I like strong women — a good thing, as I’m married to one! — and asked Kelly if she would pose for me. We attend the same Orthodox Church; I told her that I thought she “had steel in her.” Maybe that’s not the best thing to tell a woman when you ask her if she will pose for you! Of course, she is also charming and childlike — maybe the combination of femininity and strength is a southern thing. (“Southern Steel” is the title of one of my favorite albums, by the Steve Morse Band.)
I finallly had the opportunity to shoot her at her home for an hour or. She’s a busy mom, but we made the best of the time. We found a window that worked, moved some furniture, and got some shots with a couple of her boys, and some with Jesse, her husband, and then got down to experimenting with portraiture.
The 85mm lens is a great portrait lens, as it gives great sharpness where you want it. You usually want the eyes sharp, and, if the “depth of field” is shallow enough, for anything in front of the face to be soft, as well as anything at the ears and behind. If the subject’s head is slightly turned away, the far eye will be a little soft. I got a number of these sharp images, and had Kelly move her head from side to side, and up and down. It can seem artificial when you do it, but you sometimes get great shots, especially as the light falls differently on the face.
If you are talking to men, and you want to get them a little animated for a photo, you ask them about their work, what they like about it, and so on. If you are talking to women, ask them about their families. Yes, I know, this could be viewed as “sexist,” but the reality is that most women are most emotionally involved with their families, and family relations.
Here’s a tip for fellow photographers: if you want young boys to smile naturally, say “Poop!” just before you click the shutter. I didn’t do that this day, and got the sober look you see here. It’s fine; he’s a handsome young guy. Kelly’s expression is key in any case.
It was a challenge getting all of them into the frame as I wanted. I should have asked for a small stool for the younger guy to stand on. Not enough time, but maybe next time!
Here are several initial shots, looking for some good natural portraits. The golden reflector brought a nice warmth into what was the shadowed side of Kelly’s face — a bemused expression.
After we warmed up, I worked through a number of experiments: using different lenses with selective focus; over-exposing the image with Kelly against the bright window light; exposing the sensor for six seconds while Kelly took two different positions. Afterwards I used Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop, and Nik Silver Efex Pro to get different effects. Some images are toned, as I saw the possibilities.
It was a great pleasure to shoot Kelly, and to work on these images. Feel free to comment on any of them; let me know which you like the most!
Chris Humphrey