In the image on the facing page, Dad is shown with his middle daughter, who is kind, soft-spoken, and an animal lover to the core. Dad has a much stronger personality. I initially envisioned an image that would focus on her softness and use Dad more as a prop. With Dad in this strong, masculine pose, however, the image eventually turned towards him as the subject.
Expressions
In keeping with the mood of the photograph, I had their heads lightly touch. Dad connected with me as he looked directly into the camera; she kept her demure appearance as she looked down. If her eyes had been open more than they are, or if she had been looking up above her hands, this image would not have had the same mood. Having her look down kept the softness to the portrait, while featuring Dad.
“This little kiss of light on the shadow side is a beautiful addition to the masculinity of the pose.”
Lighting
I placed a very thin kicker light on the shadow side of my subjects (pointing back toward the camera) to define the shape of the dad’s face and neck. I like adding kicker lights, especially with masculine subjects. It expands the tonal range from shadows and midtones to diffused highlights all the way to specular highlights, enhancing the dynamics in the photograph. This little kiss of light on the shadow side is a beautiful addition to the masculinity of the pose.
Posing
Dad was posed facing the camera with his shoulders squared; this widened him and added to the masculine feel. Turning his daughter’s shoulders toward him made her appear much smaller in comparison.
Additional images from the same session.
Dad was posed sitting on a bar stool while his daughter stood next to him. This kept him very tall in the frame (without standing) and allowed him to put his leg up and use it as a table. By having her take a step back and lean into her Dad, I was able to shorten her and produce more diagonal lines that increase the sense of movement in the portrait.
Backdrop
I used an understated David Maheu background because I wanted this portrait to be more about them, not the background.