Studio Portrait Photography of Children and Babies

Studio Portrait Photography of Children and Babies
by Marilyn Sholin

Studio Portrait Photography of Children and Babies
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Book Summary Information

Author: Marilyn Sholin
Brand: Amherst
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2007-09-01
ISBN: 1584282126
Number of pages: 128
Publisher: Amherst Media, Inc.
Product features:

Book Reviews of Studio Portrait Photography of Children and Babies

Book Review: Misleading title, way too superficial
Summary: 1 Stars

I can't understand the other reviews, and wonder if we read the same book.

First of all, the title: STUDIO Portrait Photography of Children and Babies. This makes a very clear statement: this is a book for STUDIO photographers, or someone hoping to be one. Yet, right at the introduction we're told that "this book is for everyone who wants to learn how to photograph their clients or their own children better [...]", and that's exactly where the book starts to disappoint - by always trying to hit a wider audience than it should, it is always way too superficial to be really useful.

Chapters 1 to 3 show some promise. They are about what the title would suggest is the theme of the book: photographing clients in a studio environment. That's great - if it weren't so darn superficial. There are some "tips" on posing, but no thorough discussion on what works and (most important, and completely absent in the book) what doesn't. There are mentions of props (which seems to be one of the main features of the author's photography), but only a paragraph here and there, again there's no real discussion about it.

In chapters 4, 5 and 6, the book is simply embarassing. At one point we learn that an 80mm lens effectively becomes a 50mm on a camera with a 1.6 crop factor (it is the other way around, actually). There are long and completely useless discussions about CCD vs CMOS sensors, and microdrives vs CF cards. The lighting chapters contain basic information that any photographer interested in a specific area of studio photography already knows, specially when this information is easily found (for free) on any site about studio lighting. The equipment chapter could easily be dropped, and the lighting ones should present examples, in practice, of what works and what doesn't in the author's opinion. Definitions of, for example, what Rembrandt lighting is, with no accompanying diagram, photographs or whatever is simply not useful at all.

The rest of the book keeps on this tone: very superficial information on topics that should be explored in details mixed with very specific information on topics that probably should not be explored at all (anyone that needs step by step instructions on how to use commercial plug-in on photoshop should not buy a book about a specialty of studio photography, plain and simple).

Last but not least, the photographs are really cheesy, for lack of a better word. I know this probably has it's appeal in some niches, but for a photographer, when you consider the superficiality of the written material, at least some good, inspiring or in any way unique images could give this book some value. Alas, that's not the case.

Summary of Studio Portrait Photography of Children and Babies

From learning how to set up the perfect light for infants to understanding posing techniques for adorable images, this guide to shooting children's portraits is an indispensable resource for photographers. Thorough sections on dealing with infants and working with toddlers and preschoolers include month-by-month and year-by-year developmental guides that ensure comfort and cooperation to help create unique, personalized images. An overview of equipment and a discussion of the essential tools for a shoot pairs with advice on presenting portraits, working with difficult parents, and securing referrals to make this an all-in-one resource for portrait photographers.

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