Very First Photo Shoot

[Little Cub]

Hi Cafe,

So I just had my very first photo shoot. The way this happened was, I got a call asking if I could take pictures of kids and a mom, for a Father's Day gift. A little over an hour later, I was setup in my living room and the clients arrived. Let me just say, the kids were wild and crazy! And we're not kid people. My wonderful wife was trying to keep the peace between them as I shot and shot and shot. About an hour later the session was over, and my wife and I watched as the sugar-induced tornado left our house in pieces. Below are some of the final images that were given to the client. Please any C&C in definately encouraged and welcome. Hope you enjoy!

Thanks-
Little Cub

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[ponykilr]

I have done the crazy/un disciplined kids thing myself a few times. It is amazing what kids are allowed to do these days. Anyway, you did the right thing. Shoot, shoot, shoot and maybe a few will be ok. Good job on a tuff situation.

 

[Little Cub]

Thanks Ponykilr, I was very tense, and I tried something different by adding a second strobe with a gel to illuminate the backdrop. Any suggestions on how best to "shoot" (ha ha) kids ie. manual, auto? I shot all manual which I prefer, but I wonder if I would have shot in auto if I would have had more images to work with.

 

[frede]

Pretty good job under the circumstances that you described. Image #2 in your post is beautiful. I did a similar shoot 2 weeks ago with one child. Even with one child, it took 80 some shots to get a full family portrait with Mom, Dad, Grand-mom, the child, AND the dog. :smile:

 

[Little Cub]

Thanks Frede, I appreciate the compliment. I would be interested in seeing the outcome of your shoot! Any tips on how you lit your family?

 

[Clix Pix]

I am not a portrait photographer, but as a viewer I found the backdrops in these images to be rather distracting.

 

[Little Cub]

Thanks for the comment Connie. I do wish I had more space so that I could have had more separation form the backdrop. Along with the bright colors that the kids were wearing it does seem a little distracting. Next time I plan on using more than one backdrop and time to consult with the clients on what they will be wearing.

Little Cub

 

[ponykilr]

Cub, I shoot 99% in Aperture Priority and auto focus. There is 100 years of photography "know how" built into every DSLR, I use it. I prefer to control my DOF and let the camera worry about exposure. Unless of course I need to compensate for snow or a black background or something else that can fool the sensor.

I only shoot in Manual Mode for certain effects on "non-animated" subjects:smile:

Kids can e a lot of fun. They can also be a bad day. I usually just try to chase them around and hope for a good capture cause if they dont want a picture, they wont give you a chance.

 

[Gale]

If I had unruly kids and the parent wanted photos. I would tell them straight out, they behave or no shoot. Period.

Ya did good with what you had to work with

 

[Little Cub]

Thanks for the advice Ponykilr. I am going to try shooting in Aperture Priority to see the difference. It makes sense, I can't tell you how fast I was turning my lens and adjusting for exposure. Whew!

 

[Little Cub]

Gale, thank you for the compliment! You are absolutely right, I should have thought of saying something about behaving. I think I just excited about getting a shoot. I will however keep that advice for the future.

Little Cub