Animated Subjects
Many photographers require kids to sit still. However, some of the best photographs come from energetic subjects. This young man was very animated and eager to demonstrate his bubbly personality. It was as if he did not know the camera existed. Some might think he was the hardest to photograph—but I love that he was laughing, looking up, and just having a good time.
A Lifestyle Look
This relationship portrait has a lifestyle element because of the bicycle. The mom and dad own a successful bicycle shop in Lexington and the family has bicycled all over the United States and Europe. Bicycles are very important to their relationship and lifestyle. Because of their passion, using the bicycle in a supporting role was an appropriate choice.
Backdrop
Because of the words written on the bicycle, and its sleekness, I used a solid gray wall with just a little spotlight on it. My approach was more contemporary than usual. The stark background ties in with the chrome and the black paint on the bike for the lifestyle feel. The spotlight on the background works to create an illusion of depth (remember, dark recedes and light comes forward). By creating a little gradient, instead of a solid-tone background, I enhanced the illusion of depth.
Posing
For the portrait above, I wanted to stretch the pose to fit the long, tandem bicycle; I did not want to compress them and have a lot of extra bicycle in the photo. I spread them out and gave Dad a wide stance—with his sunglasses around his neck, because I thought they were an important part of this image. I positioned the son leaning on the back seat with his arms crossed and then filled in the gaps with the women. I had the daughter put her right hand on her hip to widen the pose. After that, it was a matter of catching the right expression.
Lighting
The key light was to camera left, so when the son threw his head back, he grabbed more of the light on his face. I played on that because I felt it suited his enthusiasm and gave him prominence; it made him the center of attention in the photograph.