5 Ways to Turn Family Photos into an Effortless Feat
Thoughts to consider before your family portrait session to give you peace of mind.
There are lots of topics to cover when planning for a family photo shoot. What will I wear? Where will we take the photos at? What will the weather be like? What if the kids don’t cooperate? What if none of the photos turn out? A simple event that started as a sweet, innocent idea suddenly has been turned into a ball of anxiety. From a photographer’s standpoint, these thoughts can be fixed by covering some basics. Here are 5 ways to give yourself peace of mind before your family photo shoot:
1. Know the Use.
A simple base question to ask yourself when beginning the family portrait journey. What will these photographs’ use be? Will they have multiple uses? Think about if you want them for holiday cards, your home decor, or simply social media use.
Know the Use
2. Plan Your Colors.
Think about what these photos are being used for – the holidays, your home, or for your personal Facebook profile picture? If you are having family portraits done for the holidays and Christmas cards think about the feeling you want to evoke for your holiday greeting. What color theme will help you achieve this goal? The holidays are warm, welcoming, and friendly so start with looking at rich, warm colors. Also keep in mind the number of people in the portraits. If you want a rich purple and toned yellow color palette, make sure not everyone has the same colored shirt as it will mash everyone into one. Don’t be afraid to introduce patterns and have fun individualizing each outfit!
Plan Your Colors
3. Talk About Location.
You are having Christmas portraits done with rich, warm colors, but you are posed sitting in sleek stainless-steel chairs and a harsh studio setting. A nice color scheme is wasted when your family photos feel out of place, cold, and unfriendly. Location can make or break a photo shoot. A spot that may not look like much to someone may be the dream location for a photographer. Talk to the photographer about the feel of the shoot you are hoping for to confirm a spot that will work correctly to match your vision. One thing I like to do is to brainstorm places with clients that may have a significance or meaningful history with their family that may be an opportunity to capture as well.
Talk About Location
4. Let Kids Be Themselves.
Photo shoots are a strange and unfamiliar atmosphere for kids. Put yourself in their shoes - some stranger has shiny alien-looking equipment and is trying to make you smile. It may take a while for them to feel comfortable. Often the worry of the parents shows through in their expressions because they are embarrassed at the response of their children or disappointed in how they believe the portrait session is going along. When parents relax, the kids can sense this. I take a different approach to portraits and allow families to just be themselves. When individuals are thinking about how they look, it shows. When the individual is just showing what they feel with the group of people around them, that is not just seen but felt by the viewer. I allow plenty of time for kids to get comfortable with the setting and show their true selves. So take a deep breath, think about those you love around you during a session and it will be evident through your portraits.
Let Kids Be Themselves
5. Trust the Photographer.
When you invest in a professional photographer’s services, trust their skills while at the shoot. As a client, you should not be worried about how everyone is posed or what the background looks like. Leave these concerns to the photographer. With my clients, I review prior to the session any type of specific shots they may be looking for. But, I am always aware that “the shot” they are looking for may happen a half-second after they think the shot has been taken. When guards are taken down, a true masterpiece can be captured. Another important note to make is to be communicative with your photographer from the beginning. Let them know any reservations with the shoot you may have and they will be able to help you through the entire process.
Trust the Photographer
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Endure
A CrossFit photo shoot with the one and only Karli Stroud!
It has been challenging but rewarding being able to work with many sweet clients and on many personal projects during the same time period recently. I'm thankful for all of you, to be able to spend a short time together reflecting each other's passions and sharing them through portraits.
Endure is a short series portraying my cousin, Karli, a caring and humble physical therapist, CrossFit coach, and an inspiration. This series is shown as it would in a magazine spread, and quotes from Karli herself and 9:24 CrossFit coach, Pete Doan.
Thank you all who were a part of this shoot, whether in pre-production, production, or the post-production, everyone who gave feedback and simply supports these big ideas I have.
Behind the Scenes
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Senior Photos Don't Need To Be Cheesy
Why stick with traditional Senior portraits?
Senior photos. I remember the days when everyone passed around their wallet-sized prints and wrote a note on the back for each of their classmates.
I also remember at least half of the images were taken by a "quantity over quality" type studio, where they put the Senior in the same sitting position that they have for the last 340/340 Seniors. Each portrait is the same type of shot, the same tilt of the head, and about 20 variations of the same pose.
Now stop. If you're a photographer reading this, you're already frustrated, and if you're a Senior or the parent of a Senior, please pause and answer this question... Why in the world would you like to remember your/your child's last year of high school- this huge milestone of your/their lives- by these cheesy portraits that look like everyone else?
As an artist, I get bored of the same old work, whether I am the one creating the work or watching others create the same old work, I just get plain tired. And so I'm tired of Senior Portraits for what the majority of people find them to be, just another checkmark on their list before graduation; I'm tired of the redundancy and the traditional posing, lighting, the godforsaken same backgrounds that just are not natural in any world (please search "cheesy photo backdrops" for plenty of examples), and for the lack of better words- I'm tired of the lameness and the artificial, insincere personalities that Seniors are offered in these "quantity over quality" studios. Senior portraits are about YOU, the Senior, and should be personalized to your style and your interests.
Senior photos don't need to be cheesy. Senior photos should be a memorable experience and a fun way to show and record for your children, your children's children, and even for you to remember who you are here and now.
And for the record, I believe in the "QUALITY over quantity" argument of photography.
Behind the scenes
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YPA's Where Are They Now: Leah Schonauer
YPA News feature updating my adventures and photographic career since being a part of the YPA Mentorship Program in 2014.
Extremely honored and humbled are the only ways I can describe seeing my name on the Young Photographers Alliance News page. These past two years since the YPA Mentorship Program has been a whirlwind, with lots of different directions in my photographic career and life in general. Find out my recent adventures in my self-written article on the YPA website!
Read my YPA Where Are They Now: Leah Schonauer article by clicking the link or the photo below.
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Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas
Portraits of my friends Lynzie & Bronson in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Since I've started living in the Los Angeles area, I've had unexpected and long awaited traveling opportunities with some of my "life goal" destinations. Not only have I been given the chance to see places around Southern California, but another spot on my list to see was Las Vegas, Nevada.
It was an amazing opportunity to meet up with my friends Lynzie and Bronson in Las Vegas. They had been planning their trip out for months, and I only a week, but I wanted to meet up with them when we were just hours away (a lot closer than being across the country!). Lynzie and I have been friends since kindergarten and they both live near where I am from in Ohio. So, in order to meet up with them, we in a way did a 'photo for travel' trade and I got to see the city in the process. Nothing like traveling with your friends and taking great photos along the way! Here are some of my favorite shots at Caesar's Palace and on our walks around downtown. (More to come in the future of my adventures traveling in Vegas and other places!)
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A "Modern Antique" Project
Bringing a little life into the style of antique portraiture in these Mock Wedding portraits with color.
About a year ago, I posted this photo on Instagram..
"When I heard about The Rescued Film Project (@rescuedfilm), it reminded me of one old photo I picked up at an antique mall several months ago in Wexford, PA. There's such a wonderful mystery about a photo without names, dates, places, or knowing the photographer that saw a specific scene. Was this taken on his or her way to work? How old was the photographer? Why was he or she drawn to the moment? I encourage you, with all old photographs, to appreciate the memory and time that it holds, and not to forget the life that breathes in it, still."
With that said, I have this love for antique photos, they just make me so curious. I was inspired to "recreate" photos to mimic the style of antique portraiture. I actually shot these before I graduated. I shot these in May earlier this year. The reason I haven't shared these sooner is because I've been having a creative block with this set of images. Sometimes this happens, and I've realized that I just have to wait it out and let them become what they need to be in order to be shared. I started this project thinking I wanted to share photos that looked worn and sepia tone or black and white. But after months of working with these, I decided that other than the first image, I would leave them images in color to let them come to life. Often times when we take a look at old family photos, we put this "tone" to them and can't or don't imagine what life really looked like other than in the photo. And so, I left these images in color, with an antique wedding setting, style, and wardrobe to not forget the life that has been involved in every photo ever taken regardless of time period, and the life that breathes in it, still.
Below is a before and after, showing the extensive work in Photoshop to make the atmosphere eerie and intriguing in this specific photo.
Behind the Scenes
A very special thanks to the people who made this shoot possible...
Models: Daniel & Bethany Snoke
Wardrobe: Shiloh Leath
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On Veterans Day
Final images from my shoot inspired by Call of Duty, with behind the scenes and before and after images.
Final image from Collin's shoot used for my print portfolio.
My inspiration for this shoot originally came from Call of Duty. My brothers used to be in love with the game, and gosh darn it, their promo photos are so good. Google Image search "Call of Duty" and you will agree completely. Plus, my friend Collin has been wanting to do a shoot for quite some time using all of his airsoft gear. We did the shoot in two sessions, one at sunrise and one at sunset, which makes for a pretty long day, but the crew had a nice long break for naps between. The team included Collin Galbraith as the model, Chelsea Black and my brother Jonathan Schonauer as assistants.
Although this was a personal project inspired by a video game, on a serious note, I'd like to dedicate these images to all the Veterans that have served our country. I take every thing I have for granted on a daily basis, forgetting the freedoms that I have, thanks to the brave American troops this country has, and our Awesome God. I debated sharing these images on Veterans Day because I didn't want them to be "offensive" in any way to make military or war look "easy" or "pretty" with all the Photoshop and setting up this shoot took. And I hope that that message doesn't get passed on through the images. I want these photos to represent the soldiers as individual people and be a reminder of the incredible sacrifice they have made. It's not much, but I just want these images to say "Thank you!".
Below is a before and after, showing the extensive work in Photoshop to make the atmosphere eerie and intriguing in this specific photo.
Behind the Scenes
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Wake Up, Sleeper
Final images revealed from my personal project, "Wake Up, Sleeper" in collaboration with makeup artist Alyssa Emigh and my friend Victoria Venskoske. Script from a class also included that I have integrated with this short series.
One of my favorite images, and the final image I used in my print portfolio.
I've been debating the way I should go about sharing this group of images for several months now. This photo shoot was put together in April when I began drawing inspiration images for my print portfolio to first be shown at The Art Institute of Pittsburgh's quarterly Portfolio Show when I graduated. I wanted to collaborate with another artist specifically for this shoot, and special effects makeup was the way I decided I would go. I knew I had wanted to do a "mermaid" themed shoot with my friend Victoria for quite a while. When your friend has purple and blue hair and your a photographer, there's no question about who to use for a model. Funny enough, I first got the idea to have her model for me because she wore a shirt to school that said something along the lines of "I'm a Mermaid". Later I pulled inspiration from Ephesians 5:14, "This is why it is said, 'Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.'" I wanted the shoot to have this idea of a "mermaid" turning away from her life that was not what she wanted and not where she was supposed to be. The crystals on her face would represent the time that she had been in that stagnant place and almost appeared to be dead (rise from the dead). She then "wakes up" and realizes where she not only wants to be, but where she is meant to be.
I ended up using a single image from this shoot for my print portfolio, but I enjoyed the images so much as a whole that I wanted to do something bigger to share them. It didn't dawn on me until a couple weeks ago that I had written a short script for my Conceptual Storytelling class at The Art Institute. This was actually a filmmaking elective rather than a photography class, but I took it to have enough credits to graduate on time. I also thought it would be a neat opportunity to work on developing a story for each of my series, and would help me to see movies (which is where I draw a lot of my inspiration) in another way, as far as the way the story is told.
In the first planning stages, the way I develop a photograph in my head is really like a mini movie trailer, literally playing like a scene of a film rather than just still images. Then in the following planning steps, I'll decide on makeup, hair, location, lighting, etc. I work on this entire process all while trying to figure out who the character is, where they came from, what their motivation is, and what is driving the story.
This script was an in-class assignment, assigned at 8:00 AM and due before class was over at noon. Trying to figure out what the heck I should write about, and never having experience writing a script or really any story that wasn't totally lame or in third grade (especially at 8 in the morning), I kept going back to the idea behind this "mermaid" themed shoot that I had been editing on and off the last several weeks. I kept thinking how amazing it would be to know what was going through this character's mind and why she was where she was and what her expressions meant. The script was written in early June, so the shoot, which took place in early May, had already been completed, meaning the images don't align in complete perfection. However, I think I've found an awesome process to use in order to do a creative shoot like this in the future and have the viewers try to see this "movie trailer" or "short film" using their imagination between the script and the photos I use together.
>>Side note: I really can't believe I'm posting this script for the general public to read because honest to goodness, I've never been so self-conscious about a piece of writing I've ever done in my life. But it's all for a good cause. Below is the script, followed by the images, followed by some behind the scenes. Enjoy!
Behind the Scenes
A very special thanks to the people who made this shoot possible...
Model: Victoria Venskoske
Special Effects & Makeup: Alyssa Emigh
Assistant: Camille Madison
Location: Jeannie Werner
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The Lafferty Family
Portraits of the very sweet Lafferty family in Gibsonia, PA earlier in the summer.
I can't think of a way to explain the capacity of genuine love Terry and Jenny Lafferty have for their children. It astounds me how sweet and patient they are with them all. And what beautiful kids they are inside and out! Thinking of all the laughs while photographing them interacting together just makes me smile. Scrolling through these photos, I can't help but hear those contagious giggles! It was such a beautiful day for photos too! It was a little bright at times with their pretty blue eyes, but I love all of these images showing so much joy and nostalgia of childhood.
(I missed taking photos of Patrick as he was away at school and working. Hopefully we will catch him next time around!)
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West Holmes Lady Knights Tennis Team
Promotional poster and portraits shot for the West Holmes Lady Knights Tennis Team for their Fall 2015 season.
I remember the sports team posters hanging up all over the small towns around my high school, years ago. In pizza shops, in grocery stores, around the classrooms as soon as school started up again in the fall. As small of a town that I come from, it was neat to see such intense portraits of the team members, it was almost like you were looking at a celebrity, even though chances were that you knew them and their entire family. Oddly enough, it's been a secret dream of mine to make one of these posters for a sports team. Maybe it's my love for Nike catalogs or dramatic lighting, but I'm a sucker for the emotion that goes along with it. I was lucky enough to have been approached by the West Holmes High School Lady Knights Tennis Team to put together such a poster. The only 'restrictions' were to use the title "You've Met Your Match" and that I had one day to plan the shoot. Little to no time at all to get everything together, I love the look of these portraits, both individual and team shot. The awesome (and very sweet) ladies a part of the Varsity tennis team and this shoot include Sabryn Cutlip, Maty Macaulay (senior), Erin Stitzlein, Cassidy Mohler (senior), Kate Rodhe, Samara Gallion, Elise Knebusch (senior), and Natalie Molnar (senior). Thank you all for letting me be a part of this shoot!
Below is the final poster I put together for the West Holmes Tennis Team that includes their season schedule and sponsors.
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Internship with Kaela Speicher: Week 2
Behind the scenes of a men's fashion shoot with Kaela.
This week for my internship, I started off Sunday afternoon by assisting Kaela on an all day men's fashion shoot in several locations around Pittsburgh. Doran Mauldrin was the model, makeup and hair done by Hannah Donovan, and styled by Teera Doner.
Pulling ideas from the inspiration board Kaela had put together, the team brought to life the look she had envisioned. Starting with studio headshots, we went over basic lighting techniques and how to make them most effective for men and women. She even set up some shots for the recently famous "man bun" appearance.
We packed up and drove around to different locations around downtown Pittsburgh with very unique characteristics (thank you Google maps), but spots that had the most beautiful natural light. There were outfit changes between each location change to best suit the surroundings. Doran, being a fairly new model took direction from Kaela very well, and caught on very quickly to subtleties that can improve the appearance of the portrait when viewed from a camera's perspective. Through this all, I learned how to make the most flattering and most effective light in any location. I also picked up on ways to pose male models, because let's face it, it's a challenging thing to do.
The shoot also enforced why it's so important to work with other creatives. When a photographer is busy worrying about if a shirt is wrinkled, the makeup is showing to much shine, or there needs to be a reflector to fill the shadows, it can be overwhelming and exhausting to continue to compose the shot and direct the model, and expect to get exactly what you're looking for. Having others who specialize in each area to work with will make an overall more impactful and more professional outcome of the photograph you are wanting. Period.
In my time outside of class and shoots, I have been working on my retouching skills, one photo at a time. Patience is a must-have when it comes to retouching, but it is well worth it with the final image. My hopes are to use these things I've learned while working with Kaela and apply them to portfolio for graduation, and the time to follow.
While assisting, I made sure to get behind the scenes photos to share. Below are some of my favorites.
And here are a few of Kaela's images she released early. See more of her work on her website: kaelaspeicher.com.
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1920s Inspired Cinemagraph
My first cinemagraph put together at this weekend's 1920s inspired shoot.
Cinemagraphs are so intriguing, but for some reason, so unsettling. And of course for this reason, I wanted to create my own. Cinemagraphs combine photography and video into one frame of continuous motion, but only of a selected part of the image. The process is a little tricky at first, but planning out the shoot, as always, makes it go much smoother.
We had the opportunity of working with the talented Angela Taylor of Blush Makeup Artistry to create those crazy eyebrows for this 1920s look. I thought a cinemagraph would go along perfectly with this 1920s theme with my dear friend, Elise.
"Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all, ..."
-Emily Dickinson
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"Alfred and Lucille": A Duane Michals Interpretation
"Alfred and Lucille" is a simple project I shot and developed as an interpretation of Duane Michals' work. With the help of my parents and a little patience in the darkroom, the short sequence turned out rather adorable.
Quote from Duane Michals at The Carnegie Museum of Art
Last month I visited The Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh to see the exhibit for Duane Michals, which highly inspired me to work on a fun little project of his style. Michals was actually born and raised in McKeesport, Pennsylvania in 1932, which is not too far from Pittsburgh. He is known for his ‘frame-by-frame’ sequences, multiple exposures, and handwritten text on the print itself that he originally was criticized for. However, in my opinion, Michals' work is witty and playful in a relatively simplistic way. His film sequences and portraits are shot on black and white film and he often includes blurred motion to show the movement or action of the subject. He has used family members as the main character in his sequences and has done many personal projects that run along the themes of family, dreams, and death with a lighthearted approach.
Another project that Duane Michals has presented are oil paintings on 19th century collodion prints. For each image, he alters the subjects’ features with vibrant oil paint, drawing from principals of early photography, modern painting, and Surrealism. Each image is rejuvenated with allusions to both Picasso and Picabia. The amazing thing that Michals draws our attention to in this series is the difference between the tintype and artists of the 20th century, and unites them as one art piece. He names some of his subjects as if he knew them, and gives meaning and life to their left behind portraits, which I find interesting as well.
For my project, I drew inspiration from a combination of Duane Michals' sequence work, oil paintings, and shooting with black and white film. Replicating Michals' style in shooting, I shot my sequence on black and white film, while capturing motion and playful expressions. From his work with oil painting on tintypes, I chose Fred and Ginger, 2012 as my photo of reference to base my shoot off of. I photographed my parents (as a side note- thank God for parents that put up with and support my artistic ways) as the characters of Alfred and Lucille as Michals' would depict his family members as characters and name those in his oil paintings. As Michals' would embrace the flaws of his photos as he wrote on them, I did the same with mine, having light leaked paper and bent corners. The final image is painted with acrylic and I applied glitter to add texture, all to mimic the character of Michals' oil paintings.
Information found at: http://www.dcmooregallery.com/artists/duane-michals
My Interpretation
Inspiration
Sequence entitled Grandpa Goes To Heaven, 1989 by Duane Michals. Images shared from The Carnegie Museum of Art's exhibition "Storyteller: The Photographs of Duane Michals".
Oil Paintings by Duane Michals. Images shared from DC Moore Gallery exhibition "Duane Michals: The Painted Photograph".
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BTS of Out of the Fog: Shiloh Leath (Part 2)
Part 2 of the behind the scenes look at the final shoot with Shiloh Leath for Out of the Fog, focusing on the specific styling, use of fog, editing techniques, and symbolism in final images.
As mentioned last week, this week I would like to share my thought process behind the specific look shared through the tones, use of fog, and other editing techniques in Shiloh's Out of the Fog shoot, along with the symbolism and poetry in her portraits.
Why did I choose specific lighting set ups and editing techniques through tones? For this project, I was highly inspired by the works of Michael Bader, Laurie Bartley, and Jade Mai. Each of these artists' works has a feel of cinematic quality through lighting and editing techniques Their technical skills are combined with symbolism, that is presented through their models and scenes, making them appear significant. By editing in a cinematic type style, it shows that the model is part of a story, and have their own story.
Why is there fog? Fog causes confusion and a loss of sense of direction, which can mean either physically or mentally. Fog can also represent danger as it hides things from us, like truth. So, in this series, the fog is presented as a symbol that represents all the cloudiness and confusion of who the model is, as they are literally coming out of the fog and revealing who he or she is.
So why does her nose appear to be broken or cut? As mentioned last week, through the final images, I wanted to get across every essence of the pain that she has faced, and how she has risen from it. I wanted to present her in a beautiful way as though she has literally healed and risen up to where she is now, although the mark is left behind in a subtle way that may be noticed at first or second glance.
Why did I choose the outfit? Shiloh is a photographer as well, and works with mostly female models in the fashion and fine art categories. I wanted to portray her how she would portray one of her own models, as this art form of photography is so much a part of who she is.
What does the poem mean? The poem reads: "Buried alive/The flesh will fail./Into the fray,/Battle the veil." This poem follows the idea of Shiloh rising from the pain that she has suffered from, and that physically we weaken. For the second portrait of her, I wanted to have her picking up her dress and walking with such intensity as though she were literally about to go into battle ("Into the fray). Shiloh shared with me that she feels very strongly about feminism, therefore "Battle the veil", a veil as it represents female power.
Here are the before and after shots of each image.
Before
After
Before
After
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