A Gift for Grandma
When all the Grandchildren are at Grandma’s house at the beach, it’s a wonderful time for a group portrait. Of course, Grandma wants a sunset photo on the beach. The time frame for this kind of shot is very short. The window of good light is only about 10 minutes, and getting all these girls posed and stable only allows for one chance — you’ve got to get the shot, and the kids have to all look happy at the same time. Yikes!
What’s the secret?
- The photographer (me) has to put the camera on a tripod. You have to to be able to interact with the kids, and that can’t be done when you have your face behind the camera. A tripod and a remote trigger give you maximum flexibility to run around, make silly faces, hit yourself with a rubber hammer, and above all, keep their attention and keep them happy!
- The grown ups can also participate, but they have to be clustered directly behind and above the camera. If a child is looking at a parent who is off to the side, the photo will be ruined.
- “It’s not magic, it’s Photoshop”. But if you do it right, you can correct a few imperfections. For example, there was one child who was miserable through most of the session. We had to make a head swap to perfect the photograph. Can you tell which child it is?
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