Dining Room Studio Setup for Kristie and Her Girls

I have photographed Kristie and her girls before, and it is so much fun to photograph them as they grow up. Watching them change in photographs is a privilege and is a big part of why I enjoy taking portraits for others. This session was set up in her dining room complete with a low hanging light fixture which we tied up higher to the ceiling. I brought a white paper roll as well as a full length black fabric to use as backdrops during this session. I set up with four lights this time using a large soft-box on the main light and a white umbrella for the second. The third and fourth lights I initially set up facing the white paper in order to get a nice bright background. I also added a square white reflector below the main light to help fill in shadows. All the portraits using the white background were shot this way. I included a set-up shot below, but the space was so tight, I couldn't get all my lights in the wide-angle setup shot. That didn't stop me from getting some beautiful images though.

I changed things up a little bit with the black fabric by putting the two background lights into my DIY-made rim-light modifiers. The soft-box and umbrella were brought closer, and the white reflector remained in place to fill in shadows. In the final closeup portraits I brought the main soft-box to the center of the room with the white reflector tight up underneath it with a very small gap between the two, which is where I was shooting through. The two rim lights were aimed at their hair and the white umbrella I kept further back and to the right of the camera to add  more dimension to the reflections in their eyes.

Below are a few of my favorites from this session.

Living Room Studio ::: Family Portraits

After premature labor and delivery prevented us from holding a maternity photo session, we were finally able to schedule a family photo session when the baby was four months old. He was born two months early and stayed in the hospital for nearly as long. Two months after coming home he had his very first formal photo shoot. To keep things as simple as possible, I arranged to bring the studio to them in their own home. We moved the coffee table and a few chairs from the living room into the kitchen, and then I set up a fabric backdrop on one end of the room along with a few strobe lights to complete the location studio. 

I brought a few small props with me including the alphabet blocks which spelled out the names of the two boys, my small white step-ladder for sitting and climbing, and the soft white blanket used to photograph the baby. All this fits in the trunk of my car and is accessible for anyone who wants to schedule a session. I have more props, modifiers, and backgrounds which I can bring on a case-by-case basis, depending on the desired outcome of the photo shoot. If you are interested in scheduling a session with me, you can contact me by following the link below the photos.