Posing in the garden the children hug each other
I was hired to shoot a portrait of a three and a five year old siblings dressed in traditional Kimono recently. The family and I agreed the best place would be at home because of the length of time and care needed to dress the children. When I arrived, I noticed the neighbors garden was back-lit and glowing. After doing a location scout, I realized the best spot was out in the front of the house. The resulting images from that area produced a nice start to the shoot, in what looked like a traditional Japanese garden and not a suburban street.
Young girl looks back at her Mom during the portrait shoot and smiles
We then set up our portable studio in the games room, a process that only takes about 5-10 minutes to be ready for photos. The beauty of shooting at home is that the subjects- especially children are much more comfortable in their own environment. The ability for the family to ‘hang out’ and encourage the children is really valuable. I think that the images we got show the natural atmosphere that was present.
Brother and sister look off in different directions - spontaneous moment during shoot
This was one of those special moments that happen from time to time- a thoughtful pause in the conversation perhaps, I now don’t recall. This shot stood out from the take as a cool expression and happy accident that I really love. Its good to be ready to shoot even when you and your subjects think you are done!