Documentary Style Portraits
My experience as photojournalist has left an indelible style to my photography. It is what you can expect from my family photo sessions. I capture a lot of candid photos in the mix of posed family portraits. Each portrait session begins with many directed and posed images within a documentary aesthetic. We adapt to the weather, time of day, season and place.
Scenic Location Settings
Scenic backdrops are possible anywhere for a portrait. Ideally, it helps to have two or three options in one place for a family session. My news photography experience taught me to think on my feet. In my daily assignments, I would have little knowledge of lighting, location details of the people I would be greeting ahead of time. So, I am completely comfortable as a photographer to adapt in any current location.
Practice, Practice, Practice
Warming-up for a session is a normal part of the process and I find most people relax after taking a few photos. It is similar to any sporting activity, where you warm-up before the game. Therefore, we take lots of pictures for 90-minutes. The more photo compositions we try, the more options we have in the final gallery selection.
Natural Light
There is no coincidence about scheduling a family portrait session. I study the light and the weather daily, weekly and yearly. The light is better when the sun is low in the sky. The evening light (or morning light) is either soft or dramatic with flare. It is the time of day guaranteed to look your best. I do work with some lighting equipment as the day requires but the last two-hours of the day works best.
Playful
We are not done yet! There is a basic list of images to capture in a family session, but the best part with family photography is to play with possibilities of fun. Whatever, the family is up for trying and there is light in the sky, let’s play with the world around us. This is about the time your kids may have run out of steam, but the light is still pretty awesome, so we will find ways to get everyone’s second wind up because this can lead to some of the best pictures captured from the entire day.
What do you think?
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