First time family portrait shoot-- advice needed

[prabhu_v]

<p>Next weekend, I'm going to be taking some family pictures of a friend, his wife and their 6 month old baby. Never done anything like it before (I'm more of a landscape photographer), so I wanted some advice, tips, and any suggestions so I can be well prepared. <br /> We are planning to do this a few hours before sunset outdoors. I'm planning to take my Nikon D600 along with a 70-200 F/4, and am also planning to get an SB-700 flash. I find flash photography challenging, especially due to the shutter sync limitation.<br /> <br /> I find this person's pictures particularly inspiring--the de-saturated colors, the brownish b&w pictures, and the use of soft colors (soft green notably).<br /><br /><a href="http://lulliloophotography.com/blog/">http://lulliloophotography.com/blog/</a></p>

<p><br /> I would appreciate very much any tips on how I could achieve similar results.<br /> I'd like to know things like: <br />-best time of day for portraits, <br />-which direction to face, <br />-if I should use any filters, <br />-what color clothing they should ideally wear<br />-if I should use a softbox<br />-lens recommendations<br />etc<br /> and anything else, as I'm pretty sure I'm not even asking the right questions.<br /> Thanks a lot!</p>

[Ian Taylor]

<p>I do kids photography for a living, but I usually do a few family shots as well. <br>

I just use diffused natural light. If it's sunny I put them in the shade facing the open. If it's overcast, I shoot wherever. Skip the flash IMO. Too hard to make it look natural without a lot of practice. <br>

Solid colours are always good. Open up your lens to blur the background, but not too much. (Keep them all in focus.) Try and keep their faces somewhat on the same plane of focus. <br>

Lots of samples on my site and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/IanTaylorPhotography">FB page</a>.<br>

Have fun, then they will too. </p>

[grh]

<p>You're asking very good questions.<br>

Me, I prefer a longer lens for portraits. At least 60mm if not 85 or 105. I don't care for big noses and tiny ears.<br>

+1 on the natural light, but if you can, go for late afternoon, the last hour before sunset. But this depends upon how much cover you have in your chosen location. Try to keep the session down to an hour or so; you won't need much more than that, even if you don't know what you're doing.<br>

+1 on solid colors. Patterns, especially big, bold ones, are distracting and unflattering. Finely detailed patterns can be acceptable. I discourage solid white.<br>

Fill flash can be helpful, but just enough to counteract shadows. Agree that this does take practice, so first time out you might want to avoid it. Be sure to get good exposures on the faces.<br>

Position? Sun to the side 45 degrees, directly to the side, somewhat behind, directly behind. It's up to you. Behind gives you rim lighting (the little girl in the suitcase is a superb example of effective use), and directly behind gives you the trendy flare-filled look with no detail in your subject. Probably not useful for a family shoot.<br>

You won't need any filters.<br>

Watch your cropping: don't cut off limbs at joints, and don't sever fingers or feet. Best to pull back enough to get everything and crop a bit in post. Pay attention to your backgrounds so you don't have to remove things in PS.<br>

Slow down, relax, do your homework so you have some ideas of poses. And have fun!</p>

[Marcus Ian]

<p>You'll need to get close to the child to maintain their focus (which is necessary if you want their eyes). I'd probably chose a fast wide-normal zoom for that, since it will allow you to get a bit closer than your 70-200/4 will allow. It would also allow you to more effectively isolate your subjects from the background.<br>

You could certainly do it (virtually all) w/ a fast 50mm (on your crop), but that's about as narrow as I'd go, close & wide seems to give me much better results with young children, and generally a 24-70/2.8 (on FF) is more than adequate FL variation for this job. </p>

<p>I too would recommend you minimize the use of flash. Flashes often (IME) distract and can upset young children. Even with a softbox, it can detract significantly from the expresiveness of a child's face. With the control over composition and setup you have in this circumstance, your results are likely to be better if you can setup shots as Ian suggests.</p>

[prabhu_v]

<p>Thank you for all the valuable advice so far! So, do you recommend no flash at all or some flash? How about if if used flash effectively (reduce intensity, reduce shutter speed to balance ambient light, rear-sync, etc), would that make a difference? <br>

Also in terms of lenses, I was hoping to get some background blur which is why I thought of getting the 70-200. With the 50mm (I'm on a full frame), I might be able to get background blur with one person, but with a group of 3, it may be a challenge right? <br>

How about the 85mm or 105mm? Would you recommend either of those lens options?<br>

With an 85mm on a cropped sensor, in the past I've had trouble with sharpness because the 85mm doesn't have VR. So, I was wondering if I used the 85mm (now on the full frame) and a little bit of flash, if I could get good results.<br>

Also, some of you mentioned fill-flash. How do you do that outdoors? Indoors, you'd just point it to the roof, so wondering how you'd do it outdoors. <br>

Thanks again for all your valuable advice!</p>

 

[grh]

<p>Lenses: if you're not sure, rent 2 or 3 to try before you commit that kind of money. You can get bokeh with shorter lenses, you just have work at it. The larger apertures will help with that. Separate your subject from the background by distance, too.<br>

Sharpness: you should be able to hold an 85mm still at 1/85 s, but no more. If you are having trouble with that, shorten your shutter speed and increase your ISO a bit. Or use a tripod (which can be very helpful even with a wired remote; it's great to stand there and interact with your subject directly, without hiding behind a lens.<br>

Fill flash: clearly there are differing opinions, and yes, children sometimes really do not like flash. As for how to use it outdoors, yes, lower the intensity, and either use a (good) diffuser, or a softbox or umbrella. No, you won't be bouncing the light off of anything, so you have to manage it yourself.<br>

Lots of questions about various parameters, and whether you'll get good results. The only way to get good results is to become familiar with your equipment, understand what it does and how to control it, and get experience. I don't think asking for a specific combination will accomplish anything, because an accomplished photographer could take any combination and make it work.</p>

[studio460]

<p>The most influential factor is <em>time-of-day</em>. Late-afternoon to dusk (or, even into magic hour) is your best light. It's best for two reasons: 1.) the angle is low; 2.) the light is filtered through more atmosphere, softening its light quality. You can either use it as a key, or a backlight. Used as a key, it's best to set up a silk (large scrim), though this may not be practical for larger groups. The larger Photoflex LitePanels with "translucent" panels attached are pretty affordable, and really do the trick. Alternatively, you can place your subjects' backs to the setting sun and fill with either strobes or reflectors. Your Speedlight, at that time of the day, should have enough output, even through a modifier (and, yes, <em>do</em> use a softbox).</p>

<p>If choosing reflectors, rather than flash, don't buy any type of <em>flexible</em> reflector (e.g., Photoflex' silvered panels for their LitePanels)--any wind completely disrupts the rays of light being reflected--you need <em>rigid</em> reflectors. Though fairly expensive for what they are, these are some of the most useful reflectors available:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.msegrip.com/product/lighting-control-1/matthews-expendable-reflectors.html">http://www.msegrip.com/product/lighting-control-1/matthews-expendable-reflectors.html</a></p>

<p>If choosing these, make sure to order the "fill" version, <em>not</em> the "standard" version. You can also make your own version of these, using a similar material available from Rosco (Matthews doesn't sell their reflective covering), and use some 3M Super 77 to adhere them to to 4' x 4' pieces of bead board (1" thick Styrofoam board).</p>

[William Michael]

<blockquote>

<p>“I'm planning to take my <strong><em>Nikon D600 along with a 70-200 F/4,</em></strong> and am also planning to get an <strong><em>SB-700 flash.</em></strong> I find flash photography challenging, especially due to the shutter sync limitation.”</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>Assuming the three subjects are sitting; you’re shooting Landscape Orientation; you are at FL = 70mm and you want a Full Length Portrait, with a bit of air around them – you’ll be at about 4 meters Shooting Distance.<br>

You are just at (or over) the Distance limit for Flash as Fill on a Sunny day.<br>

IF - you want to use Flash for Fill then I suggest you tout a shorter lens.</p>

<p>*</p>

<p>Shooting Available Light - AND – outdoors: IF – you want communication and rapport with them – then for any Full Length Shots and even Half Shots; you might also consider that 70mm is a bit long, anyway.</p>

<p>*</p>

<p>Me - I’d be romping up with a 24 to 70 or 24 to 105 for a zoom; or if Primes are the flavour then a 35 /50/ 85 set of three.<br>

A 70 to 200 would be way too long (for me) to shoot Outdoor Family Portraiture of Mum, Dad & Bub.</p>

<p>WW</p>

[studio460]

<p>Prabhu said:</p>

<blockquote>

<p>-lens recommendations</p>

</blockquote>

<p>A few more thoughts . . .</p>

<p>Lenses: Of course, this is entirely subjective--i.e., is the goal an environmental portrait, or a more formal, head-and-shoulders portrait? Of the handful of mother + baby exterior portrait sessions I've shot, I've leaned toward the latter, and used an AF-S Nikkor 85mm f/1.4G on an FX body, almost exclusively. Now, in your case, you have three subjects, so your mileage may vary (for single subjects, I go even further, and use my new favorite portrait lens, the Sigma 150mm f/2.8 macro). For environmental portraiture, I would opt for my Sigma 35mm f/1.4 on an FX body, but again, these are merely personal preferences.</p>

<p>Depth-of-field and subject isolation: Make sure you've stopped down enough to get all subjects' eyes in focus--deliberately arranging them so that their eyes are within the same plane helps to that effect. Also, instead of using overly wide apertures for subject isolation, try seeking more-distant backgrounds instead. Even at f/5.6, you may still be struggling to keep both of your subjects' eyes in focus when using a short-tele like an 85mm at close-focus on a full-frame body (recall that the closer the focus, the smaller the apparent depth-of-field).</p>

<p>Shutter speed: After shooting a one particular paid mother + infant session, I realized that subject movement can be more of an issue with infants/toddlers--they're always moving. Even at 1/500th, I had some blurred eyelashes on the infant (indicating subject-movement, rather than camera-induced, motion-blur). However, if you're already committed to using flash at x-sync, then that constraint is determined by your ambient exposure level and flash duration (typically, quite fast).</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

[studio460]

<p>Another approach . . .</p>

<p>In lieu of any fancy Matthews reflectors or Photoflex silks, you could also place your subjects' backs to the setting sun, and set up sheets of 4' x 4' or 4' x 8' Foamcore (or, 1" thick Styrofoam bead board, or any other stiff, white material) to bounce the setting sun's light onto your subjects. Foamcore's reflectance is relatively low, so they'll have to be placed very close to your subjects--you may even cut a hole for your lens so that you can shoot through the Foamcore to further minimize your subject distance.</p>

<p>The pluses to this approach include: very large source, no distracting strobe lights, no power required, and no recycle times (meaning, you can fire at max-FPS if desired). However, you'll need some direct-sun to hit the Foamcore, or else the output just won't be very much, and again, these must be placed <em>very</em> close to your subjects to be effective (just a few feet), so a shorter lens may also be required. Again, this is to be done late in the day, near dusk.</p>

[studio460]

<p><strong>Foamcore:</strong></p>

<p>I looked around and found a few daylight exterior shots which illustrate some of my previous posts . . . I shot the one below around the time I bought my first full-frame body (about a year-and-a-half ago), and is one of my first "family portrait" attempts. The subjects' backs are facing toward the late-afternoon sun, but it was also slightly overcast, which helped to further lower my brightness range. The only supplemental lighting is bounce from a piece of 4' x 4' Foamcore:</p>

<p><img src="http://studio460.com/studio460/dayextkids-1.jpg" alt="" /><br /> Lighting: 4' x 4' Foamcore.</p>

[studio460]

<p><strong>No supplemental lighting [late-afternoon, direct-sun + atmospheric haze]:</strong><br /> <br /> Here's a shot with direct-sun coming from the subject's right, forming a natural rendition of "split-lighting," with no other modifiers, reflectors, or supplemental lighting. The sun was low enough in the sky to be naturally diffused by atmospheric haze, and had a nice enough quality to it that neither silks nor any other lighting controls were necessary:</p>

<p><img src="http://studio460.com/studio460/karina-x-1.jpg" alt="" /><br /> Lighting: none [direct-sun + atmospheric haze].</p>

[studio460]

<p><strong>"Softbox" [Photoflex LitePanel]:</strong><br /><br /> While this daylight exterior was shot in open-shade (building shadow), I controlled the brightness range by adding a strobe (plus modifiers which simulate the effect of a softbox: beauty dish + LitePanel diffusion frame). Note the late-afternoon, direct-sun still visible in the background in the upper part of the frame:</p>

<p><br /> <img src="http://studio460.com/studio460/LitePanel1.jpg" alt="" /><br /> Lighting: 400Ws strobe + 16" beauty dish + 39" x 39" LitePanel with "translucent" diffuser.</p>

[studio460]

<p><strong>No strobe vs. strobe:</strong><br /> <br />Note that I'm still learning too, and some of the results of my most-recent tests were revealing. The image below is an out-of-camera .JPG, with no manipulation. The subject is in open-shade, the most diffuse, directionless light possible, rendering a very low-contrast scene. While diffused light is often considered flattering (and, presumably, desired), light without "direction" results in a lack of any visible "modeling," and does little to contribute to describing form or providing any sense of contour. My personal preference is to avoid shooting in open-shade unless supplemented by other lighting (or, backlighting by the sun), simply because it's <em>too</em> flat:</p>

<p><img src="http://studio460.com/studio460/strobex2.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="466" /><br /> Lighting: none [open-shade].<br /> <br />Four minutes later, I shot the image below, decreasing my ambient exposure by one-stop, and adding a pole-mounted 400Ws monolight. The image is an unmodified, out-of-camera .JPG with no contrast or curve manipulation performed. Obviously, this is a more stylized shot (i.e., it doesn't look "natural"), but has far more contrast, and "pop" than the ambient exposure alone:</p>

<p><img src="http://studio460.com/studio460/strobeyes.jpg" alt="" /><br /> Lighting: 400Ws strobe + 16" beauty dish.</p>

[studio460]

<p><strong>Magic hour + Speedlight w/CTO:</strong></p>

<p>Finally, I ended the day with some "forced-magic hour" images, switching to my Nikon SB-800 through a 3' octa (since the output required at this time was much lower). Due to the waning ambient light, I had raise my ISO from 100 to 800. I then taped tungsten correction gel to my Speedlight, manually dialed in a color temperature of 2,500-degrees Kelvin on my camera, and let the remaining ambient daylight shift to blue:</p>

<p><img src="http://studio460.com/studio460/assist1.jpg" alt="" /><br /> Lighting: Nikon SB-800 @ 2,500° Kelvin + Quantum Turbo + 3' octa + internal baffle.</p>

<p><img src="http://studio460.com/studio460/assist2C.jpg" alt="" /></p>

<p>[This is what that same location looked like at about the same time as the shot above, balanced to daylight, with no strobe.]</p>

[studio460]

<p><strong>Direct-sun + 3' x 3' diffuser [LitePanel]:</strong></p>

<p><img src="http://studio460.com/studio460/LiteS1.jpg" alt="" /><br /> Lighting: direct-sun + 39" x 39" Photoflex LitePanel with "translucent" panel attached (similar to a silk).</p>

<p>I saved the best for last! This is my all-time favorite way to light daylight exterior subjects: direct-sun through a large silk. I didn't have a sun-through-diffusion example image handy, so I just went and shot this one a couple of minutes ago.</p>

<p>Again, this is shot in late-afternoon, with the sun low in the sky. The subject's right-side key is direct-sun through a 39" x 39" Photoflex LitePanel with a "translucent" panel attached (which is similar in both transmission and light quality to a standard Polysilk). It's being handheld just out-of-frame (camera-left), approximately one-foot away from the subject. Notice the subtle lighting gradient from left-to-right, across the subject's face--I have a deliberate brightness difference here to effect some "modeling." The subject's left-side fill (camera-right) is coming from another Photoflex 39" x 39" LitePanel, except with the white reflector panel attached.</p>

[williams_gallery]

There's a lot of good technical information here, but don't forget that your relationship to the subject is the most important

thing. If you're uncomfortable or they are, you end up with technically stunning but boring, soulless portraits. I would

make taking some time to chat and relax a priority. Good luck!

 

Matt

[William Michael]

<blockquote>

<p>"Next weekend, I'm going to be taking some family pictures of a friend, his wife and their 6 month old baby."</p>

</blockquote>

<p>How did the shoot go? What were the outcomes? How about a debrief?</p>

<p>WW</p>