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Archive 2014 · Need some location advice

  
 
Jonathan Brady
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Need some location advice


Over the last few months, I've tried to develop my eye and technique for shooting toddlers (with a 20 month old - it just kind of happened). Prior to this, I was mostly into close up and macro photography. Obviously, these are VERY different niches within photography so the learning curve has been STEEP.

Anyway, a friend of my wife and I was over with her daughter yesterday and asked if I wouldn't mind taking some photos of her at a location that's really neat. It's a secluded beach with a LOT of dead, sun-bleached trees, most of them overturned with their roots exposed. Here are a few images I snapped (to show my wife without driving the hour to get her out there) while on lunch break one day (so obviously the lighting is awful and we'll be going about an hour and a half before sunset instead)











The sun will be setting over the water.

What I'm curious to know is... for toddler portraits in this setting, would y'all recommend a large aperture, medium, or narrow? Or shot dependent? There are a lot of really harsh textures and angles of the wood and I worry that having that in the background/foreground of an image could throw off the feel of the images. So, should I go large aperture and blur it all, medium and get some, or small and get it all and really include the beachscape. My inclination is to go medium or small for most images but I just wanted to ask and get some other opinions.

Also, lens wise, I have an assortment to choose from. I'll be shooting with my 70D and I have: EF 24mm f/2.8 IS USM, Sigma 35mm Art, EF 40mm f/2.8 STM, EF-S 60mm f/2.8 macro, EF 85mm f/1.8, EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6. I'm planning to bring 3 primes (24, 35, 85) and the zoom. Sound about right?

This will be the first time I've taken pictures of anyone else's kid. I'm not charging them as they do so much for us and also because I can't guarantee payment-worthy images. That said, I still want to deliver the very best images to them that I'm capable of. Because this is my first time photographing someone else's kid, I'm agonizing over a LOT of the variables that I'd never concern myself with for my daughter. So, thanks for indulging me

I appreciate any advice y'all can offer!



Apr 12, 2014 at 05:02 PM
jefferies1
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Need some location advice


I almost always prefer a shallow DOF for people to be the focal point with the landscape second. For me using a longer lens on a full frame that is around f4-5. I want eyes and nose in focus with ears going a bit soft. Adjust to get that look.
A lot depends on the age of the subject and how relaxed they are as to the location and position. You got to figure that out as you go.



Apr 12, 2014 at 05:24 PM
Jonathan Huynh
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Need some location advice


The last photo is really nice.


Apr 12, 2014 at 09:41 PM
ChiShutter
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Need some location advice


I'd say there's nothing wrong with stopping down and adding depth of field to really show off some of the cool stuff at this beach. Maybe even go wide and get close to the kiddo. The key is to keep looking for clean compositions with the background in mind.


Apr 12, 2014 at 11:24 PM
Herb
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Need some location advice


Where does the sun set? I think you will have to be there when it is setting to really decide best position and look....shadows depending on where it sets will cause you to change thought......IMO

We look forward to seeing what you come up with....



Apr 12, 2014 at 11:47 PM
Jonathan Brady
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Need some location advice


Thanks everyone for your suggestions thus far!

Here's sunset info...




Apr 13, 2014 at 12:23 AM
Herb
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Need some location advice


So if I read your sun map and guess the directions the light I see, looks to me like 1, 3, 5 will be facing into the sun.....if that is correct, you will need some lighting that can fire back into the sun and get your subject lit....otherwise it seems to me that only when looking with the sun over your shoulder will you have the good light to see and you would have to be in the water on the other side of the trees to take advantage of what we affectionately call, Magic Light......am I looking a that correctly?


Apr 13, 2014 at 02:34 AM
Jonathan Brady
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Need some location advice


Yeah, it's tough lighting for sure. I don't mind standing in the water though - I do it (albeit a few miles south) for my daughter quite frequently (last night in fact). But, I do plan to bring the 430EXII as well. I just don't use it often so I'm not quite as comfortable with it. I believe last time I used it I dialed in 1 & 2/3 stop FEC so that it wouldn't look like I used flash, and that made a difference and evened out the lighting. But, I don't plan on using flash for every shot, perhaps just a handful. I personally don't mind shadows as long as they're not too large or too dark. Shadows are a part of our world, no reason they shouldn't be a part of our photography too


Apr 13, 2014 at 07:48 AM
Herb
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Need some location advice


good luck.....I want to see what you come up with.....should be great....those trees are fantastic....something that people dont see regularly....when I see them here in Ohio they are hung up on a river dam....but eventually get washed away......share your shots when you get them.

By the way, I wish you hadnt shown me that program above..$8 later and it now sits on my iPad and iPhone! My wife just laughed at me.....



Apr 13, 2014 at 06:22 PM
Jonathan Brady
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Need some location advice


Herb wrote:
By the way, I wish you hadnt shown me that program above..$8 later and it now sits on my iPad and iPhone! My wife just laughed at me.....


Yeah, that's a GREAT program! I don't have a paid version, just the free PC version. I love that it's integrated with Google Maps so you can switch to satellite view and see the lay of the land - literally.

If my friend gives me permission, I'll post some of the pics for feedback. This is LITERALLY the first time I've ever taken pics of someone else's kid so don't expect much But I'll certainly appreciate genuine feedback and pointers from people as it'll help me become a better photographer.



Apr 14, 2014 at 07:08 PM
Steve Wylie
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Need some location advice


Not to throw cold water on the concept, but what exactly would a toddler be doing at this location? I think technical details are very much secondary to the overall concept. Get the right concept, and the details (how to make the shot) will probably come to you rather quickly.


Apr 15, 2014 at 07:03 PM





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