Behind the Scenes 7: Photo Combining

A couple of weeks ago I shot my cousin's little family -- so cute. I'm still working on post-production & have been a little behind, but here's a little peek at what I've been doing.

Photo Shoot 10, October 2010

Last Friday, I drove down to Lindsay's to photo my favorite little boys, Lex & Matteo. I was totally enamored -- and fell in love all over again (I tend to do that with children!). They are very well behaved and have creative and playful personalities (though Matteo does tend to be the more serious one) and thanks to Lindsay, Ann, & Aaron, who helped keep them entertained, I was able to get some pretty dreamy shots that I was very happy with!

I had trouble towards the end of the shoot because we were losing the light quickly; it was already a gloomy day and we started the shoot at about 3:30. Many shots were turning out slightly blurry. Next time I will experiment with the ISO so the camera will capture the image a little faster (several photos I rendered unusable because of the blurry factor -- too bad, in many cases).

At one point, we got the boys to pick flowers and bring them over to me -- Lindsay grabbed my camera for some adorable shots of the boys putting flowers behind my ears. It was a moment I'll never forget! Thank you, Lindsay!

Shoot specifics:
*high-speed shutter (6 frames/sec.)
*cloud cover (no sun); late afternoon
*aperture priority

Lessons learned:
*It's all about the eyes! Get to their level and focus on the eyes.
*Use the help of the family to keep them entertained! It really works!
*Do not attempt to pose little ones. In general they will get upset and not want to stay.
*Keep them in a good mood! Once crying begins, they remain irritated for the rest of the shoot. Keep them happy!
*Children are best photographed when they're in their own environment or one where they feel most comfortable. Keep this in mind.

With Matteo -- what a darling boy!

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(click once to enlarge any photo you like)

~  Lex  ~

 

~  Matteo  ~

Photo Shoot 7, April 2010

In April, my cousin Lindsay asked me to do a shoot of her for a Food Network competition she was entering. It was the first time I had picked up my camera in about 6 months which is still really shocking to me... my biggest excuse is my full-time job, which requires loads of energy. After some reflection, and especially witnessing Lindsay's determination to do what she loves, I can't wait to gain my good energy back to be able to do what I love.

I think the picture to the left is the picture she submitted with her application early this month. I dolled it up a bit by boosting the color and increasing the contrast. Here's what I learned from the shoot.

*Teaching school has helped me become a more efficient time manager. Before we began, I told her that I only wanted to spend about an hour on the entire shoot. With a time limit set and keeping in mind the client's tendency to grow weary after the first hour, I felt I was more efficient--I got great results in only a short period of time.

*When we were leaving the house, I advised Lindsay to bring about 4-6 different top possibilities, including a few with collars. This worked out great. I learned how the smallest changes in hairstyle, top, and background can radically change the mood of a photo.

Here are just a few of my favorites. Of course, everyone has theirs, but since this is my blog, I'm allowed to be partial! I had some fun with the iPhoto editing machine, adding color here, blurring edges there, and even cropping to see how zooming in would change the overall look. I hope you enjoy these. (Click on photo once to enlarge.)

Photo Shoot 3, May 2009

It was originally my intention to post at least once a month. But being a full-time teacher, I had a busy May and June. Plus, I have been a little frustrated with the limitations of a blog. I want to post big, beautiful pictures, but how? 

In May, I did a photo shoot with Lindsay's boys. I think I got some good shots but wasn't yet familiar enough with my camera. I actually had no idea that it is capable of shooting 6.5 frames per second! I should've had it on that setting because I learned that the shot disappears quickly. 

We also had a graduation party for mom and Alex where I had a good opportunity to shoot some more. Matteo is, of course, always a worthy subject, and I found another cutie, Lucia, who was playing in the pool with her dad, Luca. I didn't realize how much I would love shooting children.

(Double click to enlarge)