Today…

… courtesy of Ricoh, I made portraits at The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, with Paolo Cescato. Here:

As I shall be doing for the next nine days, the entire fair except Monday, every afternoon/evening. Here I am (courtesy of my friend and student Ray Williams):

And these portraits look somewhat like this:

Or like this:

And the lesson in this?

  • Commit events like this, being together with friends and family, to photos. They only happen once. That baby above will be in university soon enough.
  • Light simply, if you are doing many portraits. We used two umbrellas. It is more about the moment and the people than about the artistic lighting.
  • Posing is fine, but turn people a little.
  • Perhaps put them into suitable groups.
  • Triangles are good.
  • Watch out for shadows.
  • Glasses and hats, especially: take care.
  • Yes, you know: 1/125th second, f/8, at 200 ISO; and the strobes do the rest.

I have precious few pictures of myself as a child (roughly zero). If you can do better with your loved ones or with anyone at all, you are doing great. Do it if you can!

Those of you in the Toronto area: the picture is free with the price of admission to The Royal. Come meet me (again), and come meet some cows, chickens and such, see great country stuff, and generally, have a good time.

 

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