Note: this image was not created on 6/1/2009.  I am slowly backfilling our blog with content that we had on our previous site and didn’t want this to show up as the latest work.  Plus we were off for a perior of time around June 2009 due to the birth of our baby Marco.

Introducing our very first MostlyReal portrait.

You have been able to see it in our galleries for ages, but this is the first time we show what it looked like before post-production and show some of the images along the way to the final Little Angel.

Here is the final image:

 Unlike later MostlyReal portraits, Little Angel did not have  a preproduction photography session purposely scheduled to create it.  The starting image was a “found” image (shot by us of course) taken while she was playing with her grandmother.

Here is a shot immediatelly before the shot we used in the portrait:

And here is the image that was selected, mainly due to her smile and the reltive ease (compared to the previous image anyway) to separate her from the background.

 Here you can see that I’ve separated her from the background and added catchlights in her eyes.  The funky background was just a way to see if the separation had worked.  I think it had … for those unfamiliar with masking in photoshop… few things are more daunting than masking thin strands of hair.  Yeah this one took a LONG time.

Later in post-production she already has wings and the beginning of the cloud she’s sitting on.  The sky is very flat, there’s no halo, her face hasn’t been brought-out with Post-processing and the diffused clouds are missing.

Once again, the final image, for those who might enjoy comparing it to the intermediate step above.

If you would like us to create a MostlyReal portrait for a special child in your life, don’t hesitate to contact us with your vision and we’ll discuss what would need to happen to make your vision a reality.

Updated on 10/17 with significantly larger image and behind the scenes images.

MostlyReal are our top signature product for children photography.  To be blunt they are expensive as heck, compared to a regular portrait, but those who have seen the results in the flesh agree that the money they invested in this lifetime keepsake is more than worth it (and you can rest assured there’s a lot of time poured into these labours of love).

Itsy Bitsy devil is one of the MostlyReal portraits we feature in our portfolio, it never ceases to get compliments.  Of course only the 20×30 print does it any justice.

Today I finished the latest MostlyReal portrait where I painstakingly turned one innocent little 2 year old into Spider-Man, in a New-York setting.

This was a great project which nearly resulted in my getting murdered by Luca’s mom.  In order to get him to match up perspective-wise with my vision of what the final MostlyReal would look like, we had to shoot him, on location in downtown Hollywood using the stage they have set up there as his standing spot, with an umbrella in front of him and a snooted strobe behind him.  Well… the platform looks low enough when you see it from afar… but by the time you plop a 2 year old there you realize he’s well over 6 feet off the ground.  Oh, did I mention there’s no form of railing or anything like that?

Photos taken at ArtsPark in Hollywood, Florida

And now for some behind the scenes…

No, you’re not Superman Luca… no flying off the ledge!  … note the snooted speedlight behind him meant to backlight the right side of his hair

Here’s one that shows the lighting setup:  Large umbrella very close to him used as a shoot-through, and the snooted speedlight you saw above to accent his hair.  No, he wasn’t supposed to touch the umbrella of course… had to rescue the umbrella while making sure I could still catch him if he decided to go for the 6′ jump.  Ah the excitement!

Here’s proof that photography does not in fact capture reality as we often seem to think.  Indeed look at him:  the pure definition of innocence… ah if you only knew the truth of what went on during the shoot!  He is adorabe though, I have to give him that!

The image selected for the MostlyReal Portrait

Below is the image half-way through post-production, the building in the background is missing, the ledge hasn’t been cooled yet to match the ambiance, gloves haven’t been fitted, the outfit’s colors haven’t been boldened and a few other atmospherics are missing.

And once again, the final image, mainly for comparison with the image above.

The first time I held a camera up to my face and attempted to shoot a picture of older family members I was immediatelly admonished “Stop!  Don’t shoot into the sun!” and then I was carefully turned around so that the sun was now shining into my subjects’ faces (causing all sorts of squinting and harsh shadows I’m sure… but I digress)

I remember the event as if it were yesterday.  It was one of a thousands of little moments we go through in life where a “rule” is tacked on to our body of knowledge.  We tack it on and move on without giving it too much thought.

Who knows how many other butterflies in the evening sun I’ve missed in my shooting career just because I chose to follow that one silly silly “rule”

The adorable little Butterfly was shot at Veterans Park in Hollywood Florida