I staged this dramatic family portrait in an Albany, California, living room with a 8ft wide black backdrop and two strobes. Originally we wanted to do an outdoor portrait but weather conditions prohibited that. The family’s living room was large enough for a backdrop so we used a large sheet of black fabric.
The home can be a good staging area because it’s familiar and comfortable. It can work well for a family portrait, when there are disabilities, small children, adverse weather conditions, clothing changes or other situations that benefit from a familiar environment.
Even though available light can be effective in certain situations (individuals or room with very large windows), most indoor spaces are too dark so an additional lighting works best. I usually work with 1 or 2 portable lights and I’m actively exploring other sources that can work well in a home environment for family and individual portraits.
