Friday, October 15, 2010

Family Photo Shoot...

There are several challenges to doing a Family Photo Shoot. The first obvious hurdle is scheduling a time for the whole family to be together. Of course the larger the family, the more difficult it is to work around play dates, dance classes, hockey practice and work schedules.

Once we find the perfect time, we still have the challenge of trying to keep everyone's attention focused on the task at hand. It is inevitable that someone will get cranky or want to be somewhere else or to be doing something else. There are two ways to prevent this from happening. First, timing is everything. Making sure everyone is having fun and is interested in what is happening is good, but you have to make sure that you work in some little breaks for everyone. The second trick is a little sneakier. Recruit the kids to be 'helpers'! If they think they are in charge of something, they will be more likely to participate.

In this particular shoot, we started off with the Family Photos first. This helped loosen everyone up and helped the younger kids be a little less shy.

I had another secret weapon in my arsenal on this shoot, too. Sully (the family dog) is very friendly. When I got down on to one knee to shoot up at the family, Sully came over and started to lick my face. This made everyone laugh. It broke the ice and even the little ones were a little more relaxed after that.

We tried several different locations around the yard. On one hand we had many options to choose from, but we also had to work around the sun. I love to work with the natural outdoor lighting, but we had to be aware of direct sunlight (to avoid squinting eyes and unwanted shadows).

In this location they are sitting on the stairs to the barn. It is a bit formal, hands folded in the laps.



Here I had them stand up away from the building and lean on the railing (much more casual).



Next we decided to work with the parents for a few quick shots so the kids could see how 'easy' it was.




Once the kids saw how much fun we were having they were happy to join in!




One of the tricks to working with kids is to get them in as natural an environment as possible.




And then give them a chance to do something unusual or even a little daring.




In the midst of all the shots, it's good to get several different focal lengths from full body to close ups.




Some shots can be salvaged by cropping. Originally, this was a shot of the family on the barn stairs (as seen above), but several of the other family members were either not looking at the camera or had eyes closed or something, but this little angel was perfect. Rather than scrap the whole photo, I just cropped her out and used it as her close up shot.




Again this shot is cropped. She was not only laughing at the scene (Daddy had a live chicken), but she had just turned to me, to make sure that I was getting the shot!




Sometimes the best shots are not the ones you pose. When I took this shot we were 'officially' finished with the Photo Shoot. She was just playing on her tractor and happen to look back as I walked by. Luckily I still had my camera around my neck and was fast enough to snap this candid.




We wanted to get a picture of the youngest child on the swing. At this point we were having a pretty good time. She may have been showing off a little (which is much better than being shy). I think that she was trying to trick me into thinking that she was falling off the swing... which actually worked because when she saw the expression on my face she lit right up!




Here is another shot that was technically post Photo Shoot. I was just chatting with her Mom and glanced over. There she was just watching us talk. When I lifted the camera (which was still around my neck) I was rewarded with a smile.



I got this one while we where in between locations. Moving from the swing to the chicken coop. Yes we took pictures with the chickens too, but I'm not posting them here today... I had to pick and choose. We got a lot of shots. Maybe some of them will end up on the 3000 Words Photography website (which is still under construction).




Sully was happy to be included in the event.



So I decided to take a shot just for Sully to send home to his Canine family and friends, showing off his new family. I thought it would be fun to possibly hang a small photo on the Family Photo Wall, too. Of course, this one would be down at Sully's eye level.



As I said, there are a lot of photos that I didn't get to post here. This was a lot more fun than I expected. I actually went back a few days later to get some shots of the kids in their pumpkin patch. Maybe I will post them another time.

I plan to be out taking some Fall Foliage shots in the next week or two. If I get any good shots-- I'll post them.

Enjoy!

Peace and Love,
------Nick

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