Getting a decent portrait of one person is hard enough. Photographing two people increases the challenge. Not only do you have to hope that they both look good/happy/whatever when you snap the picture but there are technical considerations. The two biggest are lighting and focus. In the studio I generally use two light sources to light the faces, though you can tell from the highlights in the eyes that the main light is to my right. Since eyes need to be sharply in focus, I coach the subjects to try to have their eyes on the same plane relative to the camera. I also use a high f-stop (8 or 11), which helps the depth of field.
Canon 1DII 1/400s f/8.0 ISO200 45mm
I have helped take photographs for the Watertown High School yearbook for many years. In last year's edition I did a series of photos for the beginning of each section in the book. This one was for the "Academics" section. Nice skeleton. I'm told that it's not "real" but made from plastic.
Before I begin a portrait session, I will often ask if the subject has any ideas about where and how they want to be photographed. Often they tell me that they'll trust me to figure something out. But sometimes they come up with impractical ideas: "I've always thought it would be cool to be photographed on a camel in front of the Great Pyramid." Or "How about a portrait of me water-skiing in my cap and gown?" Right.
This is a good example of what portrait photographers call Rembrandt lighting. In simple terms, the main light comes from from above eye level and from the side. This results in one side of the face being fairly bright and a splash of light highlighting the cheek bone. This lighting thins and flatters the face, although Jessica's classic good looks needed little flattery.
There is a principle in portrait photography that says that the subject should be the center of attention. So how do you photograph a portrait with a horse? It's not easy. But I'll let you in on a secret: there is a psychological principle that says that the eye will go to the brightest part of a photo first, and then wander to other places. So, to be sure that you looked at Gabrielle first, I made her the brightest part of the photo by asking her to wear white.
My good friend, Jack, has convinced me that I should post some of my portraits in this blog. I have resisted, in part because I didn't want this blog to seem like an advertisement for the portrait work I do from time to time. That's never been my intent. Sharing a few photos and a few thoughts is my intent. This week's series will be called "Look At Me."
I'll admit that this is more of a product shot than anything. The product is my new Kindle, which arrived on Thursday. While there is much that I could say about this amazing device, I will simply say this: the Kindle (and other e-readers) will do as much to revolutionize reading and publishing as digital photography has done to revolutionize taking photos. Guaranteed!
I'm sorry to say this, but I don't know what specific dome I am picturing here. I do know that it is one of the art museums in Berlin, Germany. The structure was beautiful and the art was even better.
What can I say? Everything was great!
Several weeks ago 