Daughter's Homecoming...

[juanita]

We had to go outside. Not exactly portrait but I thought beauty...

It was evening and catching the glow of the sun going down...I didn't do any editing but crops. I was amazed at the nice tones that got from it...

My oldest, Stephanie and youngest, Juanita Jo...


Juanita Jo and Brother...


Juanita Jo...I saw my other daughter taking pics at this angle. so I tried, too...

[OrcaBob]

Those are nice shots, Juanita. Those are very pretty young ladies. And that warm, late light is great stuff to work with.

The first shot is of a type that doesn't do much for me. The two girls are posing for the camera. Good for family albums, but not intriguing from a photographer's POV. (A lot of parent-and-baby pictures fall into this trap. The parent and the baby are posed so they're both focused on the camera. It works better if parent and baby are concentrating on each other and the camera is an invisible observer.)

The second is VERY interesting with the dynamic between the daughter in front and the guy in the background. Intriguing.

The third shot gains a lot from the odd angle. Sometimes that low angle is unflattering, but I always appreciate angles other than eye-level. Another angle you might try sometime is shooting down on the subject by holding the camera as high as you can reach. You can't see if you're on-target, so a wide-angle lens works best.

[juanita]

Ahhhh-thank you Bob!

[The first shot is of a type that doesn't do much for me. The two girls are posing for the camera. Good for family albums, but not intriguing from a photographer's POV. (A lot of parent-and-baby pictures fall into this trap. The parent and the baby are posed so they're both focused on the camera. It works better if parent and baby are concentrating on each other and the camera is an invisible observer.]

I see how that works...Such as her sister working on her hair as she's looking in the mirror? That's how I like taking people photos, being invisible...I appreciate that tip. Also the tip from the angle above!

Thanks

Juanita

[NCPhotoTrekker]

These are really good, and I would actually consider it a type of casual portraiture. This is my personal preference when it comes to doing people pictures. You do want to get a couple of posed shots for the family album, but like Bob said, the more compelling images are those where the camera doesn't exist. Working with angles is also a great tool as you have seen with that last picture. You really are coming into your own with that camera of yours. I'm really looking forward to doing a little article on you in a few days!

[OrcaBob]

Oct 12, 2009 6:08:10 GMT -5 juanita said:

Such as her sister working on her hair as she's looking in the mirror? That's how I like taking people photos, being invisible...I appreciate that tip. Also the tip from the angle above!

Thanks

Juanita

It's not just having the camera invisible in the shot, it's also making it seem as if there's no camera around when the subjects are being photographed. If both subjects are posing at all unnaturally so they're accessible to the camera, the picture will seem a bit forced.

It's a bit like what the stage and movie industries call, "Breaking the fourth wall." When a character stops and looks at the camera or stage audience -- thus, looking at the audience as if sharing a confidence -- it utterly stops the flow of the scene and shatters any suspension of disbelief that we're watching a real event. In stage or movie, it's done quite intentionally and for a specific effect.

It could also be done intentionally in a still photo, such as someone winking or blowing a kiss at the camera and maybe holding a sign for the viewer to read. But in a less direct way, simply posing for the camera's convenience makes the shot a staged shot and less a capture of true emotion.

The first time I ever heard of this phenomenon was decades before I ever got a DSLR. In a cheap little paperback about how to take better pictures, the example given was a mother with her baby propped on her knee with both people facing the camera. The counter example was a father holding a baby but both characters focused on each other, not the camera. The second shot was much more natural.

Sometimes there is no "fourth wall" to break such as a team photo. But when trying to capture a moment of true emotion it's a difficult task to capture both faces while not making it seem forced. But who said photography should be easy?

[Steve (FloppyDog)]

Beautiful kids, beautiful photos! I especially like photo #2, that one's very clever.

[juanita]

Thanks guys-I sure appreciate when you all offer comments and information-its always a learning experience for me as well as encouragement! I grow on it!