family portrait
Karla and her family came over in costume to my home studio in Albuquerque, New Mexico for a Halloween family portrait session. This was my first time to photograph 4 people in my home studio. Using a 10' x 12' white Muslin background everyone fit easily and it was all lit up by my huge new 55" softbox! I told everyone to act like your costume and the above is the result!
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Is your extended family visiting you in Southwest Florida for the holidays? This is the perfect time to get a portrait of everyone while they are all gathered together right in your home! Jason Collin Photography uses off camera lighting and candid style shooting to bring out your family's personality in every shot.
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When having portraits made with your kids, why do things suddenly turn so serious? Do you ever stand bolt upright next to your kids on non-portrait days? That's why I like to makecandids even when using my portable studio portrait setup in Cape Coral, Florida like I did for these photos. These photos will make you smile and show your family's true personality and character more than standing side-by-side looking straight at the camera. I happen to know the people in this post just a little as it turns out, as it's my brother and niece and nephew!
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How often is most of your family in town here in Cape Coral or Ft Myers Florida? How often is your entire family in town? Thanksgiving is the perfect time to have that large, family group photo you always talk about, but never get to have. In as little as 15 minutes I can arrive at your home (or the location of your choice), setup, and have a great portrait of your family made.
Reserve your Family Thanksgiving Portrait with Jason today!
SINGLE FAMILY PORTRAIT SPECIAL -- $99*
reserve special candid portrait session
DELUXE CANDID PORTRAIT PACKAGE -- $299*
reserve deluxe candid portrait session
GRAND CANDID PORTRAIT PACKAGE -- $599*
reserve grand candid portrait session
* $50/$150/$250 single/deluxe/grand nonrefundable deposit required; additional fees may apply
CANVAS GALLERY WRAP PRINTS AVAILABLE
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Just the adults from a John's Pass Beach family portrait session - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/5.6 ISO 200 1/60th - Strobist: SB-800 to frame left & SB-600 to frame rightThe weather was fine all day as I made my way to the beach at John's Pass to meet a 12-person family all from Canada for family beach portraits. However, once on the beach there were storm clouds everywhere to the south, west and north, but none passed over until the shoot was finished. Lucky again! In this shoot I really tried to stress avoiding just having people line up side by side (the picket fence look) and asked for more hands on interaction, like in the above shot. I placed the man in the pink shirt on the sand first, and then had everyone else stack on top of him.
Sisters having fun on Madeira Beach Florida - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/7.1 ISO 200 1/60th - Strobist: SB-800 to frame left & SB-600 to frame rightThese sisters needed no prompting to take up a more fun pose on the beach. The challenge with them was getting them to do something not too crazy with each other!
Just the boys during this Madeira Beach family portrait session - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/7.1 ISO 200 1/60th - Strobist: SB-800 to frame left & SB-600 to frame rightOnly the guys in this shot and the best way to keep two active boys under somewhat control is to have them under wraps!
All twelve family members walking down Madeira Beach at John's Pass Florida - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/4 ISO 800 1/500thThe whole 12-person family walking down the beach. Overlap by someone walking too fast is a concern in these shots, so I instructed everyone to walk at the same pace and not get in front of each other. By the second take they had gotten it down.
Cousins all stacked up on Madeira Beach family portraits Florida - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/7.1 ISO 200 1/60th - Strobist: SB-800 to frame left & SB-600 to frame rightNothing like a small stack of cousins as the kids when on their own in front of the lens seemed to be more willing to smile and stay put.
The whole family portrait all 12 on Madeira Beach Florida - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/8 ISO 200 1/200th - Strobist: SB-800 to frame left & SB-600 to frame rightThis was actually the first shot of the evening, everyone together in a large group shot by the sea grass. Even in this type of shot I encouraged some overlap getting everyone to sit as close to each other as possible to show more emotional connection between the family.
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8 kids on Sunset Beach Treasure Island Florida - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/5.6 ISO 200 1/160th - Strobist: SB-800 to frame left & SB-600 to frame rightVisiting from Ohio, I got a call about a beach portrait session from Jill who wanted portraits on Sunset Beach on Treasure Island Florida of all of her family, which included 8 kids and 12 people total! As you can see, all the kids were thankfully about the same age and they all got along so it was much easier than I thought to get all 8 kids in multiple shots over our nearly 90-minutues of actual shooting time.
All 8 kids rolling in the sand on Sunset Beach Treasure Island Florida - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/5.6 ISO 200 1/250th - Strobist: SB-800 to frame left & SB-600 to frame rightThe family wanted the kids to be the focus of the shoot, so most shots only featured the children. The kids themselves had plenty of ideas for shots and were willing to get down on the sand, which meant I also had to get on the sand to get to their eye level for the above shot.
Getting a ride from her brother on Sunset Beach Treasure Island Florida - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/11 ISO 200 1/200th - Strobist: SB-800 to frame left & SB-600 to frame rightHe and I were both thinking the same thing when I suggested he give his sister a piggy-back ride for their portrait with the tall sea grass as a background.
Mom and her two children on Sunset Beach Treasure Island Florida - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/11 ISO 200 1/200th - Strobist: SB-800 to frame left & SB-600 to frame rightWhen mom is willing to get on the sand and let her kids sandwich her, that is making a sacrifice for the photograph! I was on the sand too and was glad to have a chance to try this more dynamic beach pose.
Dad and his three daughters on Sunset Beach Treasure Island Florida - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/11 ISO 200 1/200th - Strobist: SB-800 to frame left & SB-600 to frame rightMy idea for this shot of a father with his three daughters I wanted to show all the girls surrounding their dad and being as close to him as possible. Dad was set first as the anchor of the group and then each daughter wedged in next to him.
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Mother and daughter candid black & white Sunset Beach portrait on Treasure Island Florida - Nikon D300 Nikkor 50mm @ f/2.5 ISO 200 1/250th - Strobist: SB-800 to frame left & SB-600 to frame rightLately I have been photographing rather large families on Florida's beaches. This time it was a family of four and I was reminded of the benefits of photographing such a small number of people, and also with children not out of control. We were also at my favorite beach, Sunset Beach on Treasure Island. This was an opportunity for me to try new shots and take my time. The shot above was a candid between setup shots of mother and daughter. Converting to black & white had a dramatic effect on the overall look of the photo and it may end up being one of my personal favorites of 2013.
Family visits Sunset Beach on Treasure Island Florida and jumps to the sky - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/6.3 ISO 200 1/100th - Strobist: SB-800 to frame left & SB-600 to frame rightThe family requested a jumping shot, one that is not on my normal shot list, so another chance at a new type of shot. It took quite a few tries to get everyone to jump in a semi-coordinated effort and not have faces blocked, etc.
Carrying the kids family beach portraits on Sunset Beach Treasure Island Florida - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/5 ISO 200 1/100th - Stobist: SB-800 to frame left & SB-600 to frame rightAs you can see it was not a clear sunset that evening, but more a dramatic backdrop of clouds backlit by the setting sun. The family liked this background, and for me it provided another differentiating factor for this series of images.
Family in form on Sunset Beach Treasure Island Florida - Nikon D300 Nikkor 50mm @ f/2 ISO 200 1/160th natural lightThis photo was my idea, earlier on in the shoot. The dad mentioned how he did not mind if he was not in some shots, so I placed him furthest back and using a 50mm lens at f/2 let shallow depth of field create interest in the framing. I do not often get to use my 50mm lens during beach portrait sessions due to lack of time.
Family walking down Sunset Beach Treasure Island candid portraits - Nikon D300 Nikkor 80-200mm @ f/4 ISO 320 1/500th natural lightThis last shot is one I often make of a family walking down the shore using my long lens (Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8D). It was a windy day and it kicked up waves making the Gulf of Mexico look more like a proper ocean background.
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