Recently, a long-time client contacted us about a new family portrait. Several ‘life events’ had happened. There had been a wedding, a divorce, a new baby and growing grandchildren. It was time for an update.
We discussed dates and arrived at one that was good for the whole family. Everyone committed to being there and all was good to go.
About two weeks before the session, Mom called in a bit of a panic. A granddaughter’s rugby team had just won their regional division. Her team was off to the provincial championships on the weekend of the shoot.
There was no way to reschedule as everyone else had committed to that Sunday. YIKES! What could we do?
We reassured her that all would be well. We would just add her to the group later! Mom was thrilled!
This kind of situation is where Roger’s artistic skills and Photoshop came into play. He posed the group with the “missing person” in mind. There was a space left for her to be inserted later.
Here’s where nothing can be left to chance. The ‘missing’ family member must be photographed in a specific way. The right posing, lighting and camera setting guarantees a fantastic and realistic result.
If the missing person is ‘out of town’ we recommend a professional colleague who can do the job right. The technicalities aren’t part of an amateur’s skill set.
In this case, the grand daughter was capable and Roger sent careful instructions. A few reshoots happened – but finally we got the right image from her.
At that point, Roger set to work matching colour and blending her into the big group. While he was at it, he removed the dog leashes and switched a couple of heads for better expressions too.
A beautiful 30 x 40 inch portrait now hangs over their fireplace that has everyone “on board”. A family treasure – for sure!
We have used this technique many times with great results. It’s not just limited to a single person.
Next issue, we’ll show you a family of four that was shot by a photographer in another city for us. She sent her files to us and we added the foursome to the larger family who we photographed in our portrait park.
If you would love to have a family portrait but have trouble getting the whole family together all at the same time, give us a call at 613-283-2237
2 Responses
Great story Roger!! I LOVE this picture and have gotten so much pleasure from it.
Cheers to you and Lianne on your Anniversary Year! Good luck with your future adventures.
Nancy & Peter
Thanks Nancy. Your family was great to work with and it was a good challenge to my image editing skills. Not the way I want to do every family portrait, but it does offer a viable solution to families who can’t get everyone together at the same time.