I recently had a friend/reader who asked me why you shoot at different distances...what are the pros and cons? At first I thought it's just kind of personal preference, but the more I thought about it, there is a definitely reason behind shooting up close and personal or shooting far away.
Fist off, I prefer to shoot up close because you can really see the details of a person. I love to focus on the eyes...I mean, they are the windows to the soul! Also, a subjects personality really shines through when you take their picture up close and personal. The way they smile, the glimmer in their eye, the funny(or maybe sad) faces they make . Sometimes I even like to focus in on eye lashes, especially for kids, they have the BEST eye lashes! :)
As far as shooting far away...I usually pull back when there's a story to tell. Is there a beautiful or interesting location? Are there some kiddos playing with one another? Is there a beautiful wedding dress to be shown? Sometimes it's not about the subject of the picture at all, it's about the story of what they're doing or where they are at!
I try to capture both types images in a session. I think my clients love both type of images for different reasons! :) I've chosen a few images from the same sessions to illustrate this for ya!
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I LOVED this session!! The big red barn was JUST fabulous!! The top image is close up. I love how it shows the relationship AND the personalities of every member of the family. The bottom pic is pulled back because I saw the kids talking with each other and how they were all different heights and then the youngest plopped down on the ground and I KNEW I had to capture that moment...no face, just shadows and a big red barn...so cute!
This session was at the coolest little town in Georgia. Senioa to be exact...Ever watch the "Walking Dead"? Yeah, it's filmed there. These two shots are the same "pose", but I loved them both for different reasons. The top one I loved, again, because it's close up and showing the relationship there...each parent interacting with their young children. I loved the bottom image because there is just something about the architecture I loved...that cool corner building!! Which one will they hang up in their house? Who knows, but they each have a different story! :)
This is a beautiful graduate of 2013. Of course I love the close up image on the left because it shows her beautiful eyes and look at that gorgeous hair! The image on the bottom tells a story, a story about the southern town we live in.
The FAIR!!! This is one of my all time favorite session! I love the close up b/c, well, look at it, she's having so much fun!! Her smile says it all. But look at the family pic next to it...equally as fun right. You can't see much about the family except they're laughing, but look at the fun colors, lights, and stuffed animals behind them....there's no doubt they're at the fair and LOVEing it! :)
And the wedding...You can't pass up a good close up of a bride and groom hugging. Can't you just feel the love there? She's just so happy to be married to the love of her life. Next to it is the pulled back image. WE had to get a picture of the full dress, how they are interacting and I loved showing off how it was rainy that day. The trees are colorful and lush, you can see the reflection of them on the wet cement, and the umbrella...AWESOME!
Now go out a take some pics...close up and far away and see the different emotions and story you can capture. Come back here and tell me what you found!! :) Also, feel free to ask me a question any time and I'll be happy to answer and post about it! :)
