I do a lot of still-product photography and so don’t get much of an opportunity to show off how beautifully my camera photographs human beings, but we hosted Louise’s annual holiday party this past weekend (Louise’s husband has set up a temporary office space in their dining room, so a social shindig at their pad was out of the question), which gave me some opportunity to capture people in motion.
One of my favorite things about the Canon 5D Mark II is the way it focuses on what’s right in front of it while softly diffusing the background. Here, Louise is captured in full dance-party vibe, and you can even see the soft folds of her dress (Nicole Miller, she said), yet the entire background is a wash of blurrred sparkle and color:
That’s her Christmas present that’s sitting on the small table in back of her (I gave it to her early): a gorgeous silk-flower and purple patent leather Valentino bag that I found on sale for just over 40% off. Louise doesn’t care that it was on sale, only that it’s a Valentino — and it’s hers!
Sudden realization: perhaps that’s why she was dancing with such joyous abandon?
And below (again), another photo of dancing. I love the depth, with the twinkling lights of the city blurred out in the back. The energy of the female dancer the furthest from focus is captured, her hair flying, while retaining a sense of mystery (“Who is she? Do I know her?” — that kind of thing), yet the woman in the foreground is clear and sharp (without being too much so).
The reflective glow from the wood floors is also nice, and certainly doesn’t look quite so lovingly burnished in real nonphotographic life:
Below is my preferred way of photographing humans — creating a slightly abstracted look; of course we know what it is, but the angles and lines are the feature rather than the whole recognizable face:
But even with a standard posed photo, the lines are soft, the colors are warm, the fabrics are appealingly shadowed, the facial angles are flattered — and all in just average indoor light levels:
And what party would be complete without the obligatory “we’ve had a couple of glasses of wine and we are the BEST friends EVER!” moment? What makes it even better is the softly blurred backdrop of party goers in the kitchen, going on about their own business, engaged in their own separate conversations, unaware of the fireworks of best friendship popping, sparking and exploding only ten feet away — but as if worlds apart:
Btw: that little white Apple iPod “boombox” on the counter? It can kick out some serious volume. I had no idea it could fill up a room like that until the girls decided they wanted to dance; unfortunately, I don’t think they make it anymore, since it doesn’t allow for docking upgrading and the iPhone/iTouch models aren’t fully compatible.
I checked the Apple website (from where I’d purchased it), and it’s no longer shown as available.
You can find more people photographs from the party at the following Flickr link: Christmas Party Photos 2009
I think I might start looking for more opportunities to do people photography.
