Presentable?

Pallycow · Dec 9, 2012

I am having a hell of a time getting a solid "family" shot of my shoot today. Is this one presentable? Can you tell that I used 3 different shots to make this one? Dad made funny face in one, kid wasnt looking in another, and the other kid was looking off in another direction. So I tried to make one image of the 3 "better" ones. Out of the 5 shots I did in this pose, not one single one was money...so I figured I'll try to make one.

Thoughts?

AgentDrex · Dec 9, 2012

Sort of looks pasted in but the kid in black in the middle looks like he disappears into nowhere

SamiJoSchwirtz · Dec 9, 2012

I couldn't notice, at all....

If you wouldn't have pointed it out, I doubt anyone woulda noticed.

SamiJoSchwirtz · Dec 9, 2012

I mean, you pointed it out and i still can't notice :lol:

thetrue · Dec 9, 2012

The child camera left, is his ear pierced?

tirediron · Dec 9, 2012

Well.. this isn't one I'd want as a keeper, but if it's the best of the lot.. The compositing isn't bad, but the image overall is somewhat lacking. The subjects are wayyyyyy too close to the background. Mom's smile looks like someone has a gun to her back, and the two "outer" children are both leaning, and Dad's forearm tattoo makes it look like the left-hand child has a large hoop ear-ring. You also need to adjust your keylight posiiton slightly as you're getting reflection in the child's glasses. Did you discuss clothing at your pre-shoot meet? Three kinds of black, one blue and one red? Ouch! To be honest, I would bin this one, and suggest a re-shoot!

Pallycow · Dec 9, 2012

Good call on the tattoo/earing, didn't notice. I'll clone it out. Unfortunately, yeah, it's the best of the lot. Yeah, the closeness to the backdrop was my fault, they were in middle, but then kids ran around and when they got back "settled" in, I didn't even pay attention to it...

Honestly, they are cool people, dad is in the band that I shoot often. I really did think about a re shoot, for the family shot. The singles came out very well, and the "playful" shots came out well. Just them as a family, was a bust.

Kid in the middle was the cooperative one. lol. But yeah, since he was in a black hoodie, he got lost in there. I masked in head of dad and head of child left, and body/head of child right. blah.

Whoever put the backdrop up last sucked too, 'cause they didnt roll it, so it was all crinkled.

I did struggle with the glasses and lights on them, usually I had him adjust his head a tad to remove glare, but on this one I just let it go to get the shot. When I corrected one thing, the kids would move. lol. I love kids....but man....I dunno about shooting them. lol

Pallycow · Dec 9, 2012

I know moms and dads like stuff we would not. Think I should even show them or just say they didn't come out and offer up re shoot on family pose?

Pallycow · Dec 9, 2012

Oh, and yeah I discussed clothing briefly, however I will take the fault on that as apparently I was not specific. They did not wear busy crazy colors and sorts as I asked, but I should have been more specific on coloring as a whole as well.

Light Guru · Dec 9, 2012

thetrue said:
The child camera left, is his ear pierced?

I thought the same thing at first but then I realized it is the tattoo on the dads arm.

I'm going to be honest I don't really like it. For a family portrait like this you don't want all the dead space on the right of the image, it makes it look off balance. The child on the right is leaning to heavily away from the others. The tattoo positioned to look like the kid has an earring is distracting.

It looks like the family was not planing on having the photo takin. Shirts with logos don't usually work well for family photos, same with the style hat dad is wearing. Mom looks like she stuck her finger in a wall plug with her hair.

Light Guru · Dec 9, 2012

Pallycow said:
Good call on the tattoo/earing, didn't notice. I'll clone it out.

If that is done dad may wonder why ip his tattoo is missing. Hit would have been much better to have the hole kids head moved over in front if it.

runnah · Dec 9, 2012

A nice family photo with the dad wearing a tool shirt? Don't get me wrong tool is a great band but c'mon.

Pallycow · Dec 9, 2012

an 8x10 crop will easily fix the dead space to right, not concerned with that.

Can't do much with kids leaning, well I don't seem to be able to at least. Either I just don't have the experience handling wiggly kids, or there is some sort of magic I am unaware of. It seems each shot a kid was out of place after I had them perfectly in place. maybe I need two assistants with cattle prods. lol.

I agree on the overall looks of the family. However, I guess I don't know what to do in situations like that. I mean, a family shows up...they know they are here for photos. Do I send them home? That's a serious question. Many of you have been doing this for years...what do you do? I don't wanna offend, or piss them off, yet at the same time, I don't want my name on photos that are not good. So I'm sort of at a loss on how to handle such things.

I guess mom likes her hair like that, lol. I had my assistant sorta push it down a bit while she was setting up the kids...but it was some crazy hair.

Pallycow · Dec 9, 2012

Light Guru said:
Pallycow said:

Good call on the tattoo/earing, didn't notice. I'll clone it out.

Click to expand...

If that is done dad may wonder why ip his tattoo is missing. Hit would have been much better to have the hole kids head moved over in front if it.

I understand what you're saying, and I will be more attentive in future, but I can't move his head now, so cloning is the only option. I can move the tat I guess. lol