Adoption Day CASE STUDY #45
CAMERA: LENS:
Canon D30
24–105mm at 50mm
ISO: 100 EXPOSURE: LIGHTING:
f/19 at 1/180 second Profoto 800ws pack with one Profoto octagonal softbox
Assignment
to create a secure and comfortable environment. For
I photographed my daughter, Metika, for our adop-
instance, I have found that placing a thin foam pad
tion notice.
under the baby keeps them in place (or at least softens the tumble). I also play soft classical music to stimulate
Visual Objective
their senses.
I wanted to capture Metika’s beauty within the con-
The lighting setup should also accommodate the
text of her birth country, Nepal. So she was dressed
child’s movement. One large softbox and a reflector
up in a top from Bali with a scarf over her head.
card for fill works well. This allows the subject to move around on the set without any change in exposure.
The Story
Lastly, you need something to grab their attention.
I had just finished a session the previous day of por-
I ask the mother to bring in some of their favorite
traits on black, so I decided to keep the setup. My
noise-making toys. When I want to attract the child’s
daughter had never been professionally photographed,
attention, I simply raise the toy above the camera and
so I first photographed my son, Makhesh, so Metika
squeeze, shake, or rattle and roll.
could watch and get used to the process. Then we put them together on the set, which didn’t go very well. So, I pulled my son out of the frame and tried all my kid-tested tricks to get her attention. It was going pretty well, for a two-year-old, until we decided to put the scarf on her head. She immediately started taking it off, but I kept shooting. It was an exhausting session and I wasn’t sure I had captured anything good. Then, I processed the images in Adobe Lightroom and, to my relief, saw this image. It was unexpected, but it worked. Tips
When photographing babies and toddlers you need to have patience and be ready at all times. You also have 112
50 LIGHTING SETUPS FOR PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHERS
medium softbox for main light
