Fidelma Read took first place in Grade A in our recent 'Winter' competition with the stunning portrait above. This is how she made the image:
I took this shot last Winter. My daughter was home from school with a tummy bug that day and then, just after lunch, it began to snow. Well I never saw a child's face to light up as much when she looked out the window.. ! I managed to capture that also as I had the camera ready before I told her.
The tummy ache was soon forgotten and out it was, with the wellies and hats, to throw snowballs. It was super fun. I love to capture these fun times, they are so so precious as they grow up so quickly. I took lots of photos of snowballs going around and the joy of the moment but this one stood out for me. It was a fleeting moment but there is direct eye contact which is what I was hoping for.
It's not always possible with child portraiture and candid shots but I do purposely try to keep an eye to the background and pick my moments as it has a huge bearing on the image. It had turned quite dark with the stormy sky, so to keep my speed up as we chased around I had to push my ISO up to 1000, aperture of f5.6 and speed 1/400. I just did a small bit of post processing then to make it pop a bit more, levels, sharpening etc.
I hope she will enjoy having these images in years to come as much as I have treasured capturing them..
- Fidelma Read
See also:
How I took that Shot - R.J. Mani
How I took that Shot - Keith Johnson
Competition Gallery
Competition Results and 2016 League Table
