From this same wedding I did a post about photographing downwards from upwards positions. Well it’s very easy when the subjects are much shorter than you.
One good consideration is that you can find cleaner backgrounds for the pictures (like on the right picture)
There’s something about having someone tilt their head upwards like this… they often come up with great expressions naturally.
Remember the things you make them do will effect the emotions coming from their face… ergo the look you get.
This was from a wedding reception in California on the 3rd of July this year and as usual taken at the lowest aperture of the lens 2.8 usually.
So I love the concept of family lifestyle photography. I don’t often find the time to do a lot, but it’s a lot of fun and perfect for my style of shooting.
BTW, if you have ideas or events like these let me know… who knows I might be free and able to come do them. It’s worth a shot.
So the question is… Who’s totally jealous of this little kid’s birthday party?? Come on now, admit it!
Yes they did have Jedi Training available!
Yes I made a church cultural hall look pretty OK! I’m awesome! hahaha
Oh and the jarvie window pictures are always fun for a little end of party.
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You might think I made the poor kid cry… but I stand innocent.
I suppose sometimes kids just cry. I know that never happens to any of your kids.
Parents aren’t supposed to have favorites… but photographers can.
This red-head is a model in the making.
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So first off the dad is very much into gardening, it’s his passion I’m told.
So of course we went out into the garden and took a bunch.
Being someone that is a bit “Shy” around the camera I think he opened up a lot when it was him in the garden.
Even still it was very quick, but as long as he was getting something done it made a lot more sense.
Of course random portraits of everyone in the family, typical and not.
No set up or posing usually required. This is their actual dinner, in fact a tradition around the house to make home made pizzas.
Oh the memories. “Remember when we would make Home Made Pizzas every sunday”
“Not only do I remember it, but here are the pictures of us” and the emotions of the event are included no extra charge. haha
Detail shots gallore
Love the camera or not, candid or posed… no one every has a boring time being Shot (in the face) by yours truly.
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The hand in the air just makes me laugh… lots of other good faces too.
This type of shot has become my “Thing” for each leaving shot.
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Recent wedding in Portland and Bend, Oregon.
This girl had striking eyes… but she also looked like she was panicked all the time.
But even so I loved (thought it was funny) this wedding reception picture and thought i’d share.
What’s better than having a babysitter so you can go have a date night with your spouse?
Having a babysitter that the kids love!
And what could you ask for more? Well one thing…
that the babysitter would take awesome pictures of them while you’re away.
BACKGROUND
So one of my really really good friends was searching desperatley for a babysitter so she could go out with her husband on a double date with another of our friends.
She couldn’t find anyone… so i called and volunteered.
Of course i brought my camera.
I didn’t always have it out… in fact most of the time I didn’t have it out.
The thing you’ve got to realize is that you don’t want to force their hand.
Don’t want to push them… and you certainly don’t want them to not want you to take pictures.
Sometimes just put it away and play and come back to it later.
If you have kids you know that their emotions and feelings can change.
I must admit that it helps when the kids like you. I think i had it covered for this one.
But it’s not always that way I’m sure.
What a fun suprise for the parents to have when they come back. Because they’re not there for the whole event watching every move.
But they’re not influencing the situation and forcing the kids to do stuff they don’t want to do either.
This might not be the best picture to you… but this is sky and this is her expressions somtimes.
And the parents know it and it’s special to them at least… and that’s what these pictures are about sometimes.
Not just about being perfect and every hair in place and doing exactly what is planned… sometimes it’s about documenting.
Portraits
We go out and pose kids and get them looking their best… and that’s cool.
Sometimes the mom goes crazy when they goof off during the shoots… sometimes she doesn’t.
Sometimes the kids behave… sometimes they don’t.
That’s just the way it is.
People get a photographer to come and do the portraits that they don’t feel comfortable doing themselves, or perhaps they want to be in it too.
MORE THAN PORTRAITS
But what about a photographer to just be there to Document life sometimes.
This visit
Like for instance I went and visited a friend.
I went out to the car and pulled out my camera.
Nothing changed… they did exactly what they would have done that hour had I not been there.
What the little girl did
The girl finished her math homework. I got them while she was seriously studying… before she even knew what was happening.
Of course she noticed too… then She made faces at me and joked around.
The mom told her to stop making faces… but you know what it’s fine it’s her.
What the little boy did
He was playing with his airplane and showing it to me… so i had him pose with it.
He was playing Wii so i just took some candids.
What the mom did
The mom was working on the computer on top of the washer. She didn’t know… but that’s what life is like that’s what she does, that’s what we do. That’s truly documenting life.
I’m not saying there’s no interaction from the photographer, that there’s no posing… I suppose it’s a mix of everything… it’s going with the flow, doing whatever happens.
It’s different than a portrait shoot
But with paid shoots this can be harder… because sometimes we have to let go of wanting everything to be exactly the way we planned it.
Just let things happen and trust that I’ll take totally awesome pictures that testify to who your family really is, but maybe a little biased towards making you look good anyway 
Sometimes the best things happened unplanned
Sometimes some of the best possible pictures happen unplanned and unposed and they mean the most because it speaks to what life was really really really like.
And that day this is what life was like for that hour. See all
Every month there is a group of photographers or aspiring photographers in Utah that get together and do a photoshoot. This is the location and event for october. My favorite 60
More of my pictures located here:
Location: Gardner Village
Kids Dress up and parade around.
So do the moms!
So do the dogs apparently.
There is much joy and sweetness.
Lots of witches… some are drunk flying.
A little of subject but I liked it.
This one is totally on topic!
Walking around in a sea of people with kids and adults dressed up in a scenic location with festivities and the expectation from people that they’ll probably get their pictures taken is totally my element.
But i also can do the other pictures while I’m at it I suppose.
Hanging out with lots of other photographers is always a plus.
And I got to randomly see old friends I haven’t seen in many many a year.
A couple of Notes
I walked up and down the route of the parade with my new fun lens.
Let me just tell you it’s much better than standing (or sitting) in the same spot for the whole parade.
It’s also nice to only live 3 blocks from the parade route.
ALSO… having a 70-200 2.8 makes a parade much more enjoyable.
I took a ton… but I’ll just post a couple of them here.
If you think I took a picture of you I can get you a link to the full gallery online.
I took my second camera with the wide/medium zoom but I hardly used it… I suppose it was still useful to make me look semi-important. haha
I also hung out with a friend Gordon who was shooting pictures for the Freedom Festival magazine.
Now for the FUN part… Let me tell you a STORY
Let’s start this off on a patriotic note!
Not as many flags but still as cool.
But don’t worry these kids had flags to spare.
These things were all over the place
… I meant the snapper things.
But yeah kids too!
More kids… some sat, some stood, others… they were more squatters.
And they liked to point at stuff
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