I have, for a long time, wanted to get a family photo with my mother and all my siblings. It has proven to be impossible to get my entire immediate family and their children together at one time and in one place. Thanks to the photo editing tools available to us, I was able to get my entire family in one picture without having them all at one gathering. This took some time, and a whole lot of traveling on my part, but finally, my dream came to fruition. If you have trouble getting your family together, you may want to try this.
I first had to select a common background. I wanted the finished shot to be outdoors. Most of us live in the south, so I decided on oak trees as my canvas. The photo above was taken at New Orleans City park.
The first leg of my journey was to my sister's in Nashville, TN.
Then my brother Johnny's family in Covington, LA.
My brother Chris and his family in Mandeville, LA.
Then I gathered my own family in City Park for a nice family shoot. It's a good idea to make it an event and maybe go to dinner or lunch.
Back on the road to Mobile, AL to capture my sister Kerri and her family.
I had to elicit help from Johnny to do a family shoot when he visited my youngest brother Casey in North Pole, AK.
Back to City Park for my nephew and his family.
And finally, the most difficult person to track down was my seventy-something mother who is constantly on the move.
I have to give credit to my niece Chelsie for doing most of the editing work in Photoshop, extracting each family from their original shoot. Another reason I wanted everyone to be outdoors near grass and trees is this: Our clothes and skin reflect colors of our surroundings. So the green tint of the leaves and grass can be seen in in what we are wearing and in our skin and eyes. I wanted the final image to appear as if we are all in the same place at the same time.
Chelsea and I put it all together in Photoshop using selection and extract tools. We also had to color correct to match the different lighting situations. I ordered 7x10 inch prints mounted on foam board and ready to hang and gave each family a copy for Christmas. They were all thrilled to have such an image, and all of our efforts paid off.
6 Comments
Sep 1, 2019, 10:53:22 AM
Chuck Billiot - Hi Chris, thanks for the comments. I know how hard it is to get everyone together. Let me know whenever you are ready.
Aug 31, 2019, 8:11:16 PM
Chris B ZImmer - Loved this journey Chuck! I love the photo's. Amazing putting it all together!!
Haven't had a family photo since the last time you too it. Maybe I need to get another planned. It's been about 12 years. That's sad. Christmas goal!
Aug 30, 2019, 3:17:40 PM
Chuck Billiot - Thank you Diana. And since then we have grown by one more, and another due in January!
Aug 30, 2019, 3:01:44 PM
Chuck Billiot - Thanks Roberta! My family was very pleased.
Aug 30, 2019, 2:51:03 PM
Roberta Maranto - Great idea Chuck! Good work on the completed composition.
Aug 30, 2019, 2:01:31 PM
Diana Dysart - Amazing, that is a beautiful family! Great job.
Sincerely,
Diana