SUPER SHOT #1
Camden and partner in crime Teddy the labradoodle, would have to be kept occupied during an intensive and extensive three-hour photo shoot.
When Lyndsey arrived at the Berkshirebased studio, she was greeted by Ines and Camden’s mum Sam, who were rifling through boxes of vintage teddy bears and china crockery. “We’re going to be having a teddy bear tea party today,” said Ines with a smile. Quite where the box of goodies had come from was Ines’ first piece of advice.
“You want to convey people’s personalities,” she explained to Lyndsey. “I try to make each shoot interesting and tailor everything to the subjects. If you like planes, I might take you to an airfield, for example. I know that Sam runs an afternoon tea catering business, so
I asked her to bring along some props.”
Super Shot 1 would make use of this wonderful arrangement. A white tablecloth
was draped over a large vintage chest, and covered with fine china and an assortment of cakes. Pastel-coloured bunting hung from the ceiling, and teddy bears with party hats were dotted about the place.
FLASH DANCE
Ines used a two-light setup, with the main strobe on the left and a fill light on the right. She attached one of the transceivers to the hotshoe of Lyndsey’s D750 and asked her to take a test shot with her 24-120mm f/4 lens. The image was completely blown out, because the camera was set to Auto ISO.
Ines explained that Lyndsey would need full control over her settings to achieve the desired exposure. “Let’s go all the way down to ISO100,” she said. “I also don’t go below f/3.5 or f/4, but your lens can only go down to f/4 anyway. This should provide a large enough depth of field to get everybody in focus.” The shutter speed was next and Ines explained that Lyndsey wouldn’t be able to exceed the light’s maximum sync speed of 1/200 sec. The exposure was still a little bright, so Lyndsey raised the aperture to f/7.1. Now, it was time to bring in the whole family.
Sam was joined by Camden, Teddy and her husband Ben. Both Ines and Lyndsey’s experience working with small children was immediately apparent. As Camden tentatively made his way into the studio, the photographers greeted him with kind enthusiasm and before long he was comfortable (and intrigued) enough to investigate the tea party. The family settled in front of the cameras and Lyndsey started taking pictures.
After around 30 minutes Ines suggested that the family should take a break. But Teddy – no doubt reluctant to stray too far from the muffins – was happy to sit by the
real teddies while Lyndsey took more photos. The labradoodle’s striking resemblance to a teddy bear (helped
by her very own ruffled collar) was too charming not to be used for Super Shot 1.
MASTER THE BASICS
The next setup would be a classic family portrait. As they packed away the tea party, Ines talked to Lyndsey about her studio. Many studio photographers use artificial light exclusively, but Ines’ studio space is directly in front of french windows, which let in generous amounts of natural light.
“My landlord has helped me shape the studio,” she said. “I specifically asked for the doors to go there as I prefer to have a natural source of light.” Ines explained that she sees herself primarily as an outdoor photographer, but on drizzly days, and for more formal shoots, the studio is essential.
The tea party was quickly packed away, but the vintage chest was left in the frame so the family had something to sit on. “You don’t want the family sat too close to the background as they’ll cast a shadow,” said Ines. “Also, try not to include too much of the background.” Lyndsey started taking photos, but with so much happening Camden was looking all around the room. Ines started to play viral children’s hit
Baby Shark, and stood behind Lyndsey while singing and dancing to capture Camden’s attention. “You want the children to be happy and smiling,” she explained. “I’m always a clown: I shout, I scream, I make funny noises. The kids love it.” Before long, Baby Shark was playing from Ines’ phone and the entire group was singing. Such were Ines’ antics, Lyndsey managed to capture the whole family looking at her while Camden joyfully clapped along. The trio of smiling faces say it all – Super Shot 2 had been captured with barely a hitch.
OUT AND ABOUT
The weather had been miserable, but by 2pm it was clear enough to move outside. Ines’ studio is situated within a beautiful farm courtyard, with a picturesque wood-panelled building. It was the ideal place to photograph the entire family. The trio dressed for the cold weather, with Camden providing an adorable focal point, thanks to his bright yellow boots, and duck-themed raincoat and hood. “We could do with a bright prop that’ll keep Camden occupied and add a burst of colour to the image,” hinted Ines. “I’ve got just the thing,” stated Lyndsey as she rushed to her car. She returned with a multicoloured umbrella and Camden’s eyes lit up.
Lyndsey would now only be shooting with ambient light, but kept her shutter speed at 1/200 sec to freeze any movement. She also retained the aperture of f/4, but upped the ISO to 400. Ines reminded her that it’s better to underexpose than