Lessons

Lesson Info

Shoot: Family Portraits

I wanted to tell you first about my lighting setup, so I've got over here a larson four by six ofthe box and larson super celery still super silver reflectors uh split that up, so and the reason that I chose this lying set up in the beginning, I'm going put my camera down for a second, but the reason I chose this lighting when I decided to that I needed studio lighting I photographed outside and all on location for several years, but I lived in waco, texas, and I moved to iowa in nineteen, ninety nine and realize that I was not going to be able to shoot outside all year long anymore, so I bought a studio and bought lighting, and the only thing that I knew at the time was a window and a reflector and so that's, what I bought and at the time I really didn't have anybody to call and say, what do we do? What do I get? And so I opened up that larson catalog and said, this is the best thing that I can figure out to mimic the natural light that I know and it still is I'm I'm using it, you kno...

w, twelve years later the same exact setup, I love it, I love this four by six ofthe box, and one of the things that I like about the larsen soft box is it's not as deep as a lot of soft boxes so if you're in a small space like I have been at different times you can still use this giant light light source there's also a really nice fall off so there's a natural been yet that happens when you place the light in certain ways typically for me I like to photograph with the light about shoulder height so this is going to be a little bit low if I'm photographing me but it's about shoulder like and that's for my style some people like to light the whole subject I typically I'm going to just like for the face and for the eyes so I'm going to go about shoulder height let the light fall off naturally create that naturally been yet and then I'm using the reflector for phil so that's how this is going where uh powering the lights with our triggering the lights with radio poppers and I love this this happens when you when you shoot it's just gonna trigger your strobe to flash so um in studio lighting we're going toe touch movement and we're gonna be tack sharp so I don't know about you but guys that when I'm running around shooting outside maybe every other image I've gotten focus and and that's just the truth you know but inside when we've got the lights that are you know that are triggering we're gonna we're gonna catch that focus and that's one of the things I like about studio lighting um I love this set up because it does it's the closest thing to natural light that we're going to get so um so we're gonna bring in our family now and get to photographing and we have eggs a v er is a little boy do you know the little girl's name let me check on away from me at the moment lee says our host mom and morgan is the dad and I will find waken asked you when when they come in cool I am going to shoot with the seventy two hundred today um I'm going to start that way anyway and see how that goes and I'll see all switched to the seventy two two or the twenty four to seventy if we need to but I love this land and when I can use it I do and where'd you get your camera strap everyone chat room this company is no longer in business I I used to have a camera strapped company called pepper it was spiced up your camera dot com and but it's uh it's done hi god. How are you hmm what did you bring over here? You got people looking hey what's his name are you gonna hide morgan a few minutes? I mean just like he is just walk back just about uh four feet maybe and he can stay right there with you finley I should've remembered that one of my favorite little girl's name finley and that's perfect family can you take a step just up just a little bit right there that's awesome and I just love what's happening I'm gonna actually get in pretty close their dads just kind of a prop it the moment which is awesome and we're gonna love you looking down on her just like that family can you look up a daddy uh women and exam you're going tio get our beloved family how old are you and xavier how old are you he's gonna show me three uh huh here comes mom mom in there and just we're gonna leave them just like their sand lisa okay if you'll take just a step behind finley and kind of wrapping toe morgan's arm there yep perfect love it have the media awesome okay, wait you guys love it yeah hangs a v er hu over you for halloween fire this exam you have might grab it intothe give me the gun it will show what I'll give you it about half we'll get you more swollen oh my sari for that are you okay oh he still hasn't that's great family wants to just jump right out that good luck stopping all right let's get her a little higher perfect limit oh you guys love that daddy don't young men get family a little higher again looks like that what's this guy's name can I see him? Let me talk to him. Who is it? Superman you think he would like to want you you think he's gonna watch what they're doing because everybody did you name him super mom for daddy e and I feel I'm happy with where the light is because we're still lighting for the face so it's great uh sweet exam here can you give your dad a kiss on the head right there good one more right there uh can you guys stand back for me and how about if xavier goes up on their shoulders I'm going to climb up we're gonna put super guy over here to watch okay yeah that way and then um lisa go ahead just grabbing his arm again you got bigger and then let's bring finley in front. Okay right here poking and in fact what you're waiting for something even my brain perfect way and if we could kind of shift executor over to the side just a little bit whoa don't eat my brain uh are you brain eater? Look here can you lean around this? I gotta see your face is right next to him. Excuse me and good very ago job hey, buddy was that way get he's gonna fly here look my bad oh, okay, all sit down ready before and can I get how you got this down all right um and lisa I'm in heavy switch sides okay over on this side of the light and then morgan if you'll just pop over do I get one you're stuck to that are you that's a good dad okay morgan I'm gonna have you turn if you can and just kind of talked a foot under but facing life slower that just yeah that's life or just attack good good good love it okay and lisa lean into him just a little bit way might spring executors arm out front lisa leaning back there there we go okay how about would you like to stand up and be the tallest what hey girl standing here come and stand right back here behind mom speak right in between mama dad and their right in between their feet don't go girl then you have lots of feet way go good boy turn around and sit down turn around and sit down that is perfect finley good job so far ok ok great here who gets a candy cane smile here he comes flying on your city for the land see soup where'd he go where I can see him there yes right to the grounded me hey um john you might go in and moving that back reflected back just a little bit that'll save me some photoshopped time I'm getting it in all right one more time you guys like so cute that's awesome yeah I love it love it love it okay all right can everybody actually finlay and egg xavier will you come help me oh don't come over here let's let mom and dad snuggle up can you help me make sure they laugh and smile look away tell him tell him show me your best smile okay you guys look at me lisa I liked your handout on your leg that's great or even can you kind of wrap up yeah um yeah that likes company okay lena has been together just a little bit and lisa soften up that left arm just a tad if you can are you would you be comfortable taking your elbow all the way into morgan's leg so that you're leaning on your elbow and said here what was that about? She does that so like this yes so we're just gonna get them really cozy it in yeah that's perfect I love it yeah how did they look cute yeah, that looks great you guys how long's it been since you two have just been photographed just the two of you are winning and that is the typical answer you guys always make it happen I think I just lost this um okay we're going I'm gonna have you guys say just like you are and then finally you go and crawl underneath dad's arm can you lay on your tummy right underneath his arm way move okay scoot up this way just a little bit good right there okay buddy can you come right back here? Are you ready boy there you go who's the tallest now are you the tallest can you snuggle up next to dan I lost my levin there we go good job so cute that looks awesome you guys okay? We're going to give mom and dad a break for just a second and have finley and xavier right there and look at you guys oh, careful eggs a v er are you write norse you guys are silly okay can you stand up together stand up and I can't get you hold hands all right and these kids are at that perfect age to play this little game so let's hold hands and take one step forward one step forward right there stop stop stop sign here okay you ready? Stop here we go let's hold hands and then I'm gonna count to three and then you can go again are you ready? One two three go wiggle wiggle on your market set stop all right ready and they're not going to be perfect in the light right now but we're going to go with it. Okay let's both play on our tummies can you both lie under time right there? Does that go any lower? Perfect oh you're a brain eater and a hand eater don't get her down gator well spaghetti all right you guys let's see how high you can jump can you stand up and jump okay one more time can do it you jumping xavier one two three awesome you are a good jumper okay can you guys put your knees together? You did it eggs a v er awesome you did it okay can you put your cheeks together two cheeks okay oh do you love that sister good job guys okay finley will you come stand by me? You're coming do you want to stand by me gravier where you want family with you okay would you want to sit on this big red ball right here see that sure I'm not used to having a an assistant awesome like it do you well don't fall over there uh uh hi xavier can you hold on the family like this put your hand up and held under her cheek now we got no squeeze too hard awesome okay family can finally can you sit up there? Whoa, that xavier spot I guess okay finley come over here let's see if we can get him him to giggle xavier where's your giggles money ok xavier I need your help come here xavier your guy need do your guy I need you can you come get him okay egg xavier, come here. I need your help I need some help family can use it on that robot good job she's even moving it over for me can you turn your knees that way knees like this good job awesome what a cute face that is e I love it okay where's your giant smile e I love it cute cute they may get a full length of that because she was sitting so cute all right whose turn is it? Is it your turn okay finley come help me let's make sure eggs a v er giggles giggle monster oh, I forgot that doesn't work with him that's his giggle monster okay, one more time you save you can use it on the big red ball one more time with your guy he five there yeah boom oh, there he is I'm gonna get him I'm gonna get him I got him he's gonna sit up here and watch again are you going to sleep night xavier nine nine mine eye all right, I think we're done awesome job you guys they did great. Thank you. Yes, thank you. You got some cute uh, family groupings and the kids alone and the kids together and lisa come back okay? I have a little gift for you for being our host thinking and this is a a photo charm necklace from my favorite photo charm people hitori and this is it's a little camera and it's got your nish initial on it and then we're gonna pick an image from the session so you can add a photo charms, you that's. Amazing. You love it. So that's from qatar, you guys, and a funny little hostess gift that you could tell them that later, they can go back and add a charm on you. So something, thank you. That was very fitting for lying about people, my family.