Large Format Photography Australia

Another paper contact print scanned and slightly adjusted in PS.

That is one nice portrait. And I reckon the subtle and significant catchlights in the eyes lift it way above the ordinary.

Forgive the impertinent question but how do you get your "little boy" to pose so well. Around here folks need a fair bit of jollying up when they see me approaching with a camera.

Good question Maris and thank you for the comments.

Jack and his twin Shelby have had several years of putting up with my obsession of building and testing cameras. Though the individual exposures are quite long they've come to learn that most often they are one offs. So a test shot sitting can be over quickly. Anyway they are great kids who are, mostly, willing to humour me.

The actual sitting still is accomplished by resting their head on a support bracket I built into the back of an old kitchen stool.

In contrast their older siblings quite dislike, and avoid, sitting for me as they grew up during my obsession with studio portraiture. In those days a quick sitting would have involved hours of fiddling with lights and backgrounds and various poses. A typical example below, shot in September 1989.



Re: the catchlights. I've always felt that a strong portrait is more do to with the eyes than the need for a particular shaped shadow under the nose or an obsession with using as many lights as possible.