Everyone, family portrait time is here yet again and my calendar is filling up so make sure you do not wait to schedule soon! Call me and visit the gallery here: http://www.TNGphoto.com (702)809-9763

Just for fun, I thought I’d take a minute to answer a few common questions I receive and a few not so common questions concerning family portraits. I hope you find this helpful. Please leave a comment!

(Facebook question)

In Vegas, some couples may want to do fun location shoots at popular tourist spots. How do you suggest relax and strike a pose while you have lots of onlookers?

It can definitely be intimidating for people to be in front of a camera so adding a location that is very populated to the mix might be asking for a lot from the subjects’ nerves. My suggestion would be to start somewhere more private or secluded before moving out to a place like the strip. I would prefer they get comfortable with me, the photographer, right away before ever being in a heavily populated area. Once they have adjusted to being in front of my camera, they’ll have one less worry on their plate. On top of that, I think it’s the photographer’s job to lead the session the right direction and keep the energy up wherever the session takes place. Let’s say I was on the strip photographing someone with a lot of people around and I wasn’t much for conversation, instruction, direction and fun, then the subject(s) are going to overthink how they are standing, how they are looking and overthink everything else around them! On the other hand, by being fun, energetic, very involved, etc. then there won’t be that much time to worry about those around us because the attention will be entirely on the task at hand and on whatever I am saying. Yes, someone might walk by and say something like, “Who are they?” or “What’s your number?!” or something along those lines but those comments are easily ignored with a quick smile and head nod from the photographer. One last thing to remember is although the people around you might look at you, they more than likely look at me (unless the subject(s) are supermodels of course), my heavy equipment and my demeanor because I tend to draw more attention from bystanders. Ya know what? I don’t really mind the attention. It’s fun!

(Facebook question)

Nate, what if a family member misses the time of family portrait, can you insert a new picture of that family member into that family portrait.

This is BIG! Oftentimes, a family session is cancelled entirely because one (or more) family member could not be there. In most cases, this DOES NOT have to be a reason to end the entire session, thanks to today’s technology. I’ll give you an example: a few months ago, I was scheduled to photograph a family at Anthem Country Club. The family arrived where we discussed but I was told that one of the men could not be there due to work. I said to them that I would photograph the portrait with the intention of adding him into the portrait later. Here is a before and after:

Notice the man on the far left was added into the final portrait. I had to photograph him at a later date and with careful lighting and perspective, the result is beautiful!

(Facebook question)

What about windy days & outside shoots?

Contrary to popular belief, the desert of Las Vegas actually does have seasons; windy cool, windy cold, windy warm and windy hot w/a chance of windy. 🙂 Yes, it’s VERY windy here and extreme winds are oftentimes not ideal to have a family portrait made in. A bit of a breeze or light winds are not much of a worry though. Here are some suggestions:

• If it’s too windy outside (or too cold for that matter) you might want to consider having the family portrait created inside your own home. Who do you know has a family portrait created in or around YOUR home? Only you will! Also, if done outside your home, sometimes the surrounding homes and trees can reduce the wind. During our planning discussions, I’ll let you know if this is a good possibility to consider/
• Sometimes the wind is sporadic so timing becomes crucial. Many portraits have been created during the brief lull between gusts!
• Turning the body or tilting the head the right direction can also alleviate the wind’s punches but more often than not, this means the sun ends up in your face and your portrait won’t look that great. It’s rare that this option works for me in the middle of the day. The stars just don’t align much for me here. Clouds are also rare for me here in the desert. 🙂
• Keep an eye on the forecast. These details help us know what to expect and let us know if a better day or time is better or if the location should be moved indoors.
• Retouching can also help with unruly hairs that would not cooperate but this should not be our main option. I can’t fix your hairstyle much, only get rid of strays that we could not fix in person.

(Facebook question)

What’s the best lighting for portraits? To create smooth skin and make the eye color pop!

The best lighting for a portrait is whatever light fits your vision and creates the mood, depth and emotion you are trying to convey. There is almost an endless amount of possibilities with lighting so there is no short answer to this question. Generally though, for the average person, a softer light source is more flattering and helps reduce skin texture and imperfections. Large light sources (in comparison to the subject) accomplish this. For example, the sun is gigantic but in comparison to us, in the sky it is very much a small spot light so it brings out texture, creates hard edged shadows and isn’t the most flattering. On a cloudy day, the sun is covered but it is illuminating the clouds which take up the entire sky so the light source is effectively larger (entire sky vs. sun/spot in the sky) so shadows on the light is diffuses and shadows are much softer so textures in faces are reduced, giving a more flattering look.

As far as eyes go, the light needs to be big to make the colors pop. That light source could be the open sky when the subject is in shade, a reflector placed close to the subject, soft box, umbrella, a large box truck, you name it! For eyes to pop, the color of the eyes MUST show which means the pupils need to constrict in order to make the iris more abundant. In general, if the pupils are large (usually when indoors) then there will be less color to see and the subject can look strange, even alien-like. Oftentimes, the subject won’t know why they don’t love the portrait but can’t put a reason to their feeling. It’s up to the photographer to be crafty and get more light into the eyes to bring out the iris color and not make the subject squint.

(Facebook question)

How do I not look like Jabba the Hutt?

Hire me for your family portraits! 🙂 Lighting, posing and post processing will help with these issues. Darker clothes and long sleeves are more slimming. Avoiding patterns also helps. Just trust the photographer to make you look more like Princess Leah than Jabba the Hutt!

Please contact me for your family portraits! I’d love to hear what you have in mind!

(702)809-9763 – TNGphoto.com

I had the opportunity to photograph a talented lacrosse player named Jaxon for his senior portraits. Jaxon runs a little business (and has a TON of followers on Instagram) restringing lacrosse sticks. He is very goal oriented and he’s no doubt going places! I had a great time photographing him and his family!

(Jaxon’s family in Las Vegas)