Taking People Pictures

I have spent a lot of time in a hospital room this fall....more so than I have at the cabin. I am currently at the hospital with Jim's mother who is in her fifth straight week with this stay. Hopefully she will be able to go home this week, but we will see. Jim is hoping to get to go over to meet Mr. Jackson this week.
Since I have done many people photos recently, I thought I would talk about that for a little bit.
In the shot of the new parents and Jackson above, I came in close. I told them I wanted their faces all close together. This is much more interesting than them just looking straight at the camera.
Another tip is to always use natural light when possible. Also, a neutral backdrop like I used below (dark cloth), helps focus in on what is important rather than being distracted by the surroundings.

I did a layout with one of these angel shots, with Jackson posing as cupid and I placed an arrow in his hand he has closed above. Too cute!

Above is a collage I put together for birth announcements. One of the things I did with the photo of Jason and Jessica was to have Jason stand down on the bank of the lake a little, so their faces would be a little closer to each other. Jason is a tall guy, so when standing on level ground, you would notice the height difference.
Another tip is to introduce "props" such as the angel wings, wedding rings, the receiving blanket with Jackson's name embroidered on it, the knitted blanket I made, taking photos with the hospital bracelet showing....these are examples of things to use. Keep your eyes open for opportunities like those.
When putting a collage together, be aware of the direction the subject is looking and also having a neutral area to which to add text if text is desired.
You can mix black and white, sepia and natural color shots, but just be careful when you do. Color is just one of the things that help your eye move around a photo or a collage of photos.

Reflections are always a cool thing to look for when doing landscapes or photos of people. With this one, it is kind of symbolic of looking into the future as they await the birth of their baby the next morning.
Hopefully, I will get to see Jackson this week and will get some good photos.
Hope you have a wonderful week!