The photo setup at a house, because you asked!

Been involved in a couple of conversations lately where lots of interest has been expressed in how I setup for a photo shoot in a home. It's always nice to have an interested person to talk to, very gratifying and I swear my hat size only expanded a little while my virtues were expounded upon. So here we go - a shoot at Rebecka's parents'-in-law, to celebrate the birth of her daughter less than a week ago and to photograph the extended family as they are today.

The first shot is natural light - I needed to balance the light coming in the window with the light that I'd add from flashes. This late in the fall, there are still some leaves on the trees - and the Christmas cactus is blooming! What a weird fall we've been having.

I decided to shoot at f/5.6, and with the Canon 5D's top sync speed at 1/125th, I only needed to figure out which ISO would match the settings. Turned out to be 320, which is a lovely place to be for low noise in the image.


With those settings, I set up a high light in the upper right of the image with a 30-degree grid. That light gives a nice depth and separation to people in the photo, and kind of acts like an imitation sun, to complement the sunlight coming in through the window behind. The main light was a 3 foot round softbox behind me to my right. I put a fill card on the right (white foamcore) to fill in some of the shadow values. That's the next shot.


Then I moved the durn softbox around until it wasn't reflecting in the window anymore. Jeez.


And then I shot the family! All of 'em! Bang! (Oy, I kill myself...)


After we were done, we all looked at the photos together and made some selections. This takes care of 2 things - even though Rebecka bought a CD of the whole shoot, she and her family narrowed down the choices so they don't have to find the time later to pick favorites. And it gives me immediate feedback. Did I do a great job? Awesome! I feel wonderful! Did we miss a shot? Then let's go get it before all the players disappear.

While they were making final choices on the computer, David headed back into the living room with the baby, and I followed to take a few quick natural-light photos of her sleeping adorableness. And the family's first baby, Mahiri the dog, re-asserted her place.


Thanks for the shoot, Rebecka!
Love,
Meghan

Save the Date - Lowell Open Studios

Lowell Open Studios will take place on Saturday October 1st and Sunday October 2nd, 2011 from 11am to 5pm.

When you sign up to open your studio, you have to write a bio. Bios are traditionally anxiety-provoking for me. So invoking the most powerful anxiety-reducing mantra I know ("Fuckit!"), I wrote the following bio, which will be published on the website and possibly, if I'm lucky, included in advance publicity:

I shoot people and I eat babies. Oo, did I really type that? I do photo shoots, and if you bring in a really cute baby, I may try to nibble on her toes. My shoots are called Painless Portraits, so you know you're in no real danger. In fact, there's a guarantee. If it hurts to have your picture taken, you can pinch me! Bruise-free since 1999.

The Mask Exhibit...

My exhibit "Transformation Play" with painter Rebekah Wetmore at the Loading Dock Gallery has been getting media coverage, and I wanted to share some of it with you before the exhibit closes on June 26th. Thank you again to all who have stopped by - and particular thanks to those who have bought artwork!

Here is the online catalog, if you already know you won't have a chance to come to Lowell: Transformation Play

Oh, okay, you can see me in the hot pink dress I wore to the art opening: Reception Photos

Gallery directions and hours: theloadingdockgallery.com

Yay!

Meghan

Meghan Moore | Super-Duper People Photographer

megpix.com | facebook.com/megpix

Here are some of the media mentions.

Arts Boston:

"Moore, an event and portrait photographer with more than 12 years of

experience was intrigued by how people would react to Wetmore’s unique
masks, which she feels ‘have personalities of their own”. "

Lowell Sun:

"She always encourages people to be playful when they
pose for her and the collaboration with Wetmore and her masks was the
perfect opportunity for play."

Boston Globe:

"Wetmore created a series of translucent masks that allow the viewer to

see both the veiled face of the wearer and the painted face of the mask
at the same time."

Encore Buzz:

"In “Transformation Play,” Moore hopes to introduce the viewer to the place where art meets play."

This weekend was another First Saturday open studios at Western Ave. I usually open up the studio and take portraits. It's a relaxing time for me, because I get to try out new lighting and meet new people.

Sometimes I reduce down to 1 light; this time, I visualized the way I wanted the photos to look, and decided it would take 4 lights to achieve the lighting I wanted.

I put one light up high behind me in a softbox, but pulled it far enough back from the seamless that it would give a harder light (rather than the soft light that the boxes are famous for). That was at about 1/4 power on an 800w/s Alien Bees monolight.

Next were 2 equal lights, one on either side of the backdrop, just bare bulb with a 7-inch reflector on each. I pointed those down, and took a few test shots until I was sure that they weren't throwing any light on the back wall of the seamless. Those were at 1/32 power, the lowest power.

Finally, also at 1/32 power, the background light had a 30-degree grid on it to make a soft spotlight on the back of the seamless.

And then - we played! Rebecca S. brought her daughter Julia in. I have a rolling garment rack near the door, because... well, because it's the easiest spot to put it. The rack has a lot of costumes on it, and even if it's covered up by a blanket, the rack acts as a magnet to some kids. Julia was one of them. She pulled on a tutu over her own dress, and went to town, jumping and running. I love it.




And then - we played! Rebecca S. brought her daughter Julia in. I have a rolling garment rack near the door, because... well, because it's the easiest spot to put it. The rack has a lot of costumes on it, and even if it's covered up by a blanket, the rack acts as a magnet to some kids. Julia was one of them. She pulled on a tutu over her own dress, and went to town, jumping and running. I love it.

This shot was at the end of a jump, as she's feeling triumphant. Julia is 4.


Justin K. let me take his picture, too. He runs culturehive.com. I thought he needed a shiny friendly picture to use on his website.


And Denise E. brought her daughters in - I didn't even catch their names! The youngest went straight for a black cloak, and bent her body in all sorts of directions, peering out from behind this cloak.


Thanks for another fun weekend!
Next shoots:
Week of 6/6 - The town of Devens for CommonWealth Magazine
Saturday 6/11 - Photos with Rebekah's masks! Did you hear the ad on 92.5? I didn't, but I've been hearing about it! We have no idea how many people will be here, but it's going to be awesome.

Eine kleine Nacht Musik

J.J. Long paints landscapes and figures by day and by night, he "screams like Satan" in the death-metal band Hell Within. I ran down the hall in a break between shoots this weekend and got him to come into the studio. He was amenable to putting on one of the masks that Rebekah Wetmore has created.

Details on the Holiday Photo Shoots

Fun. Fast. Free.

Here are the details. Book a half-hour appointment in my Lowell studio, 12/5 thru 12/12, noon to 5. We shoot for 5-10 minutes. It's kind of a frenzy of fun. The pictures are beautiful. Then we sit down and look at the photos together on a big screen.

Buy image downloads for $20 per image, OR buy a CD of all of the images from your shoot for $150.

What can you do with an image download? Upload to your favorite photo site (snapfish, smugmug, mpix, easternphoto ...). Make unlimited prints, make albums, holiday cards, mugs, calendars, t-shirts, puzzles, etc. Anything you like.

Fast. Fun. Free.
Megpix Photography
The Studio
122 Western Ave. #513
Lowell MA 01851

Meghan Moore meghan@megpix.com 978-452-6062

Update 2: Here are the dates that are available for Weekend 2 (12/11-12/12): doodle.com
Update 1: Here are the dates that are still available for Weekend 1 (12/5-12/6): doodle.com

Oops Lake

I'm not supposed to be able to get such a good reflection... because there's not usually a lake there.


This is the field down the street in Lowell, corner of Baldwin and Middlesex. The playground right next to it was packed today - a beautiful day after a nasty night. There are a number of neighbors with high water in the basement. I got interviewed by a guy named Travis from the Boston Globe. Maybe I'll be in the paper tomorrow.

Cutie blue-eyes

Theresa and her family came to the studio for a First Saturday shoot. Daughter S. is 7 months old, and is just so awake and aware. Here are some of the photos they chose.

Dinosaur persona

Oh yes. You too can be photographed in your dinosaur persona. There is no judgment. Only acceptance.

Come up to Lowell for a free Painless Portrait. Wear your soul on your sleeve. I'll take a picture.

Love,
Meghan

Date:	Saturday, March 6, 2010
Time:	12:00pm - 5:00pm
Location:	122 Western Ave. Lowell MA Studio 513

WGBH Billboard

Two of my photos will be displayed on the massive WGBH billboard, lit up in LED splendor over the Mass Pike in Boston. I feel like I won a Grammy or something!

Here are the photos, so you can wave at them if you happen to drive by on Tuesday, February 23, 2010.

The photos are from the Merrimack Repertory Theatre's production of "Black Pearl Sings." The actors are Cherene Snow and Valerie Leonard, the play was directed by Benny Sato Ambush, and written by Frank Higgins.

A year and a red rocking chair

It's coming up on my birfday, and I usually get around to thinking about the past year. It's convenient to have a birthday in January, when I'm already exercising my brain.
But sometimes it's even easier to think about someone else's year, especially when that someone is your own kid.
Kids' lives move faster. My kid's nearly 3 feet tall now and transitioning to a big boy bed. Last year he wasn't standing on his own yet.
That didn't stop me from bringing him into the studio for some photos. Brian came with me to help with the baby-wrangling.

So here's a treat from last January.


It's true. The shoot did end in tears. But I got to take a picture of my big guy comforting my little guy. Life is good. And blog entries about one's offspring are sometimes gooey. :P

Wild rumpus

Okay, it's been a little while since I posted any photos of my kid. Here are some from yesterday.

Hooray for more daylight! The winter sun is coming in differently through the windows since the solstice last month. I've been kind of chasing it around the house. Add to that the need to chase this kid around, and we've got the makings of a wild rumpus!


That hair. Oh, that hair! As momma, I know it needs a trim. As photog, I rejoice in its waviness.

Fabuloso at MRT

Merrimack Rep has a new play - Fabuloso by John Kolvenbach. Kyle Fabel directs, and Rebecca Harris, Amy Kim Waschke, Ed Jewett, and Jeremiah Wiggins play the parts. It was pretty zany, and I had a good time moving around to take the shots.

Here are the pix the theater chose for PR. I particularly like the first one, with Ed Jewett's arms flowing up out of the frame and the big, big belly helping push that "I'm crazy" vibe.

Manga hair!

Red hair and a red jumper. I think that's what those adorable dresses are called - jumpers. I've had a lot of jumping people in my photos lately, but J was totally focused on blowing bubbles.

Her hair - her skin - her expressions - wow! I'm hoping her mom brings her in again for more photos. Impish, puckish, lovely girl. With manga hair - you know, the kind that emotes. :)

The Flying Scarf!

Donna's family! Three siblings who were so sweet with each other.

A Grandson in His 60's

This weekend, I had the privilege to chat with a grandson of Dr. Melnea A. Cass. It was Sunday on the last day of open studios, and Roger Freeman stopped by to chat. I learned some Boston history, and now I know more about the namesake of the Boulevard in Roxbury.

Roger is in his 60's (and pleased as punch with that fact). He's flown, skydived, scuba dived, rock climbed, and all the things in between. He's a lively, bright, and gentle character, and I hope to meet him again soon.

It was with great pride that he told me about his grandmother. Dr. Cass is known in many circles as the Mother of Roxbury. She's also responsible for daycare as we know it. She was a star in women's suffrage, and captained the NAACP. She was a Bostonian and she was black and she was a woman, and she stood firm on the issues she believed in. Awesome.

Rainy-day window lighting

Dangit, this kid is CUTE! Heddi and Nathan invited me to their home for family portraits. A is almost 2 1/2, and definitely knows what a camera is!

Tech notes: The first was taken on the stairs, which face south. It was a rainy day, and the light coming in through the front door and windows was soft and cool. I used a 50mm at f/2 to blow out the stairs behind him and soak in the light.

The other 2 were taken with the 28-70 zoom, also wide open. I just kind of followed A around the house as he checked out some of his favorite places.

Alanna's Family

Alanna, her husband and her daughters came to the Lowell studio for a family shoot. T. is a senior in high school, so we did her senior portrait. Alanna and her husband both have jobs where they interact with the public regularly, so we did head shots. G. is almost a teenager and we did some single shots of her as well.

But what am I posting here? Two of the photos where my lovely subjects had their eyes closed. Do they work as well as I think they work?

The Free Portraits

Here are some of my faves from yesterday's free portraits at Western Ave. I'm doing it all again today, and then again next weekend 12/12 - 12/13. Woo!

We did a lot of jumping.