Mother and Child Portrait Study: Courtney and Ruby
A while back, when little Ruby was still in utero, I did Courtney’s maternity session. So, of course, when Ruby was old enough, the ladies returned to the studio for some lovely Mother-Daughter portraits.
After all, Ruby won’t be this little forever. And while this is something Mom wants, it will become Ruby’s legacy in the future, when she can have these images to cherish. Photography is inter-generational and classic portraiture elevates the subject to something more than a cellphone selfie.
Is it easy doing this kind of photography? Well, it is a challenge because the photographer is in full command of the light in a windowless studio. This is not to say it is better than “natural light” - the fact is, both natural light and flash/strobe light can be beautifully used for a specific look.
Look at the picture below. The light pattern is what a photographer would call “Rembrandt lighting.” That is because it mimics the way light is often seen on portraits done by the famous Dutch painter Rembrandt in the 1600s. He didn’t have flash - he had only window light or candle light. His lighting was known for a brighter side with a triangle of light under the eye of the subject on their shadow side. If it was considered the ideal for the great Dutch Master of painting, I want it for my clients.
I like to capture the relationship of parent and child - or even grandparent and grandchild. I saw a series of portraits done by another photographer where a grandfather commissioned separate portraits of him with each grandchild individually, as a gift to that grandchild, so they would have that as part of their heritage. I have a casual snapshot of me standing near my great-grandfather, but I wish I had a portrait of just the two of us so I could study it and look for the connection. Are our eyes the same? Do I have that same tilt to the lips?
What clues to themselves are you leaving for your child, grandchild, or great-grandchild?