Family pics

[Ambermile]

Hi all

Well, the time has come when number one daughter wants some photographs to post off to various agencies, schools, colleges, etc. for the 16+ education rounds (I suspect it will be a Performing Arts HND ultimately). Thing is, and I suspect this is likely to hit a nerve on many elbows, I am a little uncomfortable with the idea of taking specific (not in any way naughty) pictures of my own daughter of the type I think she is likely to need. To be honest, she takes better pics of herself with a bl**dy webcam than I could do...

What is the general opinion... grit yer teef and get on with it?

Arthur

 

[Ian D J]

I'm not the one for portraits and people shots, but once thing for certain, she's beautiful! Especially her eyes which had the effect of drawing me in.
I think you should get a friend with a digital camera (doesn't have to involve a professional owning the latest greatest gear) to take some photos of her. With the right photography know-how and the correct lighting (a planned shot rather than quick snapshots), I reckon some crackin' photos of her will come out of it.
I wish you all the best on this one.

 

[Englishman]

On the basis of that one photograph I would say she is very photogenic with stunning eyes.

I've done some shots for the daughters of a friend (similar ages to yours). What I suggest is you talk to her about the type of shots and poses she is looking for; potential locations and what she'd like to wear. Have a look through, or get her to, some stock photo sites or magazines for shots she likes. Don't just go with them, consider if they suit her and make the most of her features. Once you've got an ideas list work from that and let your imagination develop further ideas. Things usually progress nicely.

Personally I say give it a go yourself, if it doesn't work out, you've only lost a little time. You can always call in the cavalry later.

 

[Kemble3]

I would second Englishmans advice on this one. Do some research on the appropriate shots, have the with you so you can get the poses, background composition etc, and do them yourself. If they all come out disastrous, you can always go to plan B,

 

[mrtoad]

Arthur

lots of things in that shot to detract..out of focus foreground thingy
busy background...
need to isolate the subject

then some pp to up the contrast etc...i am not too good at b>w..but yours can be improved even with simple free software...i am using picassa 3 here

 

[Englishman]

Any news?

 

[Ambermile]

Umm, MrCrow? That was my daughters' self-portrait taken with a webcam!

Englishman, she needed a picture for her college interview papers (tomorrow!) so we messed a little last night. Took me ages just to figure out how to get a pic without shadows! I rather like this one as it's a bit of fun - I had just made a comment about something and this is the "You are in big trouble" look...

Not anything special and not the one she chose in the end but for me to get a close in no shadows in focus picture other than by accident is a major milestone for me!

This was the one she decided on. Eventually :nuts:

I am thinking that Dads get a different set of pictures from their kids than other non-family photographers, yes? There were some fun ones in the set but she really needs to keep her eyes open, dammit!

Arthur

PS - crit if you like but they are only pictures to let the dept staff know/remember who she was after the interview - even though that's quite important in itself, hence the attempt to make her look like she's enjoying this.

 

[alexkidd]

honestly in your situation for simplicity wait for the daytime, get some natural light in and find a plain background
shadows are something to think about but make sure you don't concentrate too much on them and end up getting rid of a good photo because you're being too fussy on the shadows

and i know it was a mess around but don't forget reasonably natural make up and something presentable to wear

edit: if you've got any lamps around the house (even torches) have a mess around with them even if it's just turning them on and leaving them to one side just out of frame

 

[mrtoad]

Umm, MrCrow? That was my daughters' self-portrait taken with a webcam!

Englishman, she needed a picture for her college interview papers (tomorrow!) so we messed a little last night. Took me ages just to figure out how to get a pic without shadows! I rather like this one as it's a bit of fun - I had just made a comment about something and this is the "You are in big trouble" look...

Not anything special and not the one she chose in the end but for me to get a close in no shadows in focus picture other than by accident is a major milestone for me!

This was the one she decided on. Eventually :nuts:

I am thinking that Dads get a different set of pictures from their kids than other non-family photographers, yes? There were some fun ones in the set but she really needs to keep her eyes open, dammit!

Arthur

PS - crit if you like but they are only pictures to let the dept staff know/remember who she was after the interview - even though that's quite important in itself, hence the attempt to make her look like she's enjoying this.

MY APOLOGIES...i am a dolt and admit it....sorry:shake:

 

[EOS_JD]

Englishman, she needed a picture for her college interview papers (tomorrow!) so we messed a little last night. Took me ages just to figure out how to get a pic without shadows! I rather like this one as it's a bit of fun - I had just made a comment about something and this is the "You are in big trouble" look...

the image you show looks very soft - is it in focus?

 

[mrtoad]

Hi all

Well, the time has come when number one daughter wants some photographs to post off to various agencies, schools, colleges, etc. for the 16+ education rounds (I suspect it will be a Performing Arts HND ultimately). Thing is, and I suspect this is likely to hit a nerve on many elbows, I am a little uncomfortable with the idea of taking specific (not in any way naughty) pictures of my own daughter of the type I think she is likely to need. To be honest, she takes better pics of herself with a bl**dy webcam than I could do...

What is the general opinion... grit yer teef and get on with it?

Arthur

webcam shots...are they reckoned to be fairly good?

 

[Ambermile]

MY APOLOGIES...i am a dolt and admit it....sorry:shake:

Not really - I showed her your comments and she pretty much said "Yeah, that's what I thought!"

Arthur

 

[Englishman]

Arthur,

Good to hear you got some shots.
The advice for Alexkidd is really good. You can't beat natural light for portraits and the background makes a huge difference.

I'm quite lucky as my daughter is used to me having a camera around, though she's still fussy about when I'm allowed to take her picture.

With my friends older daughters (16 & 21) I have the same problems with eyes. Tends to get better if I can get their parents out of the way. They become less self-conscious, the eyes open and the smiles appear.

I agree with you about your daughter, what a difference a smile makes. A real smile opens the eyes and brightens the face. She also looks more grown up in the webcam shot (different hairstyle, big eyes, nice smile). I therefore agree with your view:- you got daughter; the webcam got the young woman.

Which is the technically better photograph? = Yours
Which one is she showing her friends? = Webcam (my guess)

Hope all works out well for her studies and your photography.

 

[Ambermile]

Thanks - I am coming to realise that now... parents cannot take pics of their children that *other people* like! I may keep trying and see if we can get to that "doesn't-care-anymore" stage, but it will be a while!

Arthur