Scheduling
Relaxed informal pictures require an informal approach to booking for the best results
Scheduling informal portraits can be a nightmare!! Let's make it easy!
Cloudless skies with unrelenting summer sun,
Rain,
Total overcast with dead flat light,
Family illness,
Chickenpox,
Unexpected work related travel,
The Match!
And so on, they all add up to informal family photoshoots having a very high postponement rate which is not ideal if I've alloted several hours of weekend time to the job!
The best option is to agree several possible times over an agreed period when shooting will be an option. This keeps my costs down
since I don't have to factor postponements into the pricing and our subjects are likely to be less hyped up and stressed by the whole process.
With the very young it's sometimes best to treat the photographer's visit as incidental rather than an event, keep them relaxed. Let them wear their favourite clothes and we'll get the natural informal pictures we are after.
A family picnic or for that matter a winter walk in Kew Gardens, Richmond Park, or Holland Park can be a great starting point for the outdoor shooting.
The indoor stuff normally starts with a coffee and a chat before bringing the camera out, a gentle start tends to get results.
Kids clothing now. Best to avoid white altogether as well as very strong patterns on clothing.
Mouths and noses need frequent wiping but spots and scratches on their faces are no problem.
I don't treat my family portraits like my commercial work or training, it's no big deal if things are postponed or delayed there's always another day!
Cloudless skies with unrelenting summer sun,
Rain,
Total overcast with dead flat light,
Family illness,
Chickenpox,
Unexpected work related travel,
The Match!
And so on, they all add up to informal family photoshoots having a very high postponement rate which is not ideal if I've alloted several hours of weekend time to the job!
The best option is to agree several possible times over an agreed period when shooting will be an option. This keeps my costs down
since I don't have to factor postponements into the pricing and our subjects are likely to be less hyped up and stressed by the whole process.
With the very young it's sometimes best to treat the photographer's visit as incidental rather than an event, keep them relaxed. Let them wear their favourite clothes and we'll get the natural informal pictures we are after.
A family picnic or for that matter a winter walk in Kew Gardens, Richmond Park, or Holland Park can be a great starting point for the outdoor shooting.
The indoor stuff normally starts with a coffee and a chat before bringing the camera out, a gentle start tends to get results.
Kids clothing now. Best to avoid white altogether as well as very strong patterns on clothing.
Mouths and noses need frequent wiping but spots and scratches on their faces are no problem.
I don't treat my family portraits like my commercial work or training, it's no big deal if things are postponed or delayed there's always another day!