- Adobe Lightroom CC
- My home
- united kingdom
- Toddler
- soft
- Single Shot
- Single Focus Point
- Sigma Art 35mm
- Serious
- Self Portrait
- Posed
- Overcast
- none
- Natural Light
- Natural
- Moody
- Autofocus
- midday
- Intimate Framing
- Intangible Presets- The Originals 01
- Indoors
- Home
- Directional
- Dark
- cuddling
- Close up
- Carpet
- Canon 5d miii
- calm
- broken rules
- Blanket
- Window Lighting
The story behind the image
Directions
Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)
I prompted him to listen out for the camera, to count the beeps and to give me a big cuddle like we usually do.
What did you say?
“Wait for the beeps… Can you tell me when you hear the click sound?”
Tone of Directions
Calm
Composition
I knew that I wanted a close crop, I wanted to show skin texture and to keep it vaguely anonymous so that other mothers could easily visualise themselves in this image. I usually am drawn to rule of thirds but for this wanted a close, intimate pull into the image so opted to break the rule with an eye-catching awkward crop of my son’s eyes so that you eyes are not drawn to those first, but instead to my arm wrapped around him in the centre.
Compositional Rules
Broken Rules
framing
Center FramedClose UpIntimate Framing
Focusing
Describe how you spoke to your subject(s)
I shot with a higher than normal aperture, focused on him whilst he was the right height/distance from the lens and then got into position. Usually (with this camera) it takes a bit of trial and error to nail the focus but this time it came together very easily.
Focus Mode
Single Shot
Focus POints
Single Focus Point
Focused on
His face.
Equipment &
Exif
Camera
Lens
Flash
Filter
Other
Tripod and timer.
1/250 @ f/3.5 ISO800 WB-Auto
The way the EXIF is written out follows the common photographic method (with the inclusion of White Balance at the end). Here it is broken down:
Shutter Speed @ Aperture ISO White Balance.
Light & Weather
It was an overcast day which gave a beautiful, soft light through the window. It was an East facing window which meant that at midday it was bright but not too harsh. There was a wall/slanted ceiling painted white about 4 ft from where we were sat which added fill light and acted as a large reflector.
Light Type
Natural LightWindow Lighting
Light Quality
Soft,Directional
Time of day
Midday
Weather
Overcast
Editing Workflow
How did you edit this image?
I applied the preset, adjusted the white balance (to auto then added yellows), reduced the cyans down to make sure that the sheets were matching the skin tones. I increased the highlights and the midtones to make them stand out and add a but of an exaggeration to the light hitting the skin, and calibrated the blues to correct the skin tones by eye. I also corrected the blemishes on the skin using the spot corrector.
Editing Software
Adobe Lightroom CC
Preset Used
Challenges
Working with my own child, this is the one who isn’t a fan of having his photo taken!
Solutions
I turned it into a game. I always need them to enjoy the experience otherwise they will never let me take their photos! Luckily he is very cuddly, loves a game and loves to be tickled which made it easy to navigate.
Location
Location Name
The Cotswolds
Location aDDRESS
The Cotswolds, United Kingdom
Loation Type
Private Home
Country
United Kingdom
Know the light in your own house- understand the difference between light that enhances your subjects and light that spotlights your subjects, as well as how to control natural light.
When family moments are naturally unfolding, it is so important to be able to quickly grab that moment without fussing around too much- keep the camera charged with a battery and SD card in and ready to go.
