I’m going to Zambia! Read about it here.
When the mood strikes, I like to take pictures of my kids. I’m the kind of girl that likes instant gratification and my kids aren’t the type to sit through a long setup, so most of the time, pictures of my kids are set up in less than ten minutes. This one was set up in five minutes.
Yesterday, it went like this:
Me: Hey, I really want to take your picture. Can I?
Child: No, I really don’t want to.
Me: Please? I’ll give you one of the candy orange slices.
Child: Umm… How about a Nutella sandwich?
Me: Deal. Now go put this shirt on, and pose just like this.
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I put them in front of a white wall near our front door. I opened the door for light and used a white reflector to pop a bit more light onto their faces. (I know it’s going around Pinterest that this is a car shade. It’s not, it’s Westcott, like this one, but you could totally use a car windshield shade! Or anything white for that matter.) I shot with a 50mm lens so that I could fit their faces into the tight space. I use this setup a lot. Memorable portraits don’t have to be fancy!
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Other equipment used.
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Love this<3 your kids are adorable too!!
What a great idea. I am like you I love taking pictures of my grands and friends children. Have learned to do just like you. They won’t sit but doing like this is great. Does it have to be a white wall to make it work? I just got a white reflector. I am so excited. My grandson is coming for the week….this will be great. Thank you so much for sharing. I am just an ameture and trying to learn what I can.
I love your photos….what lens are you using?
Also I have had to result to bribery to get my daughter to let me take pictures too.
Kitty, I used a 50. 1.2 at about 2.0.
GORGEOUS!!! i would have to bribe my kid with a pony to sit that beautiful for me
I use orange tic-tacs to bribe my kids! Love these!
love this. bribery rocks.
Wow. Those portraits are stunning! Will you reveal what you did to them in post?
S
Great, simple, straight forward… hey I can do this! Glad to have found you
Oh my goodness this is the best tip EVER. I currently live in what I like to refer as a cave and it makes indoor pictures impossible. This would make it so much easier to get good shots of my girls inside. These portraits are simply beautiful! Thank you so much for sharing this!!
LOVE this portrait of you and Chloe. (and I love your hair length – suits you so well!) Congrats on all the cool stuff you’ve done this year!
LOVE this idea. Thanks! Great portraits of your kids.
Just found this via pinterest. Love it! Have you done a post on tips for getting kids to pose? If you have I would love to see the link. My kids are not interested in it at all, often even with bribery as an option. I would love to take more photos of them and have it be a fun experience.
Amazing! Which Westcott are you using – a reflector or diffuser (1 stop or 2)?
I love the beautiful simplicity of your work.
How big is your reflector? Would you suggest this same size if you were to buy over again or would you go bigger or smaller?
Thank you for the tip and beautiful pics.
I love this post! I’d also love to know what your PP includes if you feel inclined to share! Thank you!!! ( Found via pinterest)
Sooooo sweet! I need to try this set up with my kids.
as simple as it can be…. beautiful!!
OMGosh, that conversation is one I’ve had MANY times! Thanks for being willing to share a great tip for the beginner photog of which I am
GORGEOUS kiddos!
Thank you so much for your tutorials.Because I noticed that photographers are rather not willing to share their knowledge.
I love your shoots, great work!
love it! simplicity – always the purest form ~
Love it! Love the light and love how adorable your kids are!
I wish my front door opened the other way
Wonderful tutorial!
So simple and effective Rachel. Thanks for sharing!
I Love your work. I’s beautiful
beautiful pics! Which 50 mm do you use and what other settings or do you use auto? What size is your reflector? Would you recommend just the white one? Thanks for your help. Judi
lol Fantastic, love it! Beautiful shots
Great idea and beautiful pics, thanks for sharing
beautiful shots, and such a great idea to get the children involved in the shot like this.
If I’m ever asked to photograph someone’s children I’ll be sure to give this technique a go.
Cheers,
Oisin
lol Fantastic, love it! Beautiful shots
So simple, and yet so beneficial! Thank you for sharing your setup. The resulting images are lovely. Beautiful bright eyes.
Great idea! I don’t have a reflector yet, but will be trying the car shade!
It’s amazing what you can do with natural light when you start using any reflective surfaces. Great post for those who are not photography savvy.
What were your camera settings set to?
Great photos, did you edit them much after? their eyes look really bright! did you use any special camera settings?