family portrait hell delivers an amazing shot...

[thenimirra]

I suffered through two hours of hell trying to take a family portrait with four kids ages 16, 9, 2 and 7 months. The middle two refused to take any pics for most of the shoot, but I was able to get this jewel of a shot plus several others.

I personally liked the idea of the dark background and having the subjects sort of "blend in." I thought it added to the mystery of the moment. However, do you think I should have used a different background to make the subjects stand out as some others have suggested?

[falafelicious]

Wow, what a wonderful shot I think it's lovely as-is, but it seems a little underexposed, and the darkness kind of distracts from their facial details.

[thenimirra]

hmmm...that's an interesting idea about the underexposure. I seem to be having that issue with my Canon Rebel XTi all the time....a previous poster said the brand was notorious for that....

I'll have a look at the photo under Levels in PS to see if I can fix it. Thank you for the time, consideration and great idea!

[jdepould]

I think in this specific instance underexposure works, but it isn't something that there's a blanket answer for.

[wulf]

If this picture was much brighter, you would start to lose detail in the highlights. I think this is a great portrait - one to be very proud of. No problem with the dark background. In fact, I love the way the arm in the back is out of the focal plane and begins to blend in with the background.

Wulf

[Sime]

i'm with Wulf... what a great capture - well done!...

[snapdragon]

All I can say is WOW !!! I love the results ,well done ,I would not change a thing .

[ladyjolene]

I think the black background creates a mood of intimacy between the infant and the mother. The focal points in this image are only the mother and child. Another background may have taken away from such an intimate moment. If you want variation, try a digital backdrop and see what happens. Everyone is different with their taste or style of photographing people of all ages.

[beckywithasmile]

Beautiful shot. I love the way you have captured the mother's love for her child.

[thenimirra]

wow, thank you guys so much! I can't tell you how great it is to have encouragement from fellow peers and colleagues such as yourselves. I've felt so alone in my pursuits...I've had some naysayers who believed that as a reporter, I could never have the same "eye" as a professional photographer...that I just wouldn't be able to "get it."

Responses such as yours gives me hope that I can succeed in this too!