Holiday Portrait Deconstructed

There's a very popular pin going around and if you are on Pinterest and have any interest in photography, babies, or holidays, I'm sure you have seen it. This one:

Photo by Lizvette Wreath Photography

Even with the setup diagrammed in the image, people are still having trouble copying this look for themselves. They are getting results like this one found on Pinstrosity:

Submitted to Pinstrosity, a blog of attempted Pins gone wrong

This isn't a problem that only casual photographers are running into. Fellow pro photogs are trying to figure out what they are doing wrong, and if I hadn't moved halfway across the country twice, I would simple go over and troubleshoot with them in person. But I figure this is a good opportunity to explain what's going on.

First, you need a clean space (or to fake one). You can set up in a living room, basement, or family room. Ideally, I would have a long narrow, clutter-free room for this, but since I don't have that, I chose my bedroom. The bed provides an elevated platform so I don't have to crush myself into the hard floor to get to my little ones' level or to see their faces. Second, I want to keep this as simple and shoe-string budget as possible. Even though I can pull out the studio lights, umbrellas, soft boxes, transmitters, meters and reflectors, I don't want to.

K.I.S.S., right?

On another note, DOES SIZE MATTER? A friend was concerned that her queen sized bed was constraining her. Honestly, that doesn't matter. And to prove that, I've used a blue ribbon to mark on my king bed where it would end if I were using a queen bed. I didn't get any blue bits in any of my shots.

So here's my setup:

So, you don't need a huge room. I was working in a space 8 feet wide by 11 feet long. The exact measurements and specs don't really matter, but I wanted to show you what my space was. If the room was longer, then I would have been able to add another layer of lights in the foreground (like the first image above). More space would also mean I could include more of my models' bodies and get better blurs, but let's make due with what we have!

There are other blogs that explain the setup, but I'm going to go a little more technical and show you the difference little changes in settings can make to the image you create. So, set your camera to MANUAL MODE (gasp!!) and trust in yourself. You need to know how to manipulate your ISO, aperture and exposure time, and how to read your in-camera meter.


STEP 0: Choose your light source.

Yes, I said "Step 0." You need to decide how you will light your setup first and foremost. If you don't have a good flash unit, or you just love soft, natural light, these are the type of results you might get. Of course, if you have direct sunlight getting on your model or the set, you might want to put a sheer white curtain on your window. (Note: all the sample test shots below are un-manipulated, un-corrected captures so as not to confuse you. You can always add your exposure adjustments and artistic flair later.)

If you don't have windows, if the sun has set, or you like to have control over your light source, use a strobe or flash unit. I find that indirect lighting (bouncing off white/light walls) provides soft, natural-looking lighting. I like to point my strobes into the corner behind me. I didn't want to set up my studio lights though, so I just popped my SpeedLite (camera flash unit) onto my camera and pointed to somewhere to the side or behind me, depending on how I wanted my booger-faces lit.

If you want to get fancy, you can set up an additional hair light. But again, I wanted to keep this simple. Although, really, I should have put up a reflector. You can use actual reflectors or white foam board (like your kid's science fair boards) or white fabric. The reflector would be set up opposite of your light source to fill in the shadows. So, if the model is in the middle of the set and I aim my flash towards stage-right, then I would set up the reflector stage-left. Got it?


STEP 1: Put on the lens of your choice (if you can choose).

You do NOT want a wide angle lens for this. Wider angles create more depth of field and the secret to this shot is to GET YOUR DEPTH OF FIELD AS SHALLOW AS POSSIBLE. As you can see below, 70mm blurred the background out very nicely. 50mm is okay -- you get to see more of the scene and models, but you can kind of make out the light strings in the background. Anything wider, like the 40mm length at the bottom is very undesirable, unless you want to see the mess of light strands in your background. In my opinion, 80mm would be ideal, but then I would either need more space to back up into, or I could climb my dressers and squish myself against the back wall. Otherwise, I would be capturing just parts of faces.

STEP 2: Set your f/ stop to the widest it will go. 

All the other blogs tell you to use your f/1.4 or f/1.8 lens. Well, not all of us have that uber expensive piece of equipment! (Okay, I have one, but I'm trying to prove a point here.) I am hereby debunking that assumption and saying YOU CAN DO THIS WITHOUT SPECIALIZED LENSES. If you can get to f/2.8 or f/4.0, then you'll be fine, with slight limitations and considerations.


STEP 3A: Set your exposure and ISO. (for natural lighting)


This one is easy. Using your in-camera meter, stand where you (the photographer) plan to be standing. Aim at the model setting at the front edge of the bed with the wall of lights behind them. Hopefully, the window(s) are providing enough light for you. Set your ISO to a higher setting, but not one that will create too much ugly noise on your shots. Older cameras got ugly around 640 ISO. New ones can push 1000+ ISO and still look pretty nice. Move your exposure to something you can hand-hold (above 1/60th). If you are shooting active kids, you'll need a faster setting (1/100 and up). Or just sedate the kids. Just kidding. Sort of.


STEP 3B: Set your exposure and ISO. (for strobe/flash lighting)

Using your in-camera meter, stand where you (the photographer) plan to be standing. Aim at the wall of lights WITHOUT the model in the way and with your strobe OFF. Your goal is to have the in-camera meter read +1/3 to +1. Why? So those little tiny Christmas lights get to burn in and make an impact on your portrait.

Now, set your exposure to something you can hand-hold (above 1/60th). Anything slower will probably result in light streaks and blurs, which can be a cool effect to play with. If you are shooting active kids, you'll need a faster setting (between 1/100 and 1/200). BEWARE not to set it faster than your shutter can handle. Newer cameras can capture the full image at speeds of 1/200th. Older cameras max out around 1/125th, after which, half your shot will be solid black. That's the shadow caused by the flash on your internal camera shutter.

Move your ISO to a higher setting so your meter reads between +1/3 and +1 while your exposure setting is between 1/60th and 1/125.

Did I lose you yet?

Now, with your strobe ON, make sure it's set to ETTL (a.k.a. smarty-pants auto flash mode) at +0 exposure compensation. Lastly, swivel the flash head so it is NOT pointing directly at the model. WHY?? If you point it at the model, you will get harsh lights, ugly shadows and an unattractive background. If you point it directly behind you, the light on your model's face will be flat. If you point it to the side wall, the light will be dramatic. If you point it up to the ceiling, it will create raccoon eyes. If you point it to the floor, your model probably will not get any light OR will look like they're telling ghost stories at camp. So pick an angle somewhere behind but to the side and slightly upward. Got it?

STEP 4: Shoot!!!

Have at it and enjoy! Just remember to keep as much distance between the background lights and the models as possible. And remember that the closer you are to the models, the more blur you'll get. Why? I think that explanation is too technical & boring, so just trust me.

ADDENDUM: Point-and-Shoot Cameras

If you don't have an SLR camera or a fancy prosumer camera that allows you to switch to Manual Mode, here's what you do:

..... Go buy a DSLR. (Just kidding)

Okay, play with your point-and-shoot. If you can find the NIGHT PORTRAIT mode, then that's your best shot for this. Otherwise, try your SPORTS mode or PORTRAIT mode on a tripod. And remember to stay ZOOMED-IN. Do not go wide-angled. Good luck!


SAMPLE SHOTS

What the h*ll am I talking about and what's the big deal about the f/ stop and focal length? Well, that's what controls your depth of field, allowing those beautiful bokeh circles to dance like fairies on your holiday portraits. Here are example shots to show you the difference between f/1.4 (big, beautiful bokeh EVERY TIME), f/2.8 (lovely, magical circles of light), and f/4.0 (cute little firefly lights most of the time, if the models can follow instruction and stay in their space).

See the difference in the quality & size of the bokeh when the aperture is increased?

Here's the same comparison, but you can see the difference between 50mm and 70mm focal length.

Lastly, how far you stand from your models makes a huge difference too. Stand as close as you can with the longest length you can fit into your space. This is where a macro telephoto lens comes in handy.

She's standing about 3 feet from me. The distance between her face and her hands are about 12 inches. By focusing on a point 2 feet from me instead of 3 feet away, the background bokeh is completely different -- bigger circles, softer, prettier.

Well, that's the end of this long-winded deconstruction of what looked like a simple, beautiful portrait. Isn't it amazing how good photographers make things look so easy? I'm sure I'm not using all the right terminology correctly, but hey, motherhood has burned off a large amount of my intellect, so please forgive me my many imperfections. Yes, I realize I misspelled "aperture" in my sample images, but I've spent a good deal of time on this and really need to go back to being a mom.

When you try this for real (for a real client or for your family's real holiday portraits), add some layers of interest -- scatter some ornaments, have a color scheme, have the kids blow glitter or confetti at you, wrap them in extra lights. Or keep it basic -- think about wardrobe, wipe the boogers and Doritos off their faces, and tame some wild-child hair.

Happy shooting!

Mui
Photographic Artist
SimplyMui Photography