The Briggs family lives on property much larger than most, so Tammy used a bench in their home’s backyard to photograph them with their baby—and their dogs. She positioned the mother and child first, then posed father, and later placed the dogs.
Tammy used a small musical shaker to get the dogs to look in her direction.
It was an overcast day and the light was somewhat flat. For additional contrast, she used direct flash from a 580X II Speedlite. Introducing the flash allowed her to capture the family without any motion blur, despite the slow shutter speed she selected.
Tammy used a small musical shaker to get the dogs to look in her direction. Coming prepared is a must for family portraits. You cannot be sure what you will find most useful to create interesting pictures.
Since the Briggs’ home was dark but had some beautiful window light, Tammy opted to capture the mom and baby in a chair set by a window. She moved in close to crop out clutter in the background. She converted to black & white for a more dramatic image than a color presentation would have offered.
Mother and child images are classic, dating back to before the Renaissance. They are also known in early photography. These shots are usually close-ups, maybe more sentimental than dramatic, and are often enlarged and framed, along with pictures of the whole family.
Canon EOS 5D Mark II with 24–105mm f/4L lens. Exposure: 1/25 at f/8 and ISO 400. Overcast day. Direct flash.
Canon EOS 5D Mark II with 24–105mm f/4L lens. Exposure: 1/50 second at f/5 and ISO 320. Window light at camera right.
