How does she do it?

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Ellekes

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Vicky
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OK, I guess that talk about other photographers is allowed in this section? If not, please feel free to kick me out :D

I was looking at the website of Audrey Woulard (and other comparable childrens photographers) and I can't help but wondering how does she do it?
She uses only natural light, but still all her pictures are superbly lit.
She shoots wide open I guess from the blur in some pictures but the faces and the eyes are so sharp it hurts.
From the apparent noise in some pictures, I assume she also shoots with a high ISO, but it never bothers.

So it makes me wonder, HOW HOW HOW

- how can she get tack sharp faces at what I assume is an apperture of 1.8 and less?
- how does she get so well lit images with only availabe light, even indoors (it is not as if Chicago is known for its sunny climate)
- how does she use a high ISO without annoying noise?

If anyone know the trick to this, please explain... But seen as she charges 575$ for a newborn session, I assume it won't be that simple. But I want to learn that too...
 
Vicky, I have no answers for you but I will be keeping a close eye on this thread :). I am very interested in knowing those tricks too. :)
Her images are truly fabulous and any tiny bit I could learn and which would help me to reduce flash usage would be hugely satisfying for me. I always look for any excuses to not use flash, including sometimes bumping the iso to dizzy heights
 
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using natural light includes the use of reflectors

most of the children have make-up on - that gives a lot of definition, that you may not be used to seeing in kids. remember there is make-up you cant see - mattifing foundation

Dont assume that not blasting something with flash means you need to shoot at a high ISO or at 1.4

How can a professional decorator cut gloss into emulsion with a perfect line every time... practice... same goes for photography skills

There looks like a reasonable amount of PP is done on the skin and eyes and backgrounds

sunlight - read this - http://www.pptphoto.com/ArticlePages/LowLight.htm - while they are not all taken in full sunlight, the numbers speak for themselves (see the sunny16 rule)
 
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indoor shots have large windows from what I can see in the eye reflections. I would like to see the straight out of camera shots to compare
 
iclick said:
indoor shots have large windows from what I can see in the eye reflections. I would like to see the straight out of camera shots to compare
Click to expand...

daylight studio's tend to have massive roof-lights, I would hazard a guess at huge windows too
 
If you expose correctly at high iso the noise will not be apparent any way. Noise is only really there in shadows that are underexposed.
 
having had a look at some of her work in the kids gallery, I think it's quite clear that their is a lot of natural light in the scene. The key to shooting close to a window is not to have your subject right up against it. Let the light drift it a fair bit and so that its softer on your subject overall. Whilst the photos are fantastic (and no credit away from the photographer), I think a similar result is very acheivable.
 
reflectors, scrims and photoshop - not the kind of pictures I'd want of my kids though, they are too set up looking for my tastes


Ellekes said:
So it makes me wonder, HOW HOW HOW

- how can she get tack sharp faces at what I assume is an apperture of 1.8 and less?
- how does she get so well lit images with only availabe light, even indoors (it is not as if Chicago is known for its sunny climate)
- how does she use a high ISO without annoying noise?

If anyone know the trick to this, please explain... But seen as she charges 575$ for a newborn session, I assume it won't be that simple. But I want to learn that too...
Click to expand...
 
POAH said:
reflectors, scrims and photoshop - not the kind of pictures I'd want of my kids though, they are too set up looking for my tastes
Click to expand...

Well, no apparently no reflectors, scrims and hardly any photoshop.
I spent the last week reading up and it seems she shoots most in jpeg with a few altered in camera settings (more brightness, contrast and sharpness) and with the 85 1.4mm lens.

So, my challenge for the rest of the year will be to create such a picture in the same way. It will become a very cheap way of shooting :D
 
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