Posted by John Williams on January 31, 2009 at 11:11 AM
Inspired by some of the other great people shots posted in PNWNP, I thought I’d wander off topic for a thread and post some “for fun” shots I took of my daughter this fall. She wanted to play around with taking some senior shots in fall color; so one Saturday we took a few.
We started with the dog in front of the house, then headed to the Cedar Creek Grist Mill for a couple of hours. On the way back, she said she’d like to take a few with her cello, so I thought it would be fun to wake the poor child up at dawn the next day, have her put on a thin dress, and then haul her out into the middle of a cold meadow on a frigid morning. With time and counseling, I believe she’ll come to forgive me.
The final photo is devoid of nature, but she played volleyball for four years with her good friend Kayla and they wanted an action shot together (Kayla was the team’s setter, and Kelsi was a hitter). We staged this “you _wish_ you could hit like a girl” shot after one of their games.
People shots are definitely not my forte. I primarily photograph to get away from work, and if I did people much it would feel like going to work. Nevertheless we had a great time taking these, and I’ll cherish the memories the photos carry through the years.
Posted by John Williams on January 31, 2009 at 11:11 AM
Posted by John Williams on January 31, 2009 at 11:12 AM
Posted by John Williams on January 31, 2009 at 11:12 AM
Posted by John Williams on January 31, 2009 at 11:12 AM
Posted by John Williams on January 31, 2009 at 11:13 AM
Posted by Mark Hudon on January 31, 2009 at 11:52 AM
All are pretty dang nice, John. What is your flash set up?
Posted by Craig Strand on January 31, 2009 at 12:40 PM
Beautiful daughter, beautiful images John. All are very well done and each well composed. It would be hard to choose a favorite but think I'm partial to the first with Jep and the red foilage.
Posted by Ned Fenimore on January 31, 2009 at 2:11 PM
Really good work! 1 and 5 are really excellent..
Posted by Mark Hudon on January 31, 2009 at 2:41 PM
John, how about leaving in the color of your daughter and the cello in the 5th photo and leaving the rest gray. As it is now, it's a photo of a girl playing a special cello. With her having color also it would be a special girl playing her cello.
Eh?
Posted by John Williams on January 31, 2009 at 7:06 PM
I have no idea what I did in that second photo (the blues are funky).
Mark, my flash setup can be summed by the word "embarrassing." I don't have a separate flash, and had to borrow one for the gym shot. I needed one for the Cedar Creek shots. There are noise and softness issues, harder to see at web resolution, that I could have improved on with better use of reflectors and a good flash. If I did a lot of this type of photography, I would definitely work on that sooner rather than later.
I like your idea and will play with it. Kelsi saw a similar photo somewhere and requested the colored cello in a BW, but your point is good.
Posted by Geoff Shapiro on January 31, 2009 at 9:12 PM
John, all are very nice pictures that show off a beautiful (and quite athletic) daughter!
I agree with the comment about leaving her in color too in the image with the cello. It did seem odd to me to have only the cello in color.
Other than that, for my tastes, the first image and the pano of her playing the cello are stand out.
Posted by Richard Sogn on January 31, 2009 at 10:15 PM
Beautiful daughter. Excellent photographs. Life is good.
Posted by Thomas Dean on January 31, 2009 at 10:51 PM
The first with the cello is my favorite - but then it's the one most of nature and less directly of your daughter and I'm not generally a huge fan of people pictures. I like to composition and the contrast of the cellist in the open field. I could easily see this as an album cover shot.
Posted by Darren White on February 1, 2009 at 12:39 AM
John the one in the foggy field is top notch, they are all great. the one in the field just gives me a very moving feeling.......like I can hear the music for miles!!!! Excellent Capture!
Posted by Cliff Dodge on February 1, 2009 at 10:56 PM
They're all nice, John! Like others, I like #1 & #4 the most. I see a more natural look. IOW, a more natural pose for her. We get to see her in her element, not just "sit here for a picture."
Hey, I bet if that felt like work to you, try following around a 5 year old a now a 2 year old all the time. Just ask the 5 year old to smile - guess what kind of face you get instead. 20 pictures of a silly face and finally the real smile. That's my life right now
#2 could use a color temp adjustment, but it's still ok. As for flash setup, when you're on location, your flash is mainly for fill anyways. Unless you have the time for softboxes and all that equipment setup.
Kevin
Posted by Richard Sogn on February 7, 2009 at 2:15 PM
John, thanks for being a proud father and "showing off" your beautiful daughter. Your comments and suggestions have been very helpful in my quest to learn nature photography. I enjoy learning a little about the personal side of people I see regularly on this board.
Discussion
17 repliesWe started with the dog in front of the house, then headed to the Cedar Creek Grist Mill for a couple of hours. On the way back, she said she’d like to take a few with her cello, so I thought it would be fun to wake the poor child up at dawn the next day, have her put on a thin dress, and then haul her out into the middle of a cold meadow on a frigid morning. With time and counseling, I believe she’ll come to forgive me.
The final photo is devoid of nature, but she played volleyball for four years with her good friend Kayla and they wanted an action shot together (Kayla was the team’s setter, and Kelsi was a hitter). We staged this “you _wish_ you could hit like a girl” shot after one of their games.
People shots are definitely not my forte. I primarily photograph to get away from work, and if I did people much it would feel like going to work. Nevertheless we had a great time taking these, and I’ll cherish the memories the photos carry through the years.
Eh?
Mark, my flash setup can be summed by the word "embarrassing." I don't have a separate flash, and had to borrow one for the gym shot. I needed one for the Cedar Creek shots. There are noise and softness issues, harder to see at web resolution, that I could have improved on with better use of reflectors and a good flash. If I did a lot of this type of photography, I would definitely work on that sooner rather than later.
I like your idea and will play with it. Kelsi saw a similar photo somewhere and requested the colored cello in a BW, but your point is good.
I agree with the comment about leaving her in color too in the image with the cello. It did seem odd to me to have only the cello in color.
Other than that, for my tastes, the first image and the pano of her playing the cello are stand out.
Beautiful daughter. Excellent photographs. Life is good.
Hey, I bet if that felt like work to you, try following around a 5 year old a now a 2 year old all the time. Just ask the 5 year old to smile - guess what kind of face you get instead. 20 pictures of a silly face and finally the real smile. That's my life right now
#2 could use a color temp adjustment, but it's still ok. As for flash setup, when you're on location, your flash is mainly for fill anyways. Unless you have the time for softboxes and all that equipment setup.
Kevin