"Twas the night before Christmas &...."

Tyler & Halli. Tyler reading "The Night before Christmas" to Halli. I

thought her positioning was sweet. No posing her, she posed herself.

This little girl had a mind of her own :) I loved it!

Nice to see someone who can do a nice pro high key job.

I tried this new (to me) set-up because I felt it gave the kids a lot more room to roam & still stay in the zone of acceptable light. It worked out much better than I expected. The kids did roam :) This was about mid-session & the 3 year old was finally feeling a little more comfortable. She took her shoes off (a good sign:)She was a real fire cracker!

Jayme, first of all I hate cute kid pics...but I love this. I'll assume the lighting is beyond my ken...then what? Is it the act of reading one to another younger? Is it the rarity of spotless children? The formal attire? The huge oversized book? The pose? The momentary distraction of the girl? (Her body language is into it; her eyes not)All in all a compelling shot. Regards, Bernie

I laughed at the comment "I hate cute kid pics". :) Way too funny. I had to rely on all my years of parenthood experience to maintain my patience with this little imp :) She was a trip and then some :)

 

I pondered on whether 2 & 3 year olds are worth the effort, then I captured this one :) I had to admit it was worth the effort.

 

I have both a 2 year old & a 3 year grandson. The 2 year old is almost impossible to photograph. He hates my camera! However, I did entice him into playing with a box of costume jewelry & got one great photo of him with a small rhinestone tiara he had placed on his head & antique glasses on his nose, looking into a mirror. It was worth the effort :)

 

The 3 year old loves to get his picture taken, especially if I photograph his belly button or ear & show it to him on the camera enlarged :) He always says "eeeeeuuuuh" & makes me laugh :) Then he lets me take just about anything I want. He has been a ham since he birth :)

 

So all in all, I have to admit they are worth the trouble :) Kind of like parenthood :) Sometimes, I do wonder though! Thanks for the comment.

wonderful ! cheers Jana

Beautiful! I love the softness of the light. - Lex

Thank you Jana & Alexa :)

Great shots, Jayme - the lastest postings. Your studio shots are working well. Look forward to seeing more. My lights are in storage until we move early next year. :(

Nice to know next year is not that far off:) When you get moved have you designated a specific area for your studio setup?

 

I am thinking about installing some ceiling tracks to mount 3 of my lights from. I would really like to see some mounted before I go to the expense & then find out I don't like it :( I've looked at a lot on line but the setup is confusing to me. I think what I need is just 3 straight tracks & 3 large scissor hangers. It will be difficult to install the electricity, but not impossible. I have a small crawl space over my room & it should be fairly straight forward to run the electricity. However, while the ceiling is about 10 foot in the middle, they angle off on the sides, like those sloped ceilings of a cape cod house. I'll keep you up dated on my endeavor :) It should be interesting :)

Very pretty high key image Jamie.

 

Just wanted to thank you again for your comment and help.

 

I'm quite new to lighting (well photography in general...serious about it under 2 years..)

 

I love your studio with the bed...don't want to push it but would you be able to recommend any good books on lighting (esp location lighting..)

2 of my favorite lighting books that I use are:

 

Lighting Techniques for High Key Portrait Photography- Norman Phillips

The lighting Cookbook- Jenni Bidner

 

I use these in the studio a lot, but I do not see why they can not be adapted for location shoots. Lighting is lighting :) With a little imagination & some reflectors almost anything is possible :)

 

For location shoots I think reflectors are an absolute must. I have some big book-end types I use. I never take more than 2 actual lights. Too much to mess with. I bring 2 large reflectors with both white & black covers. Of course, I can't really exist without my light meter either :) This is how I adjust all lights. They can be used for adjusting the flashes with ambient light in the environment. Just remember, you are basically just using the flashes to supplement the existing light, not to overpower it. Natural light can be so beautiful. More beautiful than a flash could ever hope to be :)

 

A very simple light meter is the best. The more simple the better!

 

Thanks for your help Jayme...The lighting Cookbook seems to be mentioned quite a bit, maybe I'll treat myself for a Christmas gift..

Ger..

This is so special! What a wonderful keepsake! I love your hi-key portraits!