An Otherwise Empty Room: Photographing the Martin Family

You may not believe it, but sometimes the weather isn't perfect in Maui. Especially last week, when it rained every single day. It can be frustrating for a photographer, because clients reschedule and cancel left and right, and I can hardly blame them. The Martin family is one of those clients I wish others could emulate. They planned their session far in advance, and left a nice margin between their session and the day they were leaving, "just in case." They were relaxed and took the weather in stride, which was a good thing because we had to wait until four o'clock on the day of their session to make sure that the weather would hold. It was still grayish and overcast when we set out, not necessarily a bad thing. As you can see by the photos below, the golden overcast skies made their skin tones glow, and no one was fighting a sun squint or had awkward shadows cutting across their faces. The family also trusted me to pick their location (Kapalua Bay), and to select a shot sequence list (aside from a few certain key photo arrangements they wanted). It is so fabulous to be able to photograph this way, because it frees me up to be really creative and to capture the family in a way that is aesthetically pleasing. For potential portrait clients reading this, I always recommend finding a photographer whose work and aesthetic you enjoy, and then letting them "do their thing." Try not to force a photographer to create a photo the way you want it to be, because chances are, it will not happen, and you will end up disappointed. As a photographer, I am quite confident of my skills, and as long as I know that my clients are aware of how I shoot and what my style looks like, I can guarantee that we will end up with a successful portfolio.

This session was particularly special because Mom and Dad were celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary, and the family was traveling together for the first time in a long time. It had also been way too many years since they'd had a family portrait taken together. This first photo is a traditional "ice breaker" pose I almost always start with. It loosens people up, and it is similar to other poses I will be using later on in the session, so they can remember it and fall in quickly when required.

A challenging situation that photographers face when photographing the different people of a family is how to politely ask individual people to either be in the photo, or to excuse themselves for a photo for a certain shot. In this instance, the daughter's boyfriend was traveling with the family, so it was understood he would be in some photos, but not all. What I recommend is the following:

Photographer: discuss and lay out the shot list with the organizing individual (usually Mom) before the session, so you are all on the same page. As a bonus, you will know exactly what the client wants, and can avoid the disappointment of not getting a photo that the family wishes had been taken. Before the session begins, gather the people around and explain to them what you will be taking, give a general layout of your shot list, and tell them what is expected of them. Do not ignore special requests; sometimes these become the most cherished photos of the session.
Clients: discuss the shot list with the other members of the family. Add that they are welcome to request special photos that are not included in the list. (As a photographer, I am paid for my time. Some photographers are different, they may charge for the number of people. Basically, when you set up a session with me, I photograph for 45 minutes to one hour, and get in as much as I can, so I actually request of families to get really creative and get in all those shots they want and take advantage of their time. A good client will allow that I am familiar with the location and with the time and will let me define the flow of the session around special requests. Discuss this with your photographer before the session).

As I was pretty sure would happen, the sun dropped below the cloud line and created this amazing, dazzling show of light before it slid down over the horizon. I could not have asked for better lighting, and I was able to get the clients these stellar family and anniversary photos. They were an absolute pleasure to work with, and I look forward to seeing them again next year!

K.A.

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Sunday, May 19, 2013

Photographing the Martin Family

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