Post Your Best Portrait Shots!

[Alan]

[img]/cfs-file.ashx/__key/CommunityServer.Components.UserFiles/00.00.00.25.34/mom-and-baby-2.jpg[/img]

[Jon Ruyle]

Awesome, Alan.


I normally don't like black backgrounds (prejudice maybe came from macro), but this works perfectly. I love how the baby's face is in full light and the woman (mother, I assume) is in a bit of shadow. I also like the just visible hanging hair. Finally, I like the composition. I always go way tighter, so when I see people pull back and include a plain background and have it work so well, I think "I never would have thought to do that"

[Alan]

John, thanks.


Since I knew the mother was going to wear a black dress, I switched to a black background. I used a soft box on the right, to highlight the baby's face, and a reflector to the left to lighten the mother's face just a bit, but to also keep it in the shadows, as you pointed out. I wanted her hand in the picture and I told her to look at a fixed object, to help give her a contemplative look. The baby cooperated, fortunately, since she was looking all over the place up to this point.

[Jon Ruyle]

Thanks, Alan, for those details. I see it doesn't happen by accident []