garyrhook
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Contest Finalist in People Monochrome Photo Contest
Top Shot Award 21
Winner in MonochromePortraitsofPeople Photo Challenge
Contest Finalist in Monochrome Masters Project
Contest Finalist in Expressive Faces Photo Contest
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Contest Finalist in Peekaboo Photo Contest
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Contest Finalist in I See You in B&W Photo Contest
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BrianpSlade
March 20, 2014
Brilliant!!!
A fantastic captured expression which we photographers long to capture ourselves....well done and congrats!
Brian
A fantastic captured expression which we photographers long to capture ourselves....well done and congrats!
Brian
garyrhook
May 15, 2014
Wow. Wow, wow, wow. Thank you, everyone. I am totally humbled.
Did I say, "wow"?
Did I say, "wow"?
snowdon
March 31, 2015
Great expression Gary, congratulations on your Finalist Win in Peekaboo competition
learwoody
December 28, 2020
Congratulations!!! Your shot is the Grand Winner of my Monochrome Portraits of People Challenge.
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
This was created during a family photo shoot for friends/clients. I live in the Austin metroplex, where we have a wide variety of locations available to us. This was in the front yard of the client's residence, a large, tree-covered lot.Time
Scheduling a family photo shoot when five children, ages 1 to 6, can be tricky. An early evening, where everyone was well-rested, happy and playful, and the weather mild and clear, proved to be perfect. Working under large shade trees is always a plus. This image was captured around 5:00 PM.Lighting
I'm comfortable with both natural and artificial light sources, but I have to say that working under huge oak trees on a clear day, with enough coverage to eliminate any mottled light, has to be my favorite environment. Here I was fortunate that nature and the weather cooperated to make the shoot super pleasant with regards to light.Equipment
At this time I was shooting with a Nikon D5100, and relying on a Tamron 28-75 f/2.8 lens. That lens has never let me down, and still performs to this day. No tripod, no flash, just me, the camera, and the client.Inspiration
Everyone in this family is kind, friendly, and generally wonderful. The kids are fun, funny, and sweet, so it's the easiest thing in the world to follow them around and watch them interact. This little one, with 4 older siblings, was just a joy to work with. We were trying to get a shot of her just standing next to mom, but she had a different plan. When she decided to peek through momma's legs, I was fortunate and prepared at just the right moment.Editing
I use Lightroom, Photoshop, and Topaz Labs plugins. My workflow starts every image in Lightroom, where I take care of the standard tasks: profile, exposure, color temperature, color adjustments, lens correction, initial sharpening and noise reduction. I rely heavily on LR to get most of the work done. After that, I'll take the image to PS for touch up: cloning/healing, removal of elements, etc. For this image, I also used TL BW Effects 2 to handle the conversion to monochrome; it does an excellent job with the tones. Further adjustments for contrast and clarity, then back to Lightroom for any final adjustments before exporting. This image was processed initiallyIn my camera bag
These days I carry a Nikon D850, a short zoom (either the Tamron or a Nikon 24-140 f/4), some sort of 85mm, and usually my Nikon 70-200 f/2.8 VRII. That covers most common situations. If I expect light to be a challenge, I'll include a Yongnuo 968 speedlight and Rogue Flashbender.Feedback
The best part of working with kids is getting them to be themselves. Take them time to interact directly with them, on their level. Set your expectations to be age-appropriate, and let the little ones just do their thing. You can get some amazing image of toddlers and tots if you're patient (but fast on your feet!) and give them time and opportunity to do their thing.