brandon_andreadakis Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 <p>Hello, <br> My grandmother is ALWAYS unhappy with photographs of her. As the new family photographer, it has been assigned to me to try and please her with a photograph. In person, my grandmother is extremely beautiful. However, pictures do not do her justice. I think it is because she has deep sunken eyes and this is emphasized in photos, which makes her eyes look way too dark. Anyway, I have posted a picture of her and I. It is probably not the best example of what I mean cause it's actually a half-way decent picture of her. Please tell me how you would recommend shooting her. I have a wide variety of studio equipment including a ringlight, large softbox, etc so feel free to make recommendations. </p><div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_wheatland Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 <p>My wife does not like her picture taken. I avoid flash and rely on window light that shines through the sheer curtain and I prefer a three quarter head and shoulders portrait with her eyes not looking head on into the camera lens.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jack_fisher1 Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 <p><strong>Brandon, The suggestion above about window lighting is a good one. In addition, I see a woman of beauty in the picture you posted. Perhaps she lacks a little confidence about her beauty and love of her family. Tell her she has innate beauty, and can share it with others by sharing a photograph. A few complimentary comments might give her a little willingness to share herself as she is: a good looking woman. Once a photo is made, praise her for it. Just my thoughts.</strong></p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhbebb Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 <p>Blow her socks off with your skills! Subjects like this may well tense up under studio lights, so window light as mentioned above would be great (with a reflector on the shadow side just out of shot). Do not hesitate to use every means of photographic flattery in the form of a diffuser (soft-focus) filter, vaseline on an old UV filter or even a piece of old nylon stocking stretched tightly over the lens (soft-focus effect varies according to how tightly). Jusr remember your lens AF will probably not work - focus manually.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerund Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 <p>My suggestion would be to quiz your grandmother if possible about what it is that she does not like about her photos. Does she look too old? Is it the lighting? Maybe she just does not like a harsh flash and feels it makes her respond with an unnatural expression.<br> Only in this way can you have some direction on how to proceed.<br> I also perceive that in the photo you show, that she appears to have lightened sunglass rings around her eyes.<br> A little photoshop touch up can correct this.</p> <p> </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luis_g Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 <p>Brandon, the amazing thing is that she is a beautiful woman. I like the suggestion of facing indirect light from an open window, or the shadow side of a building or under a porch, or strobes, but at any rate, make sure there's enough light to fill her eye sockets. Does she have a favorite picture of her taken recently? Ask her to see it. A little make-up might help enhance the apparent eye size. I would light her through two umbrellas, but the wrinkle-erasing nature of a ring light might work, too. I would not use too much softening filtration, just a little bit.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brandon_andreadakis Posted May 16, 2011 Author Share Posted May 16, 2011 <p>I'll try both the window idea and the ring light. I didn't order any type of diffuser for the ring light, so Im not sure if that would be best, but we will see. I've gotten pretty good with the Portrait Professional software, so we'll see if that does the trick. </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norma Desmond Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 <p>My take is that there may be too much emphasis on physical beauty, and she may be a woman who doesn't want her physical beauty or her perceived lack of it (she IS a beautiful woman) emphasized or even addressed. A portrait can focus on other things. Think about her character. Play with her in creating or re-creating a character of hers, or a persona. Don't be so literal in just doing a head or a bust shot. Consider her a part of an environment that might tell a story about her. Does she knit or sew or have a hobby? Show her actively participating in something she likes or in a room that's a favorite of hers. Let her fall in love with the story the portrait can tell and the associations it can have and not dwell on her physical looks so much.</p> We didn't need dialogue. We had faces! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brandon_andreadakis Posted May 16, 2011 Author Share Posted May 16, 2011 <p>Fred, you just gave what I think is a great idea. She has two hobbies: shopping and interior decorating. Her house is like something in Architectural Digest. What I'd like to did is an architecture shoot. You know the ones when they show the designer in a room they designed. This would allow me to get further away from her as I would want to show the room. She is extremely proud of her house, so she would probably love the picture. Now, I just have to study those type of shots in order to figure out how to light her and the room. There is a large indirect light window where I am thinking, so this may work will with maybe a couple of strobes bounced in the room to fill the shadows. </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mariosforsos Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 <p>Personally I would attempt something completely off the books - a more edgy portrait, maybe with rim lights on one of both sides (slightly behind her so they do no intimidate), maybe a top lit portrait (with a softbox high up)...then I'd try shooting her against (or close to) something she loves, an item, a corner of the house or something, with a snoot and a relatively long exposure (say 1/30th or something to ensure the background and other element do not go completely dark)..</p> <p>Typical shots of someone sitting by the window...well, almost everyone can do those. Do something different, dare, challenge yourself and her, get her involved in the process, ask for ideas...download images and have her suggest stuff or modifications on them...make it fun...</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plasma181 Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 <p>My late grandmother seldom liked having her picture taken.<br> <a href="../photo/3413102">http://www.photo.net/photo/3413102</a> </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lintrathen Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 <p>Hi Brandon............ I don't have an answer for you, but I do have an interesting story to relate. You can form your own conclusion.<br> Back in the day when I was young, my best friend and I built a darkroom in a disused bathroom at the rear of his house. So with our 35mm cameras, we shot "everything that moved" and had a lot of fun in the darkroom. The good old FP4 was a very forgiving film.<br> Anyway, on one of our "shoots", we took some rather nice images of his Grandmother. The family was very impressed..... all except his Grandmother who did not like the image one bit. She said it looked nothing like her.<br> We "mulled over" her comments for quite a while (probably bruised egos) and then came to this conclusion. The only way Grandma could see herself was in the mirror. She obviously could not see herself as others did. So with some darkroom creativity we printed a "reverse" image (how Grandma saw Grandma)....... like she was looking in the mirror.<br> Instant success.<br> A little true life humour...... makes you think though.<br> Regards </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael_s10 Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 <p>Lots of good suggestions in this thread - especially the one about catching her doing something active - works well with the older crowd (myself included).<br> An alternate approach is... use pro makeup and a pro retoucher.</p> <p> </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alex_pigeon Posted May 29, 2011 Share Posted May 29, 2011 <p>What Grayham said about reversing the image is very true. The effect on the image is subtle so it's definitely worth a shot. I'm still very new to printing in a darkroom and it took me a few times to realize the "something's a bit off" feeling I was getting about pictures of my friend was that I had put the negative in the enlarger backwards and it was giving me a mirror image! She of course didn't notice a thing :) </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bikealps Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 <p>my approach would be to go into the studio and try a high-key portrait... softbox, reflector, white paper on background with a light on it. I'd try gentle side lighting. I might also try paramount-softbox lighting if my softbox weren't too big and I had enough ceiling height.<br> You could do both color and b/w from the saw .nef file. I think this would be a flattering approach, although it is not environmental (no architecture).<br> I'd not choose to blur on the lens (sock, vaseline) and instead do it in LR.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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