FAMILY BUSINESS

Pro portrait photographer Catherine O'Donnell passes on her top tips and techniques for capturing sponateous and engaging family photos in the studio

PRO

CATHERINE O'DONNELL

CAMERA: CANON EOS 5D MK III

Catherine is an award-winning portrait photographer who's been published in magazines globally. She's known for her laid-back approach to family portraiture which helps her capture natural poses and special moments that don't look forced. Being a mum of three keeps her on her toes, but also gives her ample opportunities to perfect her portraits - making her the ideal person to help Ieaun improve his shots. https://bit.ly/44fx8te

APPRENTICE

IEAUN WILLIAMS

CAMERA: CANON EOS R5

Ieaun is a teacher based in South London, and in his spare time he loves to get out with his camera and try everything from landscapes to weddings. He's looking to change career and move into portraiture, and while he has a few weddings under his belt, he admits he sometimes struggles with posing his clients, or choosing the best camera settings. We teamed him up with portrait pro-Catherine at Lite Studio in Northamptonshire.

TECHNIQUE ASSESSMENT

Catherine kicked off the day by showing Ieaun how to set up his camera to capture studio portraits

MANUAL MODE 

Ieaun was well versed in shooting in manual mode, so Catherine suggested that he stick with it, as manual gives you full control of the three core exposure variables: shutter speed, aperture and ISO. Catherine is looking for a minimum shutter speed of 1/100 sec or faster for sharp handheld shots, and will use a wide aperture for single subjects, or a narrower aperture of perhaps f/8 for group shots. It's then just a case of adjusting the LED power and ISO sensitivity to achieve a well-exposed image.

DRIVE MODES