This high school portrait session took place at Filoli Historic House & Garden, in Woodside, California by East Bay Photo. Most of the photos were taken with available light because this location does not allow the use of a flash inside of the garden. This is a beautiful space with numerous places to sit, a broad spectrum of colors and textures and ample shadowed spaces that allow photos to be taken at any time of day.
Tag: East Bay Portrait Photographer
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Captivating Family Portraits in Albany, California
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.
