it was definitely different than anywhere I have shot before. They have two crops of both of the more distant ones above, the ones here and then one cropped much closer. I did like the framing that the bridge provided on the family shot, but I agree that it's very distracting.

O.K., so the family chose the location. That doesn't mean that they have to be seated in the middle of the roadway. A bit more artistic posing would have gone a long way toward improving the group shots. The individuals of the children are pretty good, but I don't understand the huge expanse of bridgework in the group frame.

KelSS90 · May 21, 2014

Fair enough. For me (and not that I'm dismissing what you are saying, but just to kind of show my thought process) I did want to incorporate the bridge. The family chose this specific spot over, say, a park or an open field, because they liked the feel and that it was something different. So I tried to capture that sort of industrial feeling of it. Perhaps I missed the mark by quite a bit.

I do have some more that I can post when I'm home that are posed more along the railing, but it is literally just a parking lot and this old, shut down bridge, so I will admit that there really isn't much variety. (And ALL of the family shots were posed in the middle :-/)

I truly appreciate the critique! We all have to learn somehow and somewhere along the way, so I appreciate everyone taking the time to look and/or C&C.

Playboy_Mommy · May 22, 2014

Here's my humble opinion: you did a great job. I really like the last 2, the close ups of the girls. Beautiful. As far as the first 2 with the family posed in the middle of the bridge - I can totally see what you were going for there. I really like the idea of getting that industrial, graphic look juxtaposed behind this sweet, loving family. To me it's much more interesting than shooting in a park or whatever. But something....isn't quite right. I don't know what, but something. Maybe with a shallower depth of field, so the background is less distracting? Or just cropped in a little closer - enough to bring the focus on the family but still get the effect of the bridge behind? Honestly, though, I'm sure the family is over the moon with your work. You've done some really nice things here. Keep shooting!!!

Sent from my iPhone

KelSS90 · May 22, 2014

Thank you!!

curtyoungblood · May 22, 2014

I agree that the bridge is very distracting in the first two photos, but I think the problem is the way you shot it. You're just way to wide, and not close enough to your subjects. If you got rid of the dead space on the sides, you'd have a better photo. Moving close to do that would have also helped blur the background a little more.

you also need to tighten up the posing just a little bit. Mom and dad could be a little close to each other and it would hurt to have the. Facing each other (so that it looks like they still like each other). The older daughter needs to move closer in to dad and cover up his shoulder/torso. The shot of the two girls really is staged as a vertical shot. Get the older daughter to put an arm around her sisters shoulder (or just get close to each other). The parents will like that more.

the color also looks off to me on all of these, but I'm on an ipad so who knows.

KelSS90 · May 22, 2014

Thank you for the feedback. I do wish I had gotten the background more out of focus... The family received the shots above with additional crops that were much closer (with the family filling essentially the whole frame). Hopefully those go over a bit better

The older sister (who is 12) definitely made me work for it. I expected it to be somewhat challenging to work with a kid that age because they often are so self-aware and feel a bit awkward... But what I wasn't prepared for was the attitude. She wanted only individual shots and at first refused to participate in any family shots (until her parents threatened to take her phone). We got about 3 decent family poses and 2 poses of the girls together. I was in completely shock at the way she ran the show with her parents. To each their own, I suppose

Derrel · May 22, 2014

I dunno...I actually "get" the whole family on a bridge thing, as seen in shot #2....I mean, to THEM, it's obviously a location they have some affinity towards. Like, say a dairy farmer, shot in a building that has a lot of cow manure, or a sanitation worker in front of the dump...err, the "transfer station"...sometimes real people actually like locations that others find less-than-agreeable. I totally "get" the placement...to me, it works. You made it work. Cropping off the sides and cropping off all the ironwork...would ruin the shot. For a first-ever family shoot, I'd say you pulled one out of the fire.

KelSS90 · May 22, 2014

Thank you, Derrel! I was seriously doubting myself! As I have said, I have given them closer crops without the bridge, but then it is just a brown background. Which is why I preferred the bridge included. Although I do agree it is busy and distracting, and should have been more OOF.

As for their affinity to the location, the father had grown up here... it a little "island" nestled between the Mississippi River and canal. It used to be a nice, suburbia-type area in the 60's. When the new bridge was built and the old one closed down, the area quickly went downhill and now all houses are gone and only the bridge remains. It was neat to see how excited the dad was to bring his girls here and tell them how he used to spend all day playing on the bridge and in the river after it had closed to traffic.

bigtwinky · May 22, 2014

I'm also liking the iron work in the shot. People tend to lean too much on what is normally done, and incorporating the area you are in to make the photo more interesting is a great idea.
I would also ensure I get some more standard close up shots of the family together, but nothing wrong at all with including the bridge.

I'm not a fan of the processing... too much orange/pink in there for my taste. Makes it feel like a bad instagram filter. But as we all know, processing is more of a personal taste.

Derrel · May 22, 2014

KelSS90 said:
Thank you, Derrel! I was seriously doubting myself! As I have said, I have given them closer crops without the bridge, but then it is just a brown background. Which is why I preferred the bridge included. Although I do agree it is busy and distracting, and should have been more OOF.

As for their affinity to the location, the father had grown up here... it a little "island" nestled between the Mississippi River and canal. It used to be a nice, suburbia-type area in the 60's. When the new bridge was built and the old one closed down, the area quickly went downhill and now all houses are gone and only the bridge remains. It was neat to see how excited the dad was to bring his girls here and tell them how he used to spend all day playing on the bridge and in the river after it had closed to traffic.

Well, there you go...just as I suspected...this location, this bridge environment, has some serious emotional significance for the dad. These are environmental portraits. You showed a good deal of the environment. A place the father had a real, and fond, genuine connection to. So...it makes a lot of sense to show the environment, and place the family within the context of the location.

KelSS90 · May 22, 2014

bigtwinky said:
I'm not a fan of the processing... too much orange/pink in there for my taste. Makes it feel like a bad instagram filter. But as we all know, processing is more of a personal taste.

Maybe this is a WB issue?? A previous post said that the colors looked wonky too (and my monitor isn't calibrated, so it could very well be off).