Girl at the Piano
A friend wanted photos of his son and daughter. He warned me that his boy would be a poser and his daughter would hide. We went to a playground and I used a lon...
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A friend wanted photos of his son and daughter. He warned me that his boy would be a poser and his daughter would hide. We went to a playground and I used a long lens to capture them playing and interacting. I got this shot when she wasn't paying attention to me.
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Apr, 2015Views
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Awards
Action Award
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Creative Winter Award
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Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Outstanding Creativity
Superior Skill
Magnificent Capture
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
My friend wanted to get shots of his young son and daughter. He warned me that his son would ham it up for the camera and his daughter would likely hide. I suggested we go to a playground and let them play and interact. They brought some of their favorite toys and brought out her little piano. While they set it up, I was focused on her brother. I turned my attention to her and got this shot. She didn't know I took it.Time
I prefer to shoot outdoors in early morning or late day light. However, due to their schedules, we had to shoot in early afternoon.Lighting
It was mostly sunny so I knew I had to be mindful of shadows and hot spots. I kept adjusting as we moved to different apparatus around the playground. I recently moved from the midwest to the desert and am learning how to use this different light to my advantage.Equipment
I used my Nikon 3200 and a longer lens so they would forget I was there. For this shot and a few others, I also used a red filter because I wanted to include some black and white shots.Inspiration
Her brother was posing for me with his football. He jumped to kick it and fell down. While he lay on the ground laughing and brushing himself off, I turned with my camera, saw this and took the shot. Her mother was nearby getting a hair band because it was a breezy day so it was perfect timing. She did open up more as we played.Editing
My camera allows you to convert to black and white. I have only used that feature a couple of times. I prefer to use PhotoShop in order to better control the conversion and do little or no editing afterward. I converted this and slightly adjusted brightness.In my camera bag
I always have either my Nikon D50 or D3200, 18-55 and 55-200 lenses, lens cloth and a tripod. I also make sure I have extra cards and a fully charged battery. I learned from experience that great shots can be missed when the battery dies or the card gets filled. Sometimes I carry a point-and-shoot so the camera isn't so conspicuous, though the quality is less than I like.Feedback
Direction has its place for portraits. But with the kids I like to get spontaneous moments. Kids are unpredictable and asking them to sit still and smile can seem unnatural for these little balls of energy. I did some giving a little direction, but shot most of them simply playing together. I managed to get enough of both to please the parents. I will admit, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw this one.
