I've done a fair amount of product and architectural photography over the years but haven't done much portrait work. I've got a solid knowledge of retouching and post production, so once I saw the Gigantic Squid photos (specifically the Mackelmore ones), I decided that I had to take some portraits of my kids and give this style a go.
I moved my kitchen table, put a piece of tape on the floor, and bribed my kids with candy to let me take their photos, like any responsible adult would do. Their was some natural light coming through the window as well as a few tungsten lights on in the kitchen.
It wasn't the most ideal environment for a shoot so I couldn't get a high aperture for a really sharp image, but it did satisfy my portrait photography hunger for the time being. There are still issues with color, etc., but I think they turned out pretty decent for a first quick stab. Have a look below for the after/before shots.
Justice
Justice trips me out. He always has the best facial expressions and cutest little smiles. Out of the 50+ shots of him I captured, this one felt the best to bring to full production.
Justice and Isa
95% of the time, Justice and Isa are fighting or are in some sort of disagreement, mostly due to their close ages (currently 4 and 2). So it warms my heart when I can capture them like this. They were so giddy during the shoot, but near the end Justice had enough and started pushing Isa away.
Noah
Noah was pretty excited about his rubberband bracelet that neighbor had just given him, which is the blurry thing in the foreground. His go to camera face is similar to a Chandler smile, so I had to do some work to get him to open up a bit. "Work" in this sense involves lots of phrases like "cheeseboogers" and "stinky face," etc.
Gigantic Squid
This all started last week when my friend, Mattox, showed me Gigantic Squid's work. I was completely enamored. I've seen similar work from photography studios before, but something about seeing their before and after shots got me really intriqued. Getting a glimpse into someone's process is always a treat, like learning a magicians trick or learning how to recreate a tasty meal on your own.
(Photo Credit: Gigantic Squid)
(Photo Credit: Gigantic Squid)