I’m so excited about today’s post because I have tacked on a little surprise – some actual video footage from the session!I will, however, warn you that the video is rudimentary in nature and will appear dark on many screens. The important part is that you should be able to hear both myself and my lovely subject and get a sense of how I captured some of the pictures posted below.

In addition, I will share my rundown (as per usual) of how I chose to shoot this session. I should mention that this session was shot entirely with my 50mm 1.4 on a Canon 5D Mark II camera.

Let’s start with the (shocker) bedroom. I shot mostly at f2.8, SS160 and ISO’s between 500 and 800. It had the best light and the most space, with window light coming from two areas…

Pulled up the blinds for max light...

The bedspread on the bed was patterned and green (which could create a green cast) so I flipped it.

Planned to use headboard as backdrop...

I had one of the parents use my presentation board closer to the kids than I could get with my reflector and stand beside the bed (you can purchase a tri-fold one at Office Depot or the equivalent).

As you can see my subject was somewhat interested in the whereabouts of his Mom

This general set-up produced this shot…

Sweet little man...

I also shot this little fella standing over him on the bedspread…

A rare moment of being still...

I used this wall as a backdrop for some of the shots of parents with their little boy. This was an optimal use of the wall, in my opinion, as the light was flatter and not optimal for straight on shooting.

Window light flatter here so used sparingly as a backdrop...

Here is a shot using that wall…

Flat light not so much of an issue here...

Next up – time with the 3 1/2 year old, in her room. This was a small room and the bed was at the window, which was tricky. I had to move wall hangings and re-arrange stuff on the bed, including removing the bed rails.

Moved the big pic to the left and took the picture on the wall off...

I had a tight shooting space – was essentially up against the wall where you can see the lamp…

Cleared off the bed and bed rails...

Here are some of the shots I got, based on the conversation you will hear in the video…

Happy and engaged...

When I ask children to get on their tummies, I make sure they are on a diagonal and that they cross their ankles for best effect…

Talking about breakfast at her house...

I often ask kids to look out their window and tell me what they see out there. If they get stuck, I will ask them if they ‘see an alligator’ out there. Most of the time, the answer is no .

Love this shot...

Lastly, I did end up taking the family outside for some shots on their porch (I had also taken them on their bed). Here you can see the porch (with chairs and table that I moved off).

Covered porch...

This porch was covered, but I noticed after the fact that the Dad is squinting a fair bit. I do, however, like the brick-as-backdrop.

Apparently a bit bright for my subjects...

Okay… so here’s the funnest part of this post (in my humble opinion). Please don’t judge the video skills, placement of the video camera, etc. (Don’t worry, future tapings will be considerably more polished). Enough said, here is the video – it may take a moment to load and please try not to judge my imitation of a giraffe…

I hope you enjoyed that. You may have noticed that I asked her if she was ready quite a few times. I find that when they say ‘I’m ready’ – they often have a very sweet and natural expression on their face.

This brings us to THE BOTTOM LINE…

• Do not be afraid to move furniture and change bedspreads if it cleans up your shooting area
• Use walls and backboards for backdrops whenever possible
• Don’t be shy about asking a parent to hold a reflector closer to your subject
• Shoot your subjects in different positions if possible 

That’s all for today. SHARE IT somewhere in the world and make my day!

Technorati Tags: 1 year old, 3 1/2 year old, photography tips, video

Tags: 1 year old, 3 1/2 year old, photography tips, video

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