I’ve been meaning to make these oversized portraits of our kids for months now, and finally got around to it last month when I was taking a bit of a content break from Say Yes. I’m so happy with how they turned out (and the cost can’t be beat!)
I really wanted the kids to art direct their own portraits. They picked out a costume and/or object to be photographed with. You pick the outfit, I pick the photo to be printed, deal?
Edie was so excited about it and immediately picked this frilly dance leotard her neighbor had given her, and some sunglasses.
Dot didn’t want to wear any costumes, so we gave her some toys and a lollipop. And of course, she was totally cool with that.
A note about shooting. Obviously you might not have a studio like this or a nice blank white wall, but all you need is a room that gets nice natural light. Pick up a large foam core board at your local office supply shop (get the biggest size you can fit in your car). Stand it up against a chair or something you can balance it up on like the back of a couch next to the window. Now you’ve got your nice white background. Use the best camera you’ve got, for many it may be your phone- that’s fine! If you have the new iPhone 8 or above, use the portrait mode for a shallow depth of field.
Editing. As for editing, we took the contrast up way high to have that kind of blown out, high key look. I know we’re missing details on Dot, but I’m still liking how stark they turned out and the focus on shapes and lines. This image of Angelina Jolie was one of my inspirations. Also, be sure to bring them together, or batch edit them in whatever program you’re using to be sure the white balance is the same for each and the contrast looks the same as well. If you take them all at once just do a batch edit and it should be easy. I mocked up a few versions before I decided on these three in this arrangement (although I’m still loving this one of Edie!).
Also, a note from a reader if you don’t have photoshop or another photo program to resize,”Download a free PDF printer…and select your preferred sheet size (24×36). I use PDFill.”
You can probably do a lot of the editing on your phone if you don’t have a photo editing program, but many of them are free if you do a quick google search.
A note about quality. These photos are not high quality, and aren’t really meant to be. The paper is very thin and can easily wrinkle, so be careful to smooth it out well as you frame it. I might end up printing them again as black and white posters which is higher quality paper (but significantly more- $30 I think per print).
I love how they turned out though! Such easy + inexpensive modern decor.
I always visit your blog and found best informative stuff. Thanks for sharing such a great ideas.
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Hi, I love these and how inexpensive they are. I was just wondering whether you or someone on your – what team could recommend or do a feature on creating portraits in a small space (or should I just bring do something outside?), and making your own plain photo backdrop. I live in a house in the UK (no basements usually as the houses are old and the ground is damp!) where pretty much every wall is filled with furniture or radiators. Without moving furniture there isn’t really a blank wall and there isn’t much distance I can get between me and my subjects. Even more of a feature on shooting pictures of kids would be helpful. My son is 5 and he works hard and successfully to hide his eyes when I want to take pictures- any advice? Sorry for the ramble. I’d love to take cool pictures of my kids. You all do this brilliantly. What is your advice?
Totally! First off, you can buy a big foam core board at your local office supply store. Get as big as you can fit in the car (you’ll always end up needing a bigger board than you think). Stand it up next to a window with a chair on the back so it can balance pretty up right. There you’ve got your white background and nice directional light!
I’ll definitely look for one- great idea! Thank you for the response.
Oh, and I feel your pain about getting kids to cooperative, it’s super hard. I’m ALL about the bribery!!! Also, I think having them pick outfits was what made them more on board.
How reassuring that bribery is acceptable in the name of wonderful images! Maybe a Kinder egg might work for my kids? If I do end up taking the photos, I’ll let you know. Thank you for your inspiration and encouragement!
Support a local/family-owned business, and for printing these, try a REPROGRAPHICS shop.
You’re essentially printing a blueprint (standard sizes: 24×36, 30×42). And yes, these are not high-quality prints (the machines are designed for line-drawings, not images/blocks of shading), and most likely they’re printed on 20# regular white bond (paper). I own two shops in So Cal, and we’re even less than FedEx/Kinko’s (less than half their prices noted here).
Download a free “PDF printer” so you “print” to a PDF using that printer driver, and select your preferred sheet size (24×36). I use PDFill (https://www.pdfill.com/freewriter.html). Once you have your full-size PDF, open it in adobe and view it at 100% on your screen – that’s the file quality you’re starting with.
Thank you for these suggestions! These are great. I didn’t know they were called a Reprographics shop, I’ll add it into the post!
What program can I use to make sure they can be 24×35?
I can only edit in iPhoto! 😕
The reader above suggested a free PDFill program you can use! Also, It’s 24 x 36
The portraits look so artsy! ❤️ I love them, really adds both a stylish and personal touch to the room! 🙂
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com