Once in a while we come up with an idea that we need to experiment with before we can let loose on our clients. This week was the turn of our mother and child photoshoot.
We’re lucky we’ve never been short of willing volunteers, although this time we approached our close friend, Jo, and her daughter, Heather, for an experimental photoshoot. We always have a lot of fun with Jo who has an earthy sense of humour which is perfect for a session where anything goes! We also wanted to have dark hair featured in the results for some true moody black and white photography.
The brief we set ourselves was simple; to capture the incredible bond between mother and child on camera. It was also important to us to create a set of images that evoke a feeling when you view them, rather than just capturing a flat, straightforward image of two people. In short, we wanted to pack a punch.
We were soon to discover that height difference would be a challenge! Heads at different heights do not convey a close connection so after raiding the studio for props we levelled the difference out and instantly the bond was evident. This shoot was all about closeness and connection, it’s the suggestion of their close relationship that gives the images their strength.
We decided to go for a few artistic shots to mix up the results, and the close half-facial crop of Jo and Heather is one we particularly love as it’s so striking. It’s a bold, intense shot but that’s exactly what we love about it.
Spectacles were another part of the learning curve. It’s absolutely vital that images look and convey the model as they truly are, and both mother and daughter wear specs. We all agreed to include a shot wearing glasses as this is part of their individual identities and another likeness between them. Technically, this created a few details to iron out so reflections didn’t obscure their eyes in the final image.
We were also glad that Jo and Heather were good humoured about being modelled. You can describe a pose all you like but sometimes it’s a hands on job…. (thankfully we’re all friends!) Heather was an absolute superstar, it was quite a lengthy shoot while we got ourselves sorted but there were no complaints. In fact, she described it as fun! We agree, there was lots of banter as we worked, and shots where they gazed at each another intently couldn’t help but create the giggles.
It’s great to work with permission to play because this shoot required tonnes of patience from our models so we could fiddle around with positioning and geeky technicalities as we worked. Jo and Hetty had bags of energy and the patience of saints during their shoot, thanks guys.
Eventually, the promise of a chippy tea brought a hungry end to the shoot, but not until we got the images we wanted and we’re thrilled with the results. Jo and Heather look amazing, and these images are a special visual keepsake of their mother & daughter relationship we hope they’ll look back on with a smile.