The Story Behind the Portrait of Parker and Marshall

Meet Parker and Marshall. They obviously are brothers. Parker is the older of the two, on our right and Marshall, of course is the younger.

I wanted to mention some of the elements that helped bring this portrait together.

First is just the fact that I had plenty of time to talk with the mother about her wishes for the portrait and how generous she was with her time. This gave me a a good general feel for the desired portrait, something casual, in their backyard and personable.

The photography session took place and we were blessed with a faintly overcast sky, beautiful light for this occasion. I took well over 100 shots, zeroing in on the best format and pose as we knew where the painting was to hang but weren't sure if it would be horizontal or vertical.

During the process the vertical became the obvious format and so I focused on this one general pose taking many shots with minor adjustments to the placement of hands, feet, facial expressions, etc.

We reviewed the photographs and selected from several the facial shots to be used. I then proceeded with the color studies and upon their completion the mother requested that I crop Marshall's hair as he looked like he had too much hair and it was covering his ears. I explained that I would feel more comfortable if she could give him the haircut she wanted and I could come back and reshoot just him for his new "head".

And that is what we did.