First portraits of my girls

[RobNZ]

I have not had a really serious attempt at shooting people, so I thought I should have a go.

You've heard the saying "never work with children or animals", well that rings especially true when they are your own!!! I dont know how many times they were asked to look at dad, grrrrrrr.

Anyway we spent the last 90 minutes before sunset on the beach with a few preconceived ideas for the shoot and other than the lone bubble shot we ticked them all off. Hats off to those that do this, dealing ever changing natural light with 2 strobes for fill, kept me on my toes and the brain working overtime.

I know they work for me, but I am biased, so what do you think?

1. Started off with some jumping, tricky to get them to jump and look at the camera.

2. Some bubble fun, typically the sun went behind cloud just as we started this and because I was shooing with my 300mm I couldnt get a fast enough shutter speed without increasing the ISO (handheld), so thought it best to save this for another day.

3. Look at the .....arrgghh nevermind.

4.Another attempt at a B&W, mainly decided upon due to the very strong orange cast from the setting sun.

5. A test shot while I was close that I quite like, biased though. I shot all of these with my 300mm which meant I had to be a fair distance away from the flashes which makes setting up difficult to say the least, but I prefer the look the 300mm prime gives me over the nifty 50 for full body shots.

6. My favourite of them all, lighting isnt great (skin looks a little blotchy?) but personally for me the smile wins.

First time I have used to strobes at the same time, that is going to take alot practice.

 

[minhaaj]

Good work. I just have few suggestions that would dramatically change, in my opinion, the aesthetic appeal of your photographs.

1. You tend to put the subject of the composition in the middle which is typical for amateurs. If you corner the subject it would add a wonderful experience.

2. This one is just a suggestion that in last couple of pictures, if you had taken the camera to the ground and have put the grass as a foreground to girls face, it would be a nice shot too.

Its ofcourse my opinion. Lovely pictures.

 

[Morpheuss]

you are doing pretty good I would use the advice minhaaj and keep shooting

 

[amber.martin]

my favorite is the test shot! haha! the jumping is very fun too, makes me want to jump

 

[RobNZ]

Thanks for the feedback.

 

[misstwinklytoes]

Cute kids! I like the pics!

 

[natural.disaster]

Im getting ready to brave going out for a nature shoot with my kids....3 of them!!!
I dont think im ready lol.

Great shots! the close up is adorable! Beautiful eyes that really stand out in the pic.
I always think pictures that capture children naturally are so much better than the stiff posed pictures. Very creative with the jumping and bubbles!

I kinda like the weeds in all of them except the black and whites...for some reason they bother me in those two....

 

[shrutebucks]

looks like a really fun shoot...great pics!

 

[fokker]

Incredible sharpness and focus on the eyes in #5 Rob. I think the lighting is pretty good. Were you using any light modifiers or bare strobes?

 

[JasonLambert]

Cute kids! I like the pics!

+1

 

[RobNZ]

Incredible sharpness and focus on the eyes in #5 Rob. I think the lighting is pretty good. Were you using any light modifiers or bare strobes?

Thanks Fokker.
I had one strobe below left (below because the girls are sitting on a sand bank about 4 feet high) that one was firing through a small umbrella, another strobe to the right, bare and my wife ( who was not bare ) was holding an 80cm diffuser to soften the natural direct light, if she can put up with the photographer being a demanding, grumpy and impatient f#$%%^r, it will make my life alot easier should I get into this professionally at some point, I can see a well trained assistant being invaluable.

I had not used my strobes for fill before, let alone modifying natural light in anyway and I tell ya what, its hard work and is going to take lots of practice to get it right, just when you get it pretty much how you want it, nature throws a curve ball and the light changes.