Ok so as most of us photographers and creatives are itching to start creating again I’ve noticed some trends emerge with the birth of social distancing.
1. The ‘Front Step Project’ where people have their portrait taken, you guessed it, on their front step.
2. Barbie photoshoots! Barbie couples, barbie boudoir even my girl Brittany Flegel did a barbie girl-squad shoot, haha because when real people are out of the question, photographers start getting creative!
3. Facetime Sessions. Say whhhhaaaat!? This is the one that interested me the most, and the one I’m here to talk about. I’ve seen some amazing images captured via facetime, and I’m going to be explaining how to do it!
My favorite FaceTime shot that I’ve seen inspired this image:
Now this image was taken on my DSLR with low shutter speed, but to my understanding, you will get the same effect from video chat. Also if it wasn't obvious this is a handful of images photoshopped together lol.
I saw a mom with her wine with kids running around. It was amazing! I was SO SURPRISED to find that it was a screengrab from a video chat. I recommend trying to capture how things are at this moment, how you’re feeling, what you’re experiencing. These times are so incredible to capture! I just did a quick search on instagram and found these ones here, which are ADORABLE. Sample facetime shoot that I found on Instagram
These images are not crazy high resolution, so you’re probably not going to be blowing them up into enlargements (or they will be excessively grainy/ pixelated), but if you’re in the middle of a memorable time of your life, * cough we always are * then you may want to try it out!
So things you need to be able to do to make this happen.
- a computer or phone
- facetime/ zoom/ skype app or software
- Someone to video chat with
*EDITED* after a little trial and error I discovered if I'm having my photos taken, the quality of the image, is really dependant on the camera on MY end. AND Facetime is amazing because there is a little white circle at the bottom and it just straight up takes a photo and sends it to your 'photos folder'
For the best results find somewhere bright in your house to shoot. The natural light that isn’t direct sunlight may be easiest to work with. Or if it’s nice outside find a shaded spot so that you aren’t dealing with weird shadows or unflattering light. If the sun is low in the sky face right in that sunshine for your ‘golden hour’ close up (just be mindful that your computer or phone isn’t making a giant square shadow on your face.
1. Set up the computer or phone (ideally a computer because it’s easier to tilt the camera).
2. Start your video call.
3. Have your virtual friend start screen grabbing.
That’s it. Here are a couple of tips and ideas:
If you don't know how to screen grab here's how on a Mac
If you don't know how to screen grab here's how on a Windows
An artistic angle would be shooting up, so having the computer lower than eye-level shooting up. (Warning if the computer is low and close to you it can feel like when you open your camera app and the camera is facing you and you look awkward and have triple chins… or is that just me? Haha). So make sure you’re ready for it being low and shooting up. If you want to shoot this angle try putting your computer a ways away so that you could maybe get some full scene images, think dancing, snuggling on a couch or even just being playful.
Other angles would be at eye level or above (if you can do that safely in your space).
I’ve never done a facetime session but I’ve heard that it can be tricky to get your computer to focus on your subject, so if you’re going to have the light directly behind them, it may be hard to get them in focus, sometimes even DSLR’s struggle with this. Having your subject in direct light where the light hits their entire face or just a side of their face hits their face, you may have more luck.
Ok! That’s it! If you go for it, keep me posted on the results!
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