Made you laugh!
Inevitably, kids make faces in front of the camera. But playing around during a shoot helps everyone have fun and relax, making the great shots possible. Although few parents would choose to have prints made of the outtakes, I wanted to share some precious faces from a recent sitting in Old Town, Marblehead.
The cat who swallowed the canary.
You can't be serious.
Et tu, dogus?
The dog was definitely not interested.
All's well that ends well!
Because of variable light reflecting off water and sand, portraits at the beach can have wildly different moods. Which is best for your sitting? Have a look at two recent portrait sessions and see if you can decide!
Midday light suffuses the image.
Colors are bright and crisp.
Dramatic late-day lighting.
Colors are warmer late in the day.
Hair and background highlights make the portrait shine.
A beautiful portrait trumps any light!
Beach portraits are relaxed and informal.
Everyone seems to love the beach and it remains a very popular choice for my clients’ sittings. The textures of beach grass, sand and sea, combined with beautiful light succeed in creating a relaxed and fun atmosphere, perfect for bringing out the best in everyone!
Black and White portraits emphasize light and texture.
Color portraits highlight atmosphere.
An idyllic garden is the perfect setting for portraits!
Do you have a beautiful yard? If so, it offers many advantages as a location for your sitting. A meaningful and familiar site, a lovely yard possesses a variety of backgrounds and facilitates quick wardrobe changes!
At your home, everyone can get into the picture!
Or not!
Happiness is a new puppy!
There is hardly anything as exciting as welcoming a new puppy into your home. A family portrait sitting presents a terrific opportunity to capture the happy activity and warm interactions so abundant with the arrival of your new pet. Are you tired of fuzzy shots and red-eye? This North Shore family called me so they could all get into in the picture and catch that fleeting puppy stage with high-quality portraits.
Larger groups present special challenges in portraiture. I find it is rarely a child’s idea of fun to participate in a portrait sitting. When you drag children from their activities and present them with lots of instructions, the result is often resistance. It takes some humor and patience to make good portraits under these circumstances. I count on the help of parents and my photo assistant to create a fun and encouraging atmosphere. With only “carrots” and no “sticks” we always get the shot!
Sometimes getting comfortable in front of the camera lens takes a few minutes. In the process, we can have fun and sometimes I’ll even pick up a priceless shot or two before we get a more conventional portrait. Often, when you string these shots together, a wonderful story will emerge, enabling a multi-faceted view of my sitters’ personalities. Here are a sister and brother amusing themselves while giving me some glimpses into their obviously close relationship and, in the end, a traditionally great portrait.
How do you choose between B&W or Color? Each has its advantages. Which you choose depends on the purpose of the image and the environment in which it will be viewed. Is it going to publication? Will it be hung in the family room? The portraits below from a recent sitting demonstrate how hard it can be to choose.
Man Ray & Lee Miller: “Partners in Surrealism”
Solarized Portrait of Lee Miller by Man Ray, c.1930
At the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts through December 4, 2011, “Partners in Surrealism”, explores the individual and combined efforts of a pillar of the Surrealist movement, Man Ray, and his student, lover, muse and finally friend, Lee Miller. Surrealists created “provocative combinations of ordinary things” and in Paris, between 1929 and 1932, Ray and Miller utilized these techniques and one another to great effect. Man Ray’s portraits of Miller featured unusual angles, patterns of light on her body, abstraction of her nude form and, after she jilted him, the famous transplantation of her eye or lips into his other works. Lee Miller’s work occurred more frequently outside of the studio and, reflecting her avante guard sensibilities, featured portraits that were frontal and empowered compared to Ray’s often romantic and seductive compositions.
It was Miller who accidentally discovered the method of “solarization” in the darkroom one day when she momentarily flicked on the lights. Thereafter, Ray and Miller both used the technique to give their work an other-worldliness that exemplified the surrealist movement. The most emblematic work from this period is Man Ray’s “Solarized Portrait of Lee Miller” (1930), which shows a close-up profile of Miller in her unaffected style, with a halo of solarization that transforms her image into a different realm, in Man Ray’s style. This beautiful and iconic portrait embodies their combined spirits and is perhaps the best example of their collaborative work.
3 Reasons You’d Want To Hire A Professional Photographer
Elin brings out the best in everyone!
1) STYLE – First and foremost, when you hire a professional you are paying for her sense of artistry or “eye”. A combination of learned skills and inborn talent, a photographer’s “eye” reflects her unique style and is the most important reason for choosing an artist to make your portraits.
2) EQUIPMENT – It is nearly impossible to achieve the same result as a professional photographer with most consumer camera equipment. A similar look can be achieved when shooting under very limited conditions, such as bright, diffuse, natural light. However, professional equipment can adjust to and compensate for a myriad of conditions, making technically balanced portraits possible practically anywhere. Think about it: how many times have you mistaken a family photo for a professional portrait?
3) RESULTS – A skilled professional knows how to bring out the best in her subjects. Lots of people say that they don’t look good in pictures. My reply to that is, they haven’t had the right photographer! Within every person is a good portrait and it is my mission to bring it out. A relaxed and natural look, whether in a solo or group portrait, results from working with an empathetic and engaging photographer. And for families, it is the only good way for everyone to be included in the portrait.
For More Info, Call Elin 781.581.0002
To View More Great Portraits, Visit www.ElinSpringPhotography.com
|
RSS - Posts |
