My Li'l Pony
My grandbaby in my studio.
My grandbaby in my studio.
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Aug, 2016Views
124
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Awards
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
Top Choice
All Star
Outstanding Creativity
Magnificent Capture
Top Ranks
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1Categories
Vanismile
October 07, 2016
Absolutely adorable:) Stunning capture and the best gift on ur Special Day:)
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
Vera June sat (stood) for me in my studio on Long Island, New York.Time
Studio shoots - any time the subject(s) is happy to be in the spotlight, including well rested, fed, and of cooperative demeanor.Lighting
For this portrait I used four light units: main, fill, background, and hair light, a rather typical setup.Equipment
At this time I was using a Canon 5D MKII with a 28-70mm lens, on a sturdy studio stand.Inspiration
It's been of supreme importance to me to capture my grandchildren at every stage (and many times in between those stages!) in classic portraits, not just cute snapshots. This particular session was actually a gift from her to me! She was beautifully cooperative because it was my birthday gift.Editing
After running the image through Lightroom (nothing particular done there for this one), I clean up any spots or distracting elements in Photoshop, then used 'glamour glow' in NIK filters to soften the overall look, erasing some off her face for clarity. The 'beauty mark' below her mouth is actually a cookie crumb. Sweet.In my camera bag
The contents of my gear bag depends on portrait? wildlife? travel? Basically it's the Canon 5D MKII, 5D MKIII, and a few lenses: 100-400, 24-105, 28-70, 20-35, and when shooting in Africa, I borrow a long lens once I arrive, typically the Canon 500mm fixed.Feedback
Portraits may be made in a multitude of lighting situations, of course, but to have a consistent mode of capturing wonderful portraits, a room with studio lights is the way I've gone since 1984. I also work in my outdoor studio, The Garden. Specializing is key - there's too much competition and wonderful shooters out there to try to be everything to everyone. My area from the start was babies, kids, families. Study classic work, whether the Master's paintings, or classic photographic portraiture. By now, they're all online! Most commissioned portraits are made of children from birth to about seven years old. After that age, it's more about sibling groups and families. Searching for and gathering great props and learning how to use them is invaluable for the younger set. Keeping the portrait current - only way to do this is to use, as much as possible, what we like to call 'timeless, classic, not trendy, no-logo' clothing and props. Wall portraits stick around for a very very long time, so I try to steer my clients towards a look and style that follows that guideline.
