Yesterday a college student popped by to have a few prints done for the club he’s in. Resizing, crops, etc. The club has some particular framing in mind and they popped by the Frame & I for advice and framing. The question was asked, “Who can restore a damaged photo?” That’s where I came in.
In talking with the young man who popped in I learned a lot about what the club was looking for. Clean images, ready to hang…..and oh yeah, better photos.
He explained to me the dilemma that the group was having. Many of the members have great cameras. High end DSLRs, lots of lenses, the works! But over the past few years getting “the shot” has eluded them. The club pictures are not up to par with photos from years gone by. He simply stated, “We’re going to need a professional this year.”
Looking through the images that were brought in to me for reproduction I saw what was going on. Nobody thought about the light. And that happens. You don’t need lots of portable strobes (but they are fun), and you can use natural light. So long as you think about how all the subjects are lit.
The group isn’t a huge one. Manageable. But here’s what’s been wrong with their past 3 years of group portraits. Shooting mid day, harsh light, heavy shadows, and tons of squinting people trying to look like they’re enjoying themselves. The shadows, dark eye sockets, nearly closed eyes from squinting, etc, tell me they were not enjoying themselves right at that moment.
So, we’ve set up an appointment a few months out. We’ll be working the “golden hour” later in the day, and we’ll be sure to setup so nobody is having to defend their eyes against the sun.