I have the very special privilege of sharing some images I took for the Migrant Resource Centre on Mothers day.
These were quick and dirty portraits in a cramped room with a mottled or plain grey backdrop. The mottled was the Manfrotto/Lastolite Pewter which was the preferred one, but it quickly became obvious that the individual shots I had in my head were actually going to become groups, families and more, so I switched to the bigger plain grey, my work horse.
The 2.4m wide backdrop (hung sideways) filled the small room and still was not always enough, but we managed.
A mix of several nationalities from Bhutanese to South Asian to Eritrean, they all had some things in common, being an inner glow and accepting humour.
I will work my way through some of them a few at a time as they deserve some room to be appreciated.
This is the first time I have used the Pewter backdrop and I have to say, it is perfect for my needs. Textured, but just enough to avoid being “flat” (see below), not over the top.
Not sure what was funny, but it sure was funny. Even (grand?) dads rigid stance relaxed. This one was the bigger backdrop, less interesting but necessary.
One of my favourite families. The shoot went pretty much this way with most. The occasion was assumed to be formal so was treated with due respect by all, but after a little while, with little English shared, the walls came down, then the faces relaxed and the real people came out.
The boring technical stuff was simple, because simple works.
I used a single YH560 IV speedlite shot “butterfly style” (down from above) at about 1/64th through a 42” Godox brolly with a little home made reflector* underneath to fill shadows. This allowed me to shoot subjects of varying heights and as it turned out, group sizes.
Most of these images are vignetted slightly and each is processed to its merits, so lighting coverage was much wider and flatter than it looks.
The backdrops here held on a Neewer 2.4 metre stand with the Manfrotto magnetic arm.
Camera was the G9 with the 12-60 Pana-Leica lens or Olympus 12-40 f2.8 usually at f4. I love the skin tones from the G9.
More to come, just as special.
*Half of a wind-shield cover silver side up.