Location... what do you do or use??

ajandnickysmom

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I am very new to photography, I shoot mostly babies, families etc. so the majority of what i do is at peoples homes or on location (outdoors etc...) So if it's dead of winter and you have a shoot in someones home what do you use for backdrops etc. (babies are easy, i've figured that one out) But it's the rest! I ask bc i just posted a few maternity shots (the first one i've ever done) and part of the cc was too much going on in the background! GOOD POINT!! But what do you do?? Or do you deal with it pp??

Thanks!
 
I would suggest trying to avoid dealing with the background in PP if you can. It would be way too time consuming and probably won't look as good as just getting it right in the first place.

Remember that as the photographer, it's your call when to click the shutter. Take a look at the scene before you take the photo, and if it's not right, then fix it. If the background is too busy, then remove what you can, or change angles/locations so that it's better.

You can set up a fabric or paper backdrop and shoot onto that, or maybe find a location that works for the shot. It all depends on what you want to do and what you have to work with.

Here is a shot I created in the client's very small living room. I moved some of the furniture into the kitchen and stacked the rest up, just off frame.
di_tomkins-11-web.jpg


This next one was also shot in a client's living room. I set up a background stand and hung a white backdrop.
CandS-19-web.jpg


Here I hung a black backdrop.
Rem-1-web.jpg
 
A background stand and paper backgrounds aren't that expensive. You can get a nice durable background kit for about $150. Then you could get either seamless paper BG or some basic black and white muslin 10x20 for about $30 each. Like Mike said, it much better to get it right when you snap than spending hours making a BG in photoshop later.
 
I have personally never understood the idea of bringing a studio into someone's living room. Either get your subject into your studio or shoot an environmental portrait. Every time I think of setting up a background in someone's home I see the vase that came from great-great-grandmother and that I knock over and break... :(

You need to set up you price structure so as to encourage your clients to come to your studio. You also need to have a very good contract that protects you when you go and set up any kind of equipment in someone's living room.


Side note to Big Mike: Really love that second photo. No fond of the shadows on the floor but the image overall is great. :thumbup:
 

I won't lie, I was sorta expecting that this was going to be a pullback when I just saw the top of it while I scrolled. How come you didn't crop out the corner and couch arm? They immediately caught my eyes.
 
simplify the b/g like Mike's picture #1 or learn how to emphasise and obscure elements in-shot with depth of field and/or choice of focal-length.
 
I have personally never understood the idea of bringing a studio into someone's living room. Either get your subject into your studio or shoot an environmental portrait. Every time I think of setting up a background in someone's home I see the vase that came from great-great-grandmother and that I knock over and break...

You need to set up you price structure so as to encourage your clients to come to your studio. You also need to have a very good contract that protects you when you go and set up any kind of equipment in someone's living room.
Good advice...if you have a studio.
Part of my 'service' is that I'll photography kids/babies in their own home, where they are comfortable. Plus the parents don't have to pack them up and take them out etc.

Of course, it's far from perfect, and if I did have a usable studio I would do as much there as I could...or outdoors, but it's winter here most of the time ;).

I won't lie, I was sorta expecting that this was going to be a pullback when I just saw the top of it while I scrolled. How come you didn't crop out the corner and couch arm? They immediately caught my eyes.
Good point.
It crops well to an 8x10 but I don't think it cropped so well to 4x6 so I just left it like this for the proof.
 
Good advice...if you have a studio.

Well, my first studio was in my basement and the second one was my living/dining room. I did what I had to do until I could afford to move it out of the house and get a proper space :D
 

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