HI ya’ll! I’m Brooke! I’m a chip loving, coca-cola drinking boy mom and I raise my hand in full admission (admission?!) admittance.. that’s right! In full admittance that up until recently I was a photographer that always always always shot up close and too tight!
Now you might be saying… no way! That’s impossible! You can’t ever shoot too close or too tight! I LOVE that style! That’s my favorite type of portrait!!! And to that response my friend, I would say… “YES, me too!” Obviously right?!”
Until… I just found myself not loving it all too much and that range was kind of lacking. I found myself longing after portraits that weren’t absolutely focused on just my subjects, but that also included the details around them! I started to feel like I needed some depth and some growth and so I came up with 3 reasons why I decided to start pulling back and including MORE in my portraits instead of just my subjects!
A lot of this reasons or tips, if you will, are completely personal to me and my experience, so take what you want and apply what works to you! If something doesn’t fit then no big deal! I just love to share my heart and in this business we succeed and grow by doing just that!
- It Tells A Story! This is absolutely the most important reason for me personally and professionally! This is why we absolutely should use different angles and if we have different lenses, why we should bring them all to the party! If you only have one lens, that’s OK too… all you have to do is move your feet to make these angles work! When we move our feet, use different angles, vary our focal length and switch up our perspective a bit we start to include all the details that sometimes get missed when we shoot only our clients in those tight up close portraits! I love to include the environment especially when I shoot in my clients homes: as a parent I think small clutter and children’s “messes” are fantastic pieces of details to capture. They are often overlooked and time flies by so fast that one day I know my clients will look back on those images and smile because that pile of clutter on the desk might not always be there! Those shoes tucked under the bed next to a beloved guitar will be too small all too soon! Also don’t forget to keep the camera moving even when the session is “over”! Sometimes those story telling moments happen as the clients are walking away, or getting into the car! Those moments are fantastic as pull back moments and capture so much of the bond that exists between parent and child!
- Printing! This is a great reason to make sure you have all different angles and variations covered from pull backs to close ups and the in between! Your clients want to print their images! They want to fill their houses with stunning pictures and what they should see in them is their lives reflected back in true art form! They should have images that can be printed and placed in a beautiful 4×6 frame and at the same time images that can fill a stunning canvas! I have to share a personal story with you when I talk about printing! I always have to laugh when I think about printing out large canvas images! When Tuck and I were getting married, we decided to do the typical print a picture and have everyone present at the wedding sign the border. I am awful at measurements and so when I ordered our image (which was a beautiful image… up close and personal because that’s what I loved) I ordered what I thought would be a relatively modest print! Ohhh friends… it was not! Not. At. All! It was extremely large and by all standards, narcissistic! I was so embarrassed but what are you going to do! It’s hanging in our bedroom now and it’s signed and it’s a great reminder of all those that we love. BUT… it reminds me now that prints that large should absolutely tell a story and be filled with something other than just people! A print that large really should be a body of art and be filled with details of everything surrounding the couple or family and that day and the heart behind the moment!
- It Allows Our Clients To View Themselves with the Loveliest of Eyes: Ok, I know what you’re thinking but I promise you this is the honest truth~ When you give someone a gallery that tells them a story of their lives that is filled with all this visual information from the tiniest of details to the biggest of details about their family, themselves, their love, their personalities, and most importantly about a specific moment in their lives… it actually allows them to connect with the emotions from that time! It overwhelms their senses and helps them to connect with grace and kindness to who they are rather self critiquing, which we all have a tendency to do! This is truly incredible to watch, especially as a mama! We always feel self-conscious, all of us. So if we can grant ourselves one day off and give ourselves a little grace and a little patience… why not?!
These are just 3 of the reasons I decided to finally move my feet and open up my gear bag! I still love a great up close portrait, don’t get me wrong, but there is a special place now in my heart (and in my house) for those dreamy pull back shots that include all of the details of the day! There is also not a single gallery that won’t be filled with a ton of angles that tell a story for every one of my clients!
To see more of what I’m talking about, check out this spontaneous lifestyle session! You will see how taking your time and remembering to shoot with different equipment and angles gives you the entire story of the evening!
Xoxo and happy hump day friends!
