P– Family Portraits; thoughts on Group Portraiture

On Saturday afternoon, with the rains passing and the sun shining through, I met with the P– family for a portrait session. I’d met “mom” and “dad” P– while they were waiting for baby number one, R, now six years old, to arrive. Over these last years, I watched R grow and grow and welcome a baby sister, N. I would be lying if I didn’t own up to the fact that baby R made me ache for my own baby . . . Annabelle arrived almost 2 1/2 years later.

Anyway, these are a few photos from our session together. Fun, fun, fun! And nerve racking too! I had butterflies in my stomach the entire ride to the session (shot on location at the P– family’s home) and it made me appreciate just how much I love photography and how excited I am by new photographic challenges. Before our session, I made sure that I had read up a bit on photographing groups (coordinating clothing and settings as well as knowing which aperture and shutter speeds best produce sharp photos, especially when a group includes children). I also picked up a few props (which we didn’t end up using) and talked with my mentor about how she works a family photo session. With my own family, I tend to crawl around and photograph life as it is unfolding . . . my mentor told me that that is how she handles portraiture . . . a photojournalistic style. While I do not mind posing folks and giving direction, I am finding that I am most comfortable letting the best photographs happen naturally.

Working with kids again (who are not my own) added another layer to the work and overall I have to say that it was fun. What I’m learning is that the best thing a photographer can do is just relax, let people be who they are (kids included) and never ever ever ask someone to smile. Not only is the result usually a fake one but also comes across as uncomfortable too.

Well, here are the photos; hopefully they speak to who the P– family really is: