I love taking pictures of people and landscapes. I am very comfortable BEHIND the camera, it is where I can be myself. Evidently I have a natural ability to take good photos. I was not aware that I had this ability until I met my husband. It just isn't one of his strengths.
Today at Princess' softball game we received the pictures that a company took of the team on opening day. I wasn't real impressed with their skills the day of the photo shoot, so I didn't have high hopes when I got the pictures back. I wasn't disappointed....with myself.
I understand you have a lot of teams, with a lot of girls to get in line, ready for photo, picture taken, then the team photo. I realize there is stress with getting the job done quickly. However, I also expect some quality photos taken if you label yourself a professional.
First issue was that they wanted the girl's individual photo to be a pose with them holding a bat. Some girls didn't have a bat, so they had to borrow a bat from a team member. We aren't talking brand new, photogenic, bats. So my daughter has an individual softball photo with a dirty, dented bat. So it maybe looks authentic, but not photogenic.
First tip for aspiring photographers: if you want to pose the kids with a prop, spend the money and buy brand new props. The photos will speak for themselves!
Second issue was they took the photos on the outside of the fields. A place surrounded by houses and odds and ends. Therefore my daughter has a house sticking out of her left ear, a weird shadow cutting her image in half and a tree over her other shoulder.
Second tip for aspiring photographers: actually look in your viewfinder at the entire picture. Imagine taking a picture of a tree in the middle of the forest. You need to stop a second and look past the lone tree and take in the forest behind it. Make sure nothing funky will end up in the image.
Third issue is make sure the person in your photo looks good. I'm not talking they need to be a model. I'm talking about noticing things like their hat or collar being crooked, their tie needs to be straightened, they have food on their face (kid problem, trust me), etc. You guessed it, Princess' hat is all weird on her head. I was trying to help, but I was glared at for interfering so I had to step away and just hope the image would turn out decent. I should have ignored it and fixed the issues, I am paying for these images after all.
Third tip for aspiring photographers: as you are checking your image, make sure the person's clothing isn't jacked up; if it is, fix it.
Fourth tip: if you have someone willing to help with the image, use them, direct them. It makes things easier on you, because you don't have to step away from the image. It also makes the parent feel involved and will get them on your side when you need their kid to stop picking their nose or looking the wrong direction. You can't yell at their kids, but they can! Enlist their help, it pays off in the end.
Fourth issue was the team photo. I should just mention I had issues and stop numbering them, I guess. I did get involved with this and put my foot down and became "that" mom, so the team photo didn't turn out too bad (other than the house sticking out of their head). The photographers set up their camera so they had a great backdrop for the team photo. Hey, at least they thought this one out. The problem was that now the girls and coaches were looking directly into the sun. That trick about having kids close their eyes and on the count of 3, they all open them and you take a wonderful photo....that's dumb. Not only do you irritate your subject with momentary blindness, your image won't look natural. I've seen some of the weirdest expressions when kids are made to look directly into the sun. Plus, there will be one or two kids that will tell you that their moms told them not to look into the sun, so just avoid it.
Fortunately, the team banner was reflecting the sun so well that it was messing with the photographer's flash (which I'm not sure why she needed it, since she was further from her subject than the flash could actually light up). After moving the kids so the sun was coming directly from the sides, we took the team photo. Yay, harsh side lighting and a house and a fence sticking out of their heads on the left.
Fifth tip: never have your subject look into the sun. They get pissy and the lighting won't look natural. Plus the expression you get will more than likely ensure that there is no repeat business. The best lighting is sun or light coming in at a 45 degree angle to your subject. It lights up the subject without harsh angles.
Sixth tip: take your time on individual photos. Team photos you do not have this luxury. You have a group of people that all have different comfort and attention levels. Quicker is better. Have a game plan in mind and having an assistant that doesn't take crap can make the difference. With kids you need to have a sense of humor or be able to capture their attention at a single moment. They ALL need to look at the lens at the same time AND smile at the same time.
Now that I have that off my chest I feel slightly better. It's sucks that I paid for them in the first place, but at least I got to complain about them. Princess just had her spring photos taken at school, so when those come in you will probably get another post.
If you have any questions about photography I would love to answer them. Unlike the above ranting, I'm actually quite helpful with photography concerns. I just get frustrated when "professionals" don't act or take pictures like they should.
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