I need a break! All these posey normal family images… Get a load of bloopers from a recent Grey Towers family photoshoot, along with witty captions.
Alright, two breaks. First, a break from the abundance of maternity sessions I did past summer with yet a few cool more picked for publishing. Second, and foremost, I also did a fair number of family shoots but you know how they go… Everyone wants the best-looking shots, and photographers want to show the most attractive ones to — just that — attract more business.
Shooting in Poconos
I did this Grey Towers family photoshoot for Marianna who is in my community in Poconos for the time being. We have a lot of NY/NJ friends in common, including those I worked with in NYC area. I came recommended. It’s fascinating how I, after moving to the woods two years ago, still end up bumping into so many clients or their friends who have summer houses here. I did not count on this bonus.
Poconos offer a spectacularly wide range of photo opportunities. I’m only starting to discover them, especially those offering a different feel for my urban clientele. We opted for the Grey Towers historic site in Milford, PA.
The Challenge
The shoot only took one hour. Marianna knew something when she doubted her kids would last longer… And yes, it was quite a venture to get them to cooperate. Imagine one kid having a strong opinion on a family photoshoot. Now double it. And now, imagine a split second both of them happen to react to a funny noise I made up to get their attention but alas, one (or both) of the parents is still busy trying hard to help me. He/she is talking, pointing, sighing, or rolling eyes.
Advice
Rest assured, a rare family avoids this conundrum. That’s why I always appeal to the parents not to help me this way and just glue their eyes on me, letting me snatch those elusive moments of child(ren) at least looking into the camera, if not smiling to my silly faces and sounds.
Gag Reel
Thankfully, still I got plenty of clean and lovely shots from this Grey Towers family photoshoot but I don’t want to make them the topic this time. You’ve seen tons of them already. When going through this shoot, I kept thinking of those gag reels that the movie and show producers through in after the end credits.
Here’s your flipside of family photography — the hilarious, raw, and unpretentious outtakes which usually do not see the light of day. Call them “anti family portraits” if you will. For an added kick, I added a witty narrative. Curious what other captions people would think of. 🙂
Comics Roots
By the way, this comics-like touch reminded me of a creative project I did for my EngagEd 2015 contest couple that won a free engagement session. The speech bubbles aren’t quite new to my body of work, and they go way back to my ‘teens when I played with my own comics.
Published with Marianna’s approval. 🙂 Enjoy!
Normal Stuff
The family got a different set, of course. In fact, they have not even seen these outtakes. They were going to trash… Here are a few of 200+ normal images they did receive:
