Challenge, mine is "Asha's family": Non-planned family portraits, available light.

[Asher Kelman]

Challenge, mine is "Asha's family": Non-planned family portraits, available light.

I find interesting people in art show openings and Los Angeles has plenty. This one was in an industrial space and proceeds goes to prject to empower women in microfinanced projects all over the world.

That they bring their young daughter Asha to an art gallery, speaks for their values. Her Dad is a film editor and her Mum does special effects.

So I asked if I could photograph. Here's one for a start.

"Asha's Family" 2007 5D 50 1.2L (ISO 1000 1/80 f2.5)

So that's my contribution. Do you have spontanious non-planned photographs of a family to share? You know when you have to say, ", OMG, Let me take a picture of your lovely family". We'd love to see them!

Asher

 

[Asher Kelman]

Looking for comments and also other contributions!

Asher

 

[Deleted member 55]

Hi Asher, Here is a shot of My Niece, Nephew and Sister.

 

[Mike Spinak]

Asher, I really like your picture of Asha's Family. You managed to catch a moment when all three had good expressions, and were interacting with each other. I especially like the wa the Pa wraps his arms around Asha's knees, and she wraps her arm around his shoulder. The usage of the lines to subtly frame this is also very good. The processing is handled well, creating a tonality that works nicely, here.

Here's a spontaneous family portrait of my closest friends, moments after the birth of their son. It's photographed with natural light, which was very dim, because it was taken in the early morning, before sunrise, with no other light source.

 

[Asher Kelman]

Mike,

Thanks for your comments on my Asha's family. The shot was so enjoyable for me.

Your picture is such a personal wonderful moment for a family. Just a huge joy for arriving at this precious time. The fragility of the infant and the adoration is strongly felt.

I like the fact that no attempt is made to beautify the mother. She is just delivered of her child and we see here prouds, caring and with her adoring family.

Note the disorder of the pillows. This is as real as it can get.

In our culture, the triangular image of a mother and child cannot help but be buttressed by the iconic images of Mary and Jesus, which line so many museums throughout the world. Irrespective of one's beliefs, that symbol is there. Now one can also look at gthe reverse. The Church is strengthened by using, as one of its "logos" or branding concepts, the mother and child. What more nurturing idea of caring, kindness and good values to be associated with a major movement? So it works both ways.

Here, however, in Mike's picture, there are no claims, no cleaning up or pretence at uniqueness or prepared beauty. This family is so real. If it were B&W, I wonder whether or not it might even echoe some of the raw truth of the Migrant Mother?

Asher

 

[Jessica Eldredge]

My sister and niece

This is a picture of my sister and her youngest daughter.

 

[Asher Kelman]

Hi Jessica,

I love that pose of the two looking to one side. That smile is precious with the tooth and tongue like that. The picture is a delightful shot as is.

Just for exploring I looked at the file in B&W. Try it and add a curve to brighten and you will see a whole lot more!

Asher

 

[Husain Alfraid]

this is fo fashion....i love this shot

 

[fahim mohammed]

I have place for more!

Best.

 

[Asher Kelman]

Fahim,

Picture is not showing!

 

[Asher Kelman]

So, who has taken beautiful informal portraits that just happened? I bet there are a more than a few you treasure. That chance you took and it worked!

Asher

 

[Mike Shimwell]

Just a quick grab this Christmas - my brothers and some of our children

Tri X at 800 in Rodinal

Mike

 

[Mike Shimwell]

My brother Dave

 

[Mike Shimwell]

And Cath, my sister in law

 

[Asher Kelman]

Mike,

I am pleased to see your B&W work. It's refreshing to see some grain in a family picture. Maybe that goes though every part of each person and makes it very differently felt than the crystal clear experience from digital. That first group picture has a lot of love and comraderie. It's fortunate for brothers to like each other enough for such closeness. Kids certainly provide some extra glue and you have a good bunch there!

Thanks for sharing,

Asher

 

[Mike Shimwell]

Asher, again, thanks.

I took a policy decision to take only the Ikon with me for this trip and shot a coupleof rolls of colour and one black and white. In the end I much preferred the balck and white work over the colour, although there were one or two colour that I felt really captured somehting of the family. I've been struggling a bit to find a fast black and white film deveoper combination that I really liked and this was my first attempt with Tri X at 800iso, developed in Rodinal 1 plus 50. I really like the tonality and grain and the way it interacts with the lens' drawing.

Mike

 

[doug anderson]

Early Christmas Morning

Wife, daughter, daughter's boyfriend.

 

[John Angulat]

Hi Doug,
At first glance I thought I'd be taken by the lingerie display, however...I found myself inexplicably drawn to the image of the guy with the straws up his nose! LOL!

Nice shot, by the way! (both)

 

[doug anderson]

Yeah, he gave that to Zofi for Christmas -- the portrait of the straws up his nose.

 

[Prateek Dubey]

Hi Asher,
A lovely spontaneous picture and more importantly unmindful of the camera. Though you asked them to pose for you, they look so intensely absorbed withim themselves. That says a lot.

 

[Nigel Allan]

Here is my quick contribution - my three children with Holly, their second cousin taken very spontaneously. The light was fading so it only uses the on camera flash of the D300

I like the way this is framed to accommodate the different heights of the children. I shot it like this and it is not cropped

Nigel Allan: Family portrait: Marcus, Isabelle, Holly, and Montana​

 

[jake klein]

My brother-in-laws wife and their 3 month old daughter A'niya.

 

[Asher Kelman]

At the Westfield Mall in Century City I saw a mother struggling to take a picture. So I helped her out and then repeated it with my own iPhone!

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Asher

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