Back To School Portraits

My grandson did not want his photo taken.

But I convinced him his mom would like a picture without a frown.

 

He was much more willing to let me take portraits of him with his sister.

Of course that meant some pretty silly shots.

 

The gap in this photo may look odd but there was a good reason for it. We were setting up for a group shot of the three of us. I took this then set it on timer and attempted to run and get in position between the two before the next shot was taken. It didn't work. This old lady is just too slow. So we opted for me to stay in position and Sissy to run down and push the shutter button. She was faster but almost not fast enough.

Portraits Using Shop Light for Lighting

Here is a peek at some shots I took last Sunday using shop light for lighting. I wired the shop light with dimmer switches but without a soft box or beauty dish the light is still too harsh. I thought about covering the light with white sheeting to create a make shift diffuser but was worried it would catch on fire.

Now if only I had two shop lights I could have lit the backdrop so they stood out better and didn't blend into the background.

There is a lot wrong with the above shot but the grandmother in me loves it. Bubba kept saying he didn't want his picture taken, then all of a sudden he plopped down in front of the girls and I snapped a few shot, this being my favorite. Then he was gone again.

 Now for the really weird shot. My granddaughter Sissy set up this shot. When I asked her to step forward she said "I need to lean against the wall for the picture I want." Curious I asked what type of picture was she wanting. Her reply was that "I want a picture of me like I am a vampire standing up asleep." Well, I figured we needed it a bit darker for that shot and so I dimmed the shop light a bit and turned it to face against the wall behind me and here is what we got.

It may be a bit on the morbid side but I really like the way it turned out.

After the model shoot a few weeks ago and playing with the shop light on Sunday, I have decided that the number one thing on my must buy list is some good photography lights with soft box and beauty dish.