# Park Photo Shoot



## camz (Jul 23, 2009)

This was our most recent photoshoot and was done with all natural light at 10am in a local park. The objective of this shoot is a "natural colorful look". All C&C welcome.

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## _rebecca_ (Jul 24, 2009)

These are fantastic. I love the colours and I think you achieved your objective. I especially like #1, 2, and 6! Did you use a fill flash or a reflector for these?

In #8 I find the trike handlebars to be too bright, they pull my attention from her face,  but I love the light so I'm not sure what could be done about that.


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## Kcc (Jul 24, 2009)

They are great!  Specially the models you got, they know very well of what they are doing...1, 2, 5 and 10 are really nice.  :thumbup: for the models!


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## Breanna (Jul 24, 2009)

Excellent! Really like 3 and 7. 10 is the only one that I'm "eh" about. Gorgeous, gorgeous kids.


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## camz (Jul 24, 2009)

_rebecca_ said:


> These are fantastic. I love the colours and I think you achieved your objective. I especially like #1, 2, and 6! Did you use a fill flash or a reflector for these?
> 
> In #8 I find the trike handlebars to be too bright, they pull my attention from her face, but I love the light so I'm not sure what could be done about that.


 
Thanks for the comments .  No fill flash just reflectors sometimes.  I think your right about #8, I think the whole picture might be a little blown out.



_Kcc_ said:


> They are great! Specially the models you got, they know very well of what they are doing...1, 2, 5 and 10 are really nice. :thumbup: for the models!.


 
Thanks KCC :thumbup:.  These kids were awesome to shoot.  We pretty much let them do their thing and we just shot away barely posing them. It was great.


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## camz (Jul 24, 2009)

Breanna said:


> Excellent! Really like 3 and 7. 10 is the only one that I'm "eh" about. Gorgeous, gorgeous kids.


 
Appreciate the input Breanna .  I was wondering what didn't do it for you in #10, was it the pose, composition ?


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## HeY iTs ScOTtY (Jul 24, 2009)

#2...lol love it


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## rabhobbes (Jul 24, 2009)

:thumbup::thumbup:

And I really like the double-composition on #3 and 8. Looks cool!


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## KmH (Jul 24, 2009)

Well done. :thumbup:


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## camz (Jul 24, 2009)

HeY iTs ScOTtY said:


> #2...lol love it



Thanks! his mom likes this candid shot too.



rabhobbes said:


> :thumbup::thumbup:
> 
> And I really like the double-composition on #3 and 8. Looks cool!



Thanks for the comments! #3 is my personal favorite.



KmH said:


> Well done. :thumbup:



Thanks KmH!


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## doogan (Jul 24, 2009)

Your photographs are...simply gorgeous.
If I could find any fault I suppose it would
be the handle bars, as rebecca said, pulling
the eyes away from the girl.
___________________________________
http://www.dreamworldimages.ca
Pet Photography Business
Child Photography


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## Derrel (Jul 24, 2009)

I do like the vibrant and colorful color palette you have, but the first and fourth photos are horizontal compositions for no apparent reason. In the top photo, the extremely out of focus tree does not advance the composition much to my eye, and the fourth shot, the one of the same little blond boy appears to have some serious, heavy background cloning that stands out. Same with the little girl on the tricycle-the cloning is obvious even at web size.

Photo #4 really is not a good horizontal composition; his head is too close to the top of the frame,and the entire left hand side of the frame shows us nothing but your copyright stamp. I think cropping off the feet of both children on the brother/sister portrait,as well as the girl's foot in the first tricycle shot is something you ought to try not to allow to happen.

Frames five and six are good examples of pictures that make absolute sense as vertical shots; frame 4 would have made a good vertical as well, but it makes a poor horizontal pose. I like frames 2, 6, and 7 quite a bit,and think those are the most refined poses you showed. I think had frame 1 been framed as a vertical, it would have paired very well with frame 6. I would rather see more of the child's body than the tree in frame 1; 6 corrects that by emphasizing the child,and minimizing the out of focus tree bark that dominates most of frame #1's entire left hand side.

I hope this C&C doesn't come off as too harsh, but that's the way I was taught to pose and frame; horizontal portraits minimize the size of the sitter's features, and almost invariably a horizontal shot becomes an "environmental" portrait since it shows so many degrees of view. In frames 2 and 7 and 10, there's an actual "need" to orient the camera horizontally, and those poses all make sense and are sound poses. Frames 1 and 4 are shown as horizontals, but the situations and the amount of the subject shown are poorly-suited to horizontal framing. I think if you can fully comprehend what I am trying to say here, you could elevate your posing and framing up several notches just by trying to look at some of the 'secrets' of people photography and eliminating what are called "incomplete poses" and "amputations".


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## DeadEye (Jul 24, 2009)

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:


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## PastTheFuture (Jul 24, 2009)

These are very well done. My favorites are #2, 5, and 10. There's only one thing that I don't like much about #10 and that's how the boy's eyes are nearly closed. On #9, his hands look kind of stiff and unnatural. I'm kind of iffy on #1, I'm not sure what it is, but I like it and I don't like it. Yeah, that doesn't make any sense to me either  Anyways, these are overall wonderful shots of wonderful models, in my opinion. :thumbup:


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## Baaaark (Jul 25, 2009)

You're very very creative.


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## kric2schaam626 (Jul 25, 2009)

Specs on 3 & 7??

-Newb.


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## Reese's PB Luver (Jul 25, 2009)

I love the way the trees in #3 (especially the right photo; left is a bit too distant and not as good a look on the boy's face for me) seem to blur into an etheral circle around the boy's head!  Did you see that when you took the photo or was it a happy surprise after the capture?

#2 - I love the expression on his face!

#5 is precious!  What a beautiful little girl - she reminds me of one of the child actresses.    Love the flower.

#6 both look like too much like snapshots.  Getting down on her level may have made them less P&S-ey.  And getting rid of the washed-out color for the light pink bike, too.

Overall, though, the package is good and I'm sure the parents were very happy with the results!


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## camz (Jul 25, 2009)

doogan said:


> Your photographs are...simply gorgeous.
> If I could find any fault I suppose it would
> be the handle bars, as rebecca said, pulling
> the eyes away from the girl


 
Thanks doogan!



Derrel said:


> I do like the vibrant and colorful color palette you have, but the first and fourth photos are horizontal compositions for no apparent reason. In the top photo, the extremely out of focus tree does not advance the composition much to my eye, and the fourth shot, the one of the same little blond boy appears to have some serious, heavy background cloning that stands out. Same with the little girl on the tricycle-the cloning is obvious even at web size.
> 
> Photo #4 really is not a good horizontal composition; his head is too close to the top of the frame,and the entire left hand side of the frame shows us nothing but your copyright stamp. I think cropping off the feet of both children on the brother/sister portrait,as well as the girl's foot in the first tricycle shot is something you ought to try not to allow to happen.
> 
> ...


 
Wow very detailed CC-thanks for taking the time! I appreciate it alot! I see what your saying about framing the shots no doubt about that. You sound like a studio photographer though(I maybe wrong). We do on location shoots and just hang out with our clients while we shoot. It's hard to frame it perfectly like you mentioned since the shoot is very organic and casual(being that the clients moved around alot and all). Offcourse there's some direction from us but in order to set it up like you mentioned above...sounds like studio work to me. But for cropping the pictures I'm considering all that you mentioned. All though I still love the space in picture 1 and 4 though. Thanks alot for the input, wasn't a harsh at all in my opinion 



DeadEye said:


> :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:


 
Thanks DeadEye!



PastTheFuture said:


> These are very well done. My favorites are #2, 5, and 10. There's only one thing that I don't like much about #10 and that's how the boy's eyes are nearly closed. On #9, his hands look kind of stiff and unnatural. I'm kind of iffy on #1, I'm not sure what it is, but I like it and I don't like it. Yeah, that doesn't make any sense to me either  Anyways, these are overall wonderful shots of wonderful models, in my opinion. :thumbup:


 
Yeah #10 has a different version of them both looking in the camera...I just liked how this looked casual. Thanks for the input!



Baaaark said:


> You're very very creative.


 
Thanks!


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## camz (Jul 26, 2009)

kric2schaam626 said:


> Specs on 3 & 7??
> 
> -Newb.


 
#3 Shot on a Full Frame

Lens: 85L Prime
Aperature: 1.8
Shutter: 1/640
ISO: 200

#7 Shot on a Full Frame

Lens: 85L Prime
Aperature: 2.0
Shutter: 1/400
ISO: 125

No reflectors on both of these.



Reese's PB Luver said:


> I love the way the trees in #3 (especially the right photo; left is a bit too distant and not as good a look on the boy's face for me) seem to blur into an etheral circle around the boy's head! Did you see that when you took the photo or was it a happy surprise after the capture?
> 
> #2 - I love the expression on his face!
> 
> ...


 
We saw the way the trees lined up into a tunnel over his head and glad to say it was part of the plan that turned out really well .

#6 is a bit blown out I agree with you. Thanks alot for commenting! We've shown a darker exposure for the clients but I don't know why they chose this one instead.


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## platano (Jul 27, 2009)

those are great,  they look like fun kids to work with


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## SrBiscuit (Jul 27, 2009)

#2 is fantastic.
great comp, great expression, great colors. :thumbup:


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## camz (Jul 27, 2009)

platano said:


> those are great,  they look like fun kids to work with



They were awesome.  They had all this energy that they brought to the shoot.  Thanks!



SrBiscuit said:


> #2 is fantastic.
> great comp, great expression, great colors. :thumbup:



Thanks for the comments!


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## rub (Jul 28, 2009)

great stuff, very inspiring!


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## camz (Jul 29, 2009)

rub said:


> great stuff, very inspiring!


 
appreciate that rub!


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## Blossom101 (Jul 29, 2009)

These are awesome!  These are exactly the kind of pictures I would like to learn how to take.  If you don't mind I have a few questions for you.

How do you get the background to look so blurry and bright....I love that.  (Like the trees in the background of the picture where the little boy is on his scooter.) What photo editing software do you use? 

What kind of camera do you have?

Thanks so much for any help or advise.  I'm trying to educate myself before I actually invest in a camera and software.


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## Sweetsomedays (Jul 29, 2009)

These are fantastic and I really love that second one!!


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## Breanna (Jul 29, 2009)

Re: #10....

My honest answer? It's something I could have done. The rest of your photos? Not so much. You're better than I am  Haha.


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## camz (Jul 29, 2009)

Blossom101 said:


> These are awesome! These are exactly the kind of pictures I would like to learn how to take. If you don't mind I have a few questions for you.
> 
> How do you get the background to look so blurry and bright....I love that. (Like the trees in the background of the picture where the little boy is on his scooter.) What photo editing software do you use?
> 
> ...


 
Thanks for commenting.  You get that background blur called bokeh by decreasing the Depth of Field.  Basically what you saw in the picture with the boy in his scooter is that he was in focus and the trees in the background were not. You get more of that bokeh when you take a picture with a lower aperature(opening of your lens) - the lower aperature number means the bigger the opening.  

To answer your question about the camera I use.

Camera: Canon 5D, 40D, 20D
Lenses: 85mm prime in regards to the picture of the boy in the scooter
Software: Adobe CS4

My advice to you about investing in equipment is to try to get the best lense you can whatever brand you choose.  The Body in my opinion is secondary, the lenses can last you a lifetime and the lenses are the eyes of your equipment.  I say start off with a standard zoom lens and your style will evolve and you'll see where you go from there. Good luck!



Sweetsomedays said:


> These are fantastic and I really love that second one!!


 
Thanks!



Breanna said:


> Re: #10....
> My honest answer? It's something I could have done. The rest of your photos? Not so much. You're better than I am ;-) Haha.


 
haha I think the only thing I'm better then anybody is eating a juicy steak!


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## Blossom101 (Jul 30, 2009)

Thanks so much for answering my questions.  You were very helpful.


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## Moonb007 (Jul 30, 2009)

I loved the second shot...I bet he kept your hands full.


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## camz (Jul 30, 2009)

Blossom101 - Anytime!

Moonb007 - We pretty much let him do his thing while we took pictures.  His energy was actually good for the shoot. I think the tough shoots are when the clients really get camera shy...

Thanks for commenting!


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## Reese's PB Luver (Aug 2, 2009)

One question for ya - how'd you come up with your business name?  It's cute!  Just wondering if there was a meaning behind it or something, out of pure curiosity.


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## camz (Aug 2, 2009)

Dashy is actually my wife's name and since we thought it has a whimsical spin too we incorporated it into the business name. =)


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## Reese's PB Luver (Aug 4, 2009)

Cool! I've never heard of that name before, but it is neat. I figured there was a meaning behind the name.  Thanks for telling!


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## choudhrysaab (Aug 7, 2009)

Superb job done on all the pictures =)


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## camz (Aug 10, 2009)

choudhrysaab said:


> Superb job done on all the pictures =)



Thanks alot!


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## MikeBookPro (Aug 19, 2009)

camz, what is your general plan of attack in PP?  Your photos always have killer colors.  Care to share any insight?


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## gb3 (Aug 19, 2009)

Those are really very nice shots! Were you using any external lighting?


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## camz (Aug 19, 2009)

MikeBookPro said:


> camz, what is your general plan of attack in PP? Your photos always have killer colors. Care to share any insight?


 
Nothing special really. Here's a general work flow for _this_:

ACR: The basics like white balance reference, exposure, fill light, blacks and brightness.

CS4:

Here's the Image exported from ACR:









Here's the edited version in CS4:







On this series I applied soft lighting sometimes I prefer Overlay.

Layer1: Soft lighting (Opacity is @ 100% just for example)
Layer2: Hue +1, Saturation +1
Layer3: Exposure +.31


I then merge the layers then Sharpen Last. I actually saw your post this morning and didn't want to answer before I spoke with my partner.  I just gave you the general perspective of it as you understand it's a business. Hope this helps though!


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## camz (Aug 19, 2009)

gb3 said:


> Those are really very nice shots! Were you using any external lighting?


 
I usually shoot with mostly natural light and reflectors were used for this session.


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## MikeBookPro (Aug 19, 2009)

camz said:


> MikeBookPro said:
> 
> 
> > camz, what is your general plan of attack in PP? Your photos always have killer colors. Care to share any insight?
> ...



Completely understood.  Thank you very much!


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## camz (Aug 19, 2009)

No problem! Just let me know if you have anymore questions.


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## NJMAN (Aug 24, 2009)

These are all top notch, professionally shot and processed!  Beautiful job on all of them.  You have a great eye for composition and detail.  Technical and artistic merit is outstanding!!  Well done. It was a pleasure to see each one.  Thank you for sharing, and keep up the great work!!   :thumbup: :thumbup:


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## camz (Aug 24, 2009)

Wow..NJMAN thanks so much!


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## Wiskap (Oct 16, 2009)

This are very good! How do you shoot like this in natural light?


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## camz (Oct 17, 2009)

Wiskap said:


> This are very good! How do you shoot like this in natural light?


 
Wow this thread is still alive?? 

Well the trick in natural light photography is the even ratios of ligthing. Using natural light as your source is such a very fun thing to do really and I enjoy it alot. All I used for this shoot is a reflector. So for this shoot we were mostly in the shade except for when the girl was posing next to the tree I used the sun to highlight her hair where her face was not underexposed. 

Simply rule that I follow in my style. Have even ratios but have the subject as the brightest object of what's being framed. That alone adds to the subjects as a focal point. 

Happy shooting :thumbup:


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## schumionbike (Oct 18, 2009)

These shots are awesome!!!  The lighting look very natural and flattering.  Just out of curiousity, do you have some to hold your reflector or do you just have it on a stand somehow?


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## camz (Oct 20, 2009)

schumionbike said:


> These shots are awesome!!! The lighting look very natural and flattering. Just out of curiousity, do you have some to hold your reflector or do you just have it on a stand somehow?


 
Sorry for the delay bud!

I always have someone to hold the reflector


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## NiKOnSLR (Oct 21, 2009)

well done.


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