Home family portraits - What's your best pic/tip?

redmonkee

redmonkee

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PHILIP
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Hi guys

a friend of mine has asked me to take some photos of her and her two children (new born and 2 years) at her home.

She hasn't stated what style she wants so I thought i'd just go with it and take natural light shots using window light but also take the soft box for some more stylised shots.

I've taken loads of photos of my little girl, but havn't actually done portraits for other people, so just wondered what your best tips were and if you have any examples of different kinds of home portraits, poses etc :)

Thanks
Phil
 
First tip is don't rely on natural light, it could be in totally the wrong place or not bright enough.
 
Using a prime lens like a 50 or 35 wide open at 1.8 or 1.4 can melt away the messiest of backgrounds and save your ass in low light.

I took the below shot at my sisters house which was a right tip at the time. Just window light and a wide aperture were used. You can obviously get more creative but you can see what i mean.

Katie3
 
Get some white voile fabric and masking tape - enough to cover a large window / patio doors with a double thickness.

Then you've got instant soft light regardless of outdoor conditions.

And if you feel the urge you can use it as a pure white backdrop. You might need a reflector, and you might suffer from flare issues so look out for that.
 
doublemint76 said:
Using a prime lens like a 50 or 35 wide open at 1.8 or 1.4 can melt away the messiest of backgrounds and save your ass in low light.

I took the below shot at my sisters house which was a right tip at the time. Just window light and a wide aperture were used. You can obviously get more creative but you can see what i mean.

Katie3
Click to expand...

Lovely Bokeh in that shot mate :). Yeah I plan to take a 50mm 1.8 and 85mm 1.8. Probable won't be shooting wide open for the family portrait though due to shallow DOF
 
juggler said:
Get some white voile fabric and masking tape - enough to cover a large window / patio doors with a double thickness.

Then you've got instant soft light regardless of outdoor conditions.

And if you feel the urge you can use it as a pure white backdrop. You might need a reflector, and you might suffer from flare issues so look out for that.
Click to expand...
Thanks Simon that is a really great tip, and such a simple way to get good lighting. Have you got any shots where you've used this technique before?
 
redmonkee said:
Thanks Simon that is a really great tip, and such a simple way to get good lighting. Have you got any shots where you've used this technique before?
Click to expand...
This old one is the only example I have to hand - I'd do things slightly differently these days:

Charli by Simon Carter, on Flickr

The window was slightly in front of the model (as well as to the side, obviously) - the equivalent of feathering a softbox.

There's lots of ways to use windows, though some of them will be difficult with mobile children since they require careful positioning. You could have the window directly behind you or have it behind the subject. Or sideways on - like above - but remember you can vary where the subject is relative to the window. Behind the subject but to one side and out of shot can work well if you have some additional light or a reflector since you get a nice rim light and much less flare.

If you want to get more creative you can close the curtains to make a slit, remove the diffusion altogether, shoot from outside in - or inside out. And there must be some possibilities I haven't thought of yet!
 
juggler said:
This old one is the only example I have to hand - I'd do things slightly differently these days:

Charli by Simon Carter, on Flickr

The window was slightly in front of the model (as well as to the side, obviously) - the equivalent of feathering a softbox.

There's lots of ways to use windows, though some of them will be difficult with mobile children since they require careful positioning. You could have the window directly behind you or have it behind the subject. Or sideways on - like above - but remember you can vary where the subject is relative to the window. Behind the subject but to one side and out of shot can work well if you have some additional light or a reflector since you get a nice rim light and much less flare.

If you want to get more creative you can close the curtains to make a slit, remove the diffusion altogether, shoot from outside in - or inside out. And there must be some possibilities I haven't thought of yet!
Click to expand...

Thanks Simon for taking the time to post examples. SOme great shots there and a great indication of what can be done with limited equipment :)
 
Have you been to their home before? Do you know which room would have the best light and space?

I've just done a shoot with friend's family at their home. I've been there before so I know that their living room is light and airy with large windows on 2 sides and white walls. As it is so sunny and the sun has been flooding the room with light, I've not needed the softbox that I took with me.

If you have a newborn in the mix, then personally I would avoid flash (at least for solo baby shots) as it can upset the baby and that doesn't give nice images. But you do need the option if the window light isn't enough.

Simple props are also handy to take, plain white material to use as a backdrop (could be a bed sheet) and a bit of black material if you want the low key look, a nice fluffy blanket to lie baby on.

Here's one of the shots I took. Windows behind and to the right of the camera, soft blanket placed over a curve cushion on the sofa:
Blue Eyes by Alistair Beavis, on Flickr
 
ABTog said:
Have you been to their home before? Do you know which room would have the best light and space?

I've just done a shoot with friend's family at their home. I've been there before so I know that their living room is light and airy with large windows on 2 sides and white walls. As it is so sunny and the sun has been flooding the room with light, I've not needed the softbox that I took with me.

If you have a newborn in the mix, then personally I would avoid flash (at least for solo baby shots) as it can upset the baby and that doesn't give nice images. But you do need the option if the window light isn't enough.

Simple props are also handy to take, plain white material to use as a backdrop (could be a bed sheet) and a bit of black material if you want the low key look, a nice fluffy blanket to lie baby on.

Here's one of the shots I took. Windows behind and to the right of the camera, soft blanket placed over a curve cushion on the sofa:
Blue Eyes by Alistair Beavis, on Flickr
Click to expand...

Thanks for your advice Alistair. Much appreciated and great shot. Love the detail in the eyes. :)
 
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