Studio Portrait Photography of Children and Babies

129 Pages·2007·3.64 MB·English

by  Marilyn Sholin

STUDIO PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY
of
CHILDREN AND BABIES
Third Edition
MARILYN SHOLIN
Amherst Media
®
PUBLISHEROFPHOTOGRAPHYBOOKS

SPECIALTHANKS
Specialthankstoallmyclientswholetmeintotheirlivesandhavesharedtheirchil-
drenandfamilieswithme.Yourchildrenareallapartofmyfamily.
DEDICATION
Thisbookisespeciallydedicatedtothemanypeoplewhoarenolongerwithme.Iknow
theyareallreadingthebook“upthere”andsmilingdownonme.Ifeeltheirpresence.
ThisbookisdedicatedalsotoMichael,withlove.Icouldn’tsurvivewithoutyourlove
andlaughtertokeepmesane.
Copyright©2008byMarilynSholin.
Allphotographsbytheauthorunlessotherwisenoted.
Allrightsreserved.
Publishedby:
AmherstMedia,Inc.
P.O.Box586
Buffalo,N.Y.14226
Fax:[phone]
www.AmherstMedia.com
Publisher:CraigAlesse
SeniorEditor/ProductionManager:MichellePerkins
AssistantEditor:BarbaraA.Lynch-Johnt
EditorialAssistant:ArtieVanderpool
EditorialAssistant:CareyMaines
ISBN-13:978-1-58428-212-9
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2007926860
PrintedinKorea.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,stored,ortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,electronic,me-
chanical,photocopied,recordedorotherwise,withoutpriorwrittenconsentfromthepublisher.
Notice of Disclaimer: The information contained in this book is based on the author’s experience and opinions.
Theauthorandpublisherwillnotbeheldliablefortheuseormisuseoftheinformationinthisbook.
CONTENTS
AbouttheAuthor ..........................5
Introduction .............................6
1.THECHILD-FRIENDLYSTUDIO ..............9
FirstImpressions .........................10
YourAppearance .......................10
Toys ................................10
Furnishings ...........................12
OvercomingShyness ....................12
YourCameraRoom ......................13
Conclusion .............................15
2.WHO’STHEBOSSHERE? .................17
NewborntoSixMonths ...................18
SevenMonthstoThirteenMonths ...........23
FourteenMonthstoEighteenMonths ........25
NineteenMonthstoThreeYears .............27
FourYearstoSixYears ....................29
OlderSiblingSyndrome ...................31
AWordAboutMoms .....................32
Conclusion .............................33
3.ATYPICALPORTRAITSITTING .............34
ClothingConsultation ....................34
WhatWorks? ............................36
KeepitSimple ...........................37 MegapixelsandResolution ...............44
TheSession .............................40 BurstRate ............................46
ClothingEvaluation ....................40 ShutterLag ...........................46
Setup ...............................41 CCDvs.CMOSSensors .................46
Full-LengthPortraits ....................41 DigitalStorageMedia ...................49
Close-ups ............................41 ImageFileFormats .......................49
FinalViewingAppointment .................42 TIFF ................................50
Conclusion .............................43 JPEG ...............................50
RAW ................................51
4.CAMERAS ............................44 Lenses .................................51
DigitalCameras .........................44 MinimumCameraandLensRequirements .....51
CONTENTS3
Creativity ..............................76
Conclusion .............................79
8.DIGITALARTISTRYWITHCORELPAINTER ....81
JustAddWater ..........................81
ClonedBackgrounds ......................84
Auto-Painting ...........................85
Conclusion .............................89
9.POPULARPLUG-INS ....................90
Black&WhiteConversionforaSubduedEffect .90
WeirdDreams ...........................94
Conclusion .............................94
10.MARKETINGTHATWORKS ...............96
E-mail .................................98
DirectMail .............................99
Networking .............................99
WordofMouth ..........................99
5.LIGHTING ............................54 Websites ...............................99
Strobes ................................54 GlaringOmissions .....................101
Monolights ...........................57 TheGamePlan .......................101
PowerPacks ..........................57 TargetedMailings .......................103
Built-inandOn-CameraFlash ...............57 Conclusion ............................103
LightModifiers ..........................61
Umbrellas ............................61 11.THEPRESENTATION ..................104
Softboxes ............................61 TraditionalProofs .......................104
Reflectors ............................62 DigitalProofs ..........................104
Grids ................................63 Projection .............................107
MinimumLightingRequirements ............63 Conclusion ............................107
6.EASYANDEFFECTIVELIGHTING ..........66 12.SALES .............................108
Three-LightSetup ........................66 BasicStrategies .........................108
Two-LightSetup .........................66 Add-ons ..............................110
EffectiveBackgroundLighting ..............67 Frames .............................110
HighandLowKey .......................68 PortraitCollections ....................110
LightingPatterns ........................68 PursesandJewelry ....................111
FlatLighting ..........................68 OtherOptions .......................113
ButterflyLighting ......................68 Conclusion ............................114
LoopLighting.........................68
RembrandtLighting ....................69 13.CUSTOMERSERVICEAFTERTHESALE ....115
SplitLighting .........................69 Thank-YouNotes .......................115
ProfileLighting ........................70 Mailings ..............................115
Conclusion .............................70 PhoneCalls ............................116
E-mail ................................118
7.AREYOUAPHOTOGRAPHERORANARTIST? ..71 MakeCustomersforLife ..................118
GamePlanforStyle .......................71 Conclusion ............................118
IdentifyYourStrengths ....................74
Props .................................74 Resources ..............................120
Variety ................................74 Index ................................123
4 STUDIOPORTRAITPHOTOGRAPHYOFCHILDRENANDBABIES
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Marilyn’s fascination with the visual arts started when she was a little girl
andhertwoolderbrothershadadarkroominthebasement.Shespentmany
hourstherewatchingasherbrotherscreated“magic”picturesthatappeared
inwhatlookedlikewaterintrays.Herfascinationwiththedarkroomwasen-
hanced at Halloween, when its eerie red light made the darkroom the best
“funhouse”ontheblock.
Onhersixteenthbirthday,theonegiftMarilynwantedmostwasherown
camera.Herparentsmadeherwishcometrue,andsincethenshehasnever
lookedback.Thecamerawentwithhereverywhere,andthefamilycounted
on her to document all the family events. Her friends always knew they
wouldbephotographedwhenMarilynwasaround.
Eventually, when Marilyn married and had children, she unpacked that
oldenlargerherbrothersworkedwithandsetupherowndarkroominher
home.Now,itwashersonwhowatchedinamazementastheprintsofhim
appeared in the trays of chemicals. She scrimped and saved and sold things
atafleamarkettobuyherfirsttop-of-the-line35mmcamera.Withthefirst
rolloffilmsheputthroughit,MarilynwonanationalKodakcontestandhad
PhotobyMarilynSholin.
herpicturepublishedinthenewspapers.Anatural?Goodluck?Maybeyears
and years of learning to see and feel what transforms a good image into a
greatone.
Overtheyears,Marilyn’sartisticstyleofportraiturehasreceivedinterna-
tionalacclaim.Heraward-winningphotographshavebeenpublishedinthe
ProfessionalPhotographersofAmerica(PPA)LoanBookandintheFlorida
ProfessionalPhotographersExcellenceBook.Sheisalsoanationallyrecog-
nizedCertifiedProfessionalPhotographerwithaMasterCraftsmandegree,
and Corel recognizes her as one of their small select group of Painter
Masters.
Marilyn is a popular speaker at photographers’ conventions where she
presentsprogramsonmanytopics,from“TheArtofCreativity”tocreating
innovative family and children’s portraits and turning them into art. Her
speakinghastakenherfromcoasttocoastandworldwide.Shealsoconducts
workshopswithhands-onexperiencefortheattendees.
Marilyn’sphilosophyisthatyoumuststayontopofthephotographicin-
dustryandbereadytoinnovatequickly.Keepanopenmindandalwayslook
tothefuture.Sheadvisesherseminarattendeesandreaders,“Befearless.”
ABOUTTHEAUTHORK5
INTRODUCTION
The joy of photographing children is in their innocence and spontaneous
expressions.Aglowingfaceorhugfromoneofourlittlepeoplehasbright-
enedmanygloomydaysatthestudio.Theirexpressions,capturedinafrac-
tion of a second, remain ingrained in our minds. Years later, they make us
smile.
The culmination of all your work behind the
This book is for everyone who wants to learn how to photograph their
scenes is a memorable portrait that will be
clientsortheirownchildrenbetter,moreeasily,andwithmorepizzazzthan
treasuredforyearstocome.
Ababydoesn’thavetohaveahugesmiletoshowhe’shappy.Thislittleguyisobviouslycomfortable,andhisexpressionshowsit.
before.Inthesepages,thereareanumberoftipsforphotographingchildren
and having fun while doing it. After reading this book, you will find that
everything about cameras and lighting that once looked so difficult is now
clearertoyou.Theexplanationsareallpresentedineasy-to-understandterms
thatanyonecanusetoimprovehisorherphotography.
Alittlebitofchildpsychologywillhelpyouinpreparingforeachchild’s
portraitsession.Youwilllearnwhattoexpectfromeachsession(andyouwill
Alittlebitofchildpsychology especially appreciate when you meet the perfect child who goes against the
normandfollowsallyourdirectionsperfectly).
willhelpyouinpreparingfor Inchapter1therearetipsforsettingupaneffectiveandefficientstudio
and camera room. There are ideas for what to do to create a friendly at-
eachchild’sportraitsession. mospherethatchildrenwillrespondto,ascreatingkid-friendlyenvironment
isimportantforbuildingyourrapportwiththem.
Chapter 2 deals with the psychology of each age group that is pho-
tographed.Knowingwhattoexpectfromanewbornoratwo-year-oldwill
helpyouplantheirportraitsessions.Havingafewage-appropriatetricksup
yoursleeveforeachsubjectwillmakethingsgosmoothly.
Chapter3walksyouthroughatypicalportraitsitting—fromconducting
aneffectiveclothingconsultationtoexactlywhattoexpectduringphotog-
INTRODUCTION7
Don’tovelookthepossibilityofshootingafew
outdoorportraitstosupplementyourclients’
studioportraits.Withashallowdepthoffield,
youcanbluroutalessthanperfectbackground
andfocustheviewer’sattentiononthesubject.
raphy.Itwillhelptakeawaysomeofthemysterysurroundingwhathappens
duringaportraitsession.
In chapters 4 and 5, we’ll discuss the right equipment for the job—the
kinds of cameras, lenses, lights, and modifiers that are the bare minimum
requiredtocreatebeautifulstudioportraits.Inchapter6,you’lllearnsome
simplelightingstrategiesthatwillworkwellwithyouryoungclients.
No two people see and photograph the same subject the same way. In
chapter 7, you’ll learn how to cultivate your personal style in order to set
yourworkapartfromthecompetition.Chapter8servesasacrashcoursein
usingCorelPaintertoamplifytheartistryofyourimages,andinchapter9,
you’ll learn how to use plug-ins to take those painted images to the next
level.
Chapter 10 will give you insight into determining your target demo-
graphic and marketing your products to that select group. You’ll discover
simple strategies for developing your client base in little time, with little or
Beforeyoufinishthisbook,you
nomoney.Itwillsaveyoutimeandmoneybyfocusingonmarketingtech-
niquesthatworkquickly.Chapters11and12willshowyouhowtopresent
willbeusingitasyourreference
yourimagestoclientsandhowtoputonyoursalescaptoensurethebest-
possibleprofitsfromeverysession.You’llalsotakealookatsomehotprod-
beforeeveryportraitsitting.
uctideasthatwillensurethatyourclientspurchasemorethanatraditional
framed print. In chapter 13, you’ll learn how to nurture your relationship
withclientsoncetheywalkoutofyourstudiosothatyoucanmakeyourcus-
tomersclientsforlife.
If this sounds like a lot to cover in one book, it is. I can also assure you
thatreadingitisworthyourtime.Beforeyouevenfinishthisbook,youwill
beusingitasyourreferencebeforeeveryportraitsitting.Whileotherbooks
may tell you generalities about photographing children, this book teaches
specificskillsyoucanuseimmediately.Asyouconcludeeachchapter,youcan
closethebook,andsomethingwillhavebeenlearned.
A good place to keep this book is by your camera. Hand in hand, the
camera,lights,andinformationherewillmakeabetterphotographerofyou,
whetheryouareaprofessionaloramateur.
8 STUDIOPORTRAITPHOTOGRAPHYOFCHILDRENANDBABIES
1. THE CHILD-FRIENDLY STUDIO
Children are people. As long as you can remember that, you will be fine.
They are people without pretense or arrogance. They will always say what
theymeanandaskthemostembarrassingquestionsatthemostinappropri-
ate times. They will make you laugh and touch your heart. Their tears will
Apricelessexpressionisasurefirebetwhen break your heart. But beware—these little folks can also try your patience,
creatingimagesthatcaptureparents’hearts.
bring your equipment crashing to the floor, ruin your backgrounds, and
Inthisportrait,thesoftbackgroundkeepsthe
generallytormentyouduringthetimetheyspendinyourstudio.
viewersattentionrightwherewewantit!