Tolsma Family Group Outdoor Portraits Edmonton Area

I recently spent a couple hours with the Tolsma family out near Spruce Grove on their acreage taking a few family photos to mark the moment.  They were having a family reunion and had not taken any family pictures in a long time.  Everyone had a lot of fun and we kept things pretty casual.  Thanks again to Joe for all the help with keeping everyone organized and together.  It is a lot of work trying to arrange people especially if you just met them!  So again, Joe, thanks.

The Tolsma Family, friends, and relatives can view their photos by clicking here.  

Like all of my Portrait sessions, whether its for a couple, family, kids, pets or whatever, I always include a DVD of all creatively edited images in web and print formats.  I charge $250 for a portrait session that lasts 1-2 hours at your location.  Please contact me for more info :)

Kurt Stenberg

stenbergphotography@shaw.ca

Stenberg Photography | Graduation Oregon

This summer I was down in Oregon, specifically in Salem, shooting a graduation.  Graduations in the US seem to be a 'big deal' compared to up here in Canada.  It's not that they are not as important or have any less significance, there just seems to be a lot more graduates and everything is on a larger scale.  Bigger venues, more people, big families!  It was a pleasure to have this experience and take part in my first event outside of Canada.  I was faced with many challenges, some I had not experienced especially in the morning of the shoot in the salon.  I took a few set-up shots of what I was up against and how I used my equipment.  My next post will have behind the scenes shots and more tech discussion.

Kurt

Children's and Family Portraits Edmonton

Looking for a few pictures of the family this fall?  I know you hate the Portraits studios at the department stores and would like something a bit more original, casual, and not so "posed".  I offer portrait packages that can be customized to suit your needs.  For a couple hours shooting time, we can get individual pics of the kids, pets, and even the whole group.  We can meet on location at one of your favorite places or even near your home.  Its great to get pics of the family doing something they love and interacting with each other.  These make the BEST portraits.  Give me a shout and we can exchange ideas :)  

Estimated cost for a session is $250 for approx 1-2hrs of shooting.  This includes ALL creative editing, and rights to all of your digital negatives on DVD.  I provide pictures in two formats for print and for displaying on the web.  I can also setup on online gallery with or without password for viewing and download by family and friends.

Talk to you soon!

Kurt 

STENBERGPHOTOGRAPHY

stenbergphotography@shaw.ca

780.238.0678

BIG Aperture = Soft, Professional Portraits

Hey there,

I finally returned from holidays and began to edit some photos from a graduation I shot down in Salem OR.  I came across these two portraits and thought they would show a good example of what aperture can do to your photos.  

When using a DSLR and you have a lens that can shoot as low as F 2.8 you get a very very shallow depth of field (DOF).  This means you have to be very precise and quick were you focus and must realize that everything in front and behind your focus point will blur very quickly.  This means 2.8 can be great for portraits giving skin and background noise a very soft look while keeping the eyes sharp.  It is important when shooting portraits to always focus on your subjects eyes for obvious reasons.  A sharp nose and blurry eyes will not have the same impact and will leave the viewer uninterested in the photo.

The color photo and the monochrome picture were shot with almost the exact same settings as follows : F2.8 ISO 400 1/160th second.  The color photo was with a length of 70mm on my 24-70 lens.  The b/w photo was almost the same at 67mm.  This means that I was "zoomed" in as much as I can with my lens.  Zooming in and using a lens of at least 70mm creates the best portriats as well since it helps to further blur the background and tighten up the DOF focus point.

Although the b/w photo isnt my favorite composition for a portrait or nessessarily what I would desire for soft focus, I thought it was unique and shows a great example.  The one eye and lips show some nice sharpness but falls a bit too quickly into blur to the farther eye.  To improve this I could have used a slightly smaller aperture of 3.5?  This probably would have dont the trick.  However, it is subjective and sometimes something out of the ordinary makes the best photos.

PS:  I uploaded both photos in a large size so you can click on them and see up close where the sharp vs blur interacts on the photo.

The color photo is what most photographers would consider more desirable since both eyes are in focus and the blur quickly falls to the background.  Her face was more square to the camera (90 deg) where as the other photo was on a sharper angle.  Please click on both photos and compare the difference.  It is quite noticeable.

Anyways, hope you enjoy and feel free to comment

Kurt