photo shoot disaster

thanks guys..i blurred it a bit. im not very good in ps. let me know what you think if you get a chance. it doesnt look that different to me. maybe ill tweak it a litte more? should i even keep it? heres my other shots...

 

http://web.mac.com/lorihuneke/Site_18/Agrella.html<div></div>

oh god, now looking at it next to those other ones makes it look horrible! eek. im thinking of just deleating the damn thing. its a horrible pic really. i just didnt get any good ones of all three kids! do i offer a re-shoot? i know they really wanted a pic of all the kids together.

Lori--to me the picture just looks OOF. If you offer a re-shoot, you should have a plan. Otherwise, it will turn out the same way. Maybe incorporate some of the suggestions and have back-up plans--Plan A, Plan B, Plan C. I still think you will basically have 10 minutes to get the picture though, so be prepared to switch off real fast.

If you don't even have one shot with all three kids facing towards the camera with their eyes open, I would offer

a re-shoot if I were you. After all, you can consider the re-shoot as your commitment to good customer service

which will ensure a loyal clientele in the long term. I still think you should include that second image in

their album though as it's worth keeping despite the slight blur.

Since you took so many great individual pictures, I wouldn't call this a disaster at all! You only need to spend 10 or 20 minutes on the reshoot to get a few pictures of the kids all together. I don't know if it will help, as I know how difficult 1 year old twins are, but this is what I usually do. Just have people around to help by waiting until you are ready to shoot the picture and then set the children down. I like the idea of a prop for each to hold, to keep them busy. This allows you to get where you need to be and then make a noise. A fun one is to have mom or dad stand behind you and clap for the kids saying "Yay, good job!" This usually will get the kids to look up and smile. It sounds like you don't usually have a problem with shooting multiple children, so I wouldn't let this one incident cause a re-evaluation of your pricing guide. If, however, you notice that you are always taking more time with multiple children than you do on single child shoots, you probably should charge more. Hope you get the shots you are looking for!

sarah, thanks. good advice. i appreciate everyones input! <p>

what im thinking is, to charge per a pose . I mean...when someone has a big family..where do you draw the line?<p>

mom with kids, dad with kids, kids alone, kids all together... etc. <p>

i try cramming it in an hour, and my work just suffers from it. <p>

Does anyone offer kids portrait packages VS family portrait packages separately?

wow, ok good to know. i love that projector idea. awesome!

<p>

but the question still remains...do i offer a re-shoot to get one good shot of all three kids?

Only if you are prepared and have a plan, to ensure the reshoot won't turn out like the original. Re organizing photo shoots. Rebecca makes sense, but I want to add that it might depend somewhat on the age of the kids and the expectations. I know with those 3 kids, you will not get all of those combinations mentioned out of one sitting very easily. If you schedule something like that, be prepared to spend some time there because kids of that age need breaks if you expect them to be in multiple group poses--don't just schedule an hour or whatever. And you need to charge accordingly.

 

I'd almost rather do two sessions--one with just the kids (first) and then on another day, the kids with other groups of adults. A benefit is that on the second session, the kids will be used to you. If you are stuck shooting multiple poses or groups in one short session, I always start with the priority pose or group. Many people/parents don't understand how these things work. Most parents think their kid(s) is the most cooperative and manageable kid in the world who smiles all the time. They have no idea, and try to cram too many subgroups into the sessions, usually. They also usually want the kids to be looking at the camera and smiling. Depending upon the age and nature of the kid(s), this may not happen, even with your best efforts. One set of parents got really upset with me because I refused to bully their kids into looking at the camera, like the last photographer that took the kids' pictures. I was shocked. I would never yell at kids and make them afraid of me just so they look at the camera.

Nadine,

 

Yes, you make some wonderful points. I just offered to attempt to get one shot of all three kids. my plan...put em all in a cute red wagon..try to get them to look at me (i know she wants one where they are all looking) with bubbles maybe, and if all else fails, hand em each a big rainbow lollipop!? at least they will be happy!

<P>

and, yes, about charging more for my time, thats what i was thinking too...Theres no way i could get all those multiple shots with these kids in less than an hour. thats kinda what i tried doing, and it took me far too long, and..made for some horrible shots with overtired kids! it would definitely have to be two sessions. for the kids sake and mine!

<p>

ill repost when i re-shoot! *sigh .. here we go again..

Lori, this brings back the times around Christmas when all parents want the kids sitting together. My standby was

three or four large gift boxes. Put em in, line em up , take the shot. I had to be quick before they started climbing

out, but those were cute ones too.

 

Good luck with the next shoot, let us know how it goes.

 

Corri Michelle<div></div>

rebecca,

 

work at wal-mart?! my goodness.. i wont even shop there! i mean, aside from it being wal-mart , id be making the same

amount of $ in a week that i would make in a day doing what im doing now!

<p>

generally, I have not had problems w multiple children. my package is only for 45 minutes. I am focused on quality , not

quantity. I like children being themselves, not sitting like a bump on a log smiling that half smile you see from pics at

places like sears and jcpennys. all the pics are the same..just with different people in them.

<p>

As a photogs assist.I do it every weekend at weddings. move dad in, move gma out, move sisters in.. etc... i know the

drill. <P>

its just not really the look im going for with my portraits.

<P>

corri..

cute shots. great idea! , boxes or wagon... just something to contain them in should do the trick! i hope! =)

Rebecca--I don't think you have a bad idea--it would certainly discipline one to plan. I have to point out though, that at those places, you have a camera on a tripod in a studio type setting, and a set up spot for the kids where they can be momentarily stunned because it is totally unfamiliar. Most of the time, I get location shoots where the kids are either not paying attention and want to wander off because it is their own house, or are totally distracted by whatever, out in a park somewhere. The parents also expect variety, which you can't really give much of, due to the short attention spans and necessity to move fast. I also get parents and other adults who are running late and say, "Do the kids first, and then we can do a and then b, etc.", and I always feel like a prison matron, cracking down and imposing a (what appears to be) rigid plan of action--like you said, priority whole family first, take out a, then b, etc., while keeping the kids in place and still interested in your toys or props, or you.

Those are great shots, Rebecca. Not to be argumentative, because I agree with what you said re business, but I was still talking about the shot where multiple toddlers and young kids need to be looking at the camera all at once and if not smiling, at least not have bad expressions--such as looking cranky or crying. Now you can digitally craft something together, which makes things easier these days.

I think you get the general idea of what people are saying. There will be, at times, shots you just cant get. Three children cooperating on a normal basis is an achievement. Some of my favorite shots are where the kids just arent that into it, or paying attention. Yes, you will have the parents who want the traditional shot, but you do what you can do. I have a family whos boys are just not interested in cooperating during a photo session. The parents, who would love nothing more than a nice family photo, realize that this is just their family. Busy mom, busy dad, busy kids. We try to get the boys to sit and stare, but when they see these photos they realize it's just not them. Posted below are the shots that they used for their christmas cards last year. Traditional? No. Realistic? absolutly. Photography is fun. So, have fun.<div></div>

rebecca, thats all fine and dandy, and your shots are great, But I did not have a problem getting individual candid shots. <p>

 

http://web.mac.com/lorihuneke/Site_18/Agrella.html

<p>

My problem was getting THREE children (babies), together in the same shot. candid or not!

<p>

corri...

hilarious xmas card. love it.

 

<p> thanks again everyone for all your input. and wish me luck on my re-shoot! =)

Honestly, Lori, try mom standing behind your head with balloons and a pin (or something equal). I had to photograph about 6-7 kids all sitting and looking at the camera. I had all of their parents dancing around behind me, even though I told them I only needed one person to be my wrangler. I had 3 toddlers who were determined to stand up and walk away each time the parent sat them down. Finally, grandma came out with the balloons and pin and I had all of them rapt at attention, completely ignoring all the fuss behind me. The thing is, you have to be completely ready to shoot when they see the balloons (or whatever) and you have to instruct the person holding them to stand right behind your head--either to one side or the other, or right behind but higher than your head, not lower than that, and to reveal what he or she had upon your instruction. You might want to pop one just to let them know what is going to happen. You can try to drag out the anticipation for maximum shooting. It would be good if the wrangler also sang and danced to see if some smiles can be gotten while anticipating.

You need a TV set. Yup, that's the magic baby wrangler. Mid morning is best. This works better inside with portable studio set up but could be done in the yard with a long extension cord, coax cable ect.

 

Set up the backdrop behind the kids. Have them watching one of their favorite morning cartoons. Stand behind the TV and fire away.

The key here is to control the clients' expectations. If your show on your website lots of images of multiple kids sitting

together smiling at the camera, then you will naturally be obliged to produce that for your clients. If, on the other hand,

you show shots of the children interacting, or show an image of each child grouped together in an implied sibling portrait,

then that is the standard you must reach.

 

Here's a sibling shot I did that's been extremely successful through the years, both as a commissioned portrait, and as a

fine art piece. It worked very well because it illustrated the relationship between the three. The individual shots of the

children filled the need for the "what they looked like" shots.

 

Above all, realize that if you're only in your second year, these sessions will become much easier with experience.

There's ALWAYS something you could do or could have done, but that knowledge is gained with time.

 

- CJ<div></div>

I should add that the shot above was of two-year-old twins and their three year old brother. The bathtub was used because

the three were extremely active and tough to get all together. Captivity is key. ;)

ohmygosh!!! what a BEAUTIFUL photo!!!!!!!!!!!

ive posted some re-takes up..

http://web.mac.com/lorihuneke/Site_18/Agrella.html

 

Thanks again to everyone for their involvement in this thread! cheers!