Portfolio review
Tina Bark loves shooting people in pairs, and shares a selection of her shots of a couple’s engagement, friends in a field and young twin sisters
We take an in-depth look through a reader’s portfolio, proving that portraits of couples are twice as much fun…
Photographing people is what I love – to show their personality and evoke an emotion from the viewer. There is no better feeling to me than seeing the smile spread across someone’s face who is viewing their family photographs for the first time. I shoot on location with only the available lighting. This usually means I’m shooting outdoors, so it posed a few issues for me when I was asked to take some engagement photos inside a local bar [1]. I handheld the camera and had to use a slower shutter speed because of the low light conditions. I enjoy the warmth of the shot but think, if I had to do it again, I would play more with the reflection on the bar top and bring a tripod.
When I am shooting outdoors I always look for that element in the natural environment that will enhance the look of the image I’m trying to capture. I took a short walk through a school campus with my daughter and her college room-mate and saw a small patch of weeds that I thought would nicely match up with the warmth of the sweaters [2]. I tried to create an autumnal feeling, even though everything around
us was still very green. I’m quite satisfied with the photo as you can’t tell that it wasn’t shot in the autumn.
My third shot is of a pair of identical twins who suffer from two rare genetic disorders [3]. Their mobility is often compromised so I went into the shoot thinking posing would be easy, but I got them on a good day. They were normal, active children – here, there and everywhere – so my challenge was reining them in while the evening light disappeared quickly behind them.
If shot this again I would definitely give myself more time to shoot. There were wooded areas I wanted to take a few shots in, but by the time I got the girls to cooperate the sun was dropping fast and the field was the only spot with enough light.
N-photo says
Tina, your photographs certainly convey the emotion that you were trying to capture, and are a strong set of portfolio images. You have three very different takes on shooting pairs of people together, and each one, although very different in tone, demonstrates your unique styling.
It’s clear that you have a lot of creative ideas when heading out for these portrait shoots, but we feel that, as you have indicated in your description, a little more preparation could be the key to unlocking a stronger set of images.
The engagement shoot in the bar, although technically strong with its sharp focus and good exposure, perhaps doesn’t instantly strike us as an engagement, but rather friends going out for drinks [1]. It would be nice to see this composition with the happy couple together, arms around each other, or engaged in sweet talk. A bit more intimacy would paint the picture of an engaged couple.
Photographing people is what I love – to show their personality and evoke an emotion from a viewer
In the photo of your daughter and her room-mate, you’ve done brilliantly to capture an autumnal image when it’s in fact not even autumn [2]. The yellowish-oranges of the dry reeds and feathery grasses mixed with the knitwear create a patchwork of autumnal motifs. The informal posing also does better than the engagement shoot to demonstrate the relationship between the two of them.
The sweet photo of the twins is lovely [3]. That warm, sunset glow bathing them and the field in gorgeous light is so inviting. The way they hold themselves in front of the camera – so relaxed – is wonderful, and without your description we never would’ve guessed they were as active as that during the shoot. Again, a little more planning beforehand may have enabled you to take more pictures, but you live and learn.
The one thing we have noticed in this final shot, though, is that you’ve missed the focus. In this final shot the focus is about four to five metres (13-16 feet) behind the twins (you can see the grasses in focus way in the background). We suspect that you may have accidentally overlooked the focus while trying to corral the children? Either way, we think you’re aware of this already, as there seems to be some sharpening/clarity adjustment around the faces, but there’s no making up for getting your shot in focus in the first place.
But still, a wonderful set of photos to be proud of, that need just a little more prep and planning.