Idaho Urban Cowboy

[JaredB]

I wanted my first picture post on this forum to be of my favorite subject matter - my children. This photo was taken a number of years ago (my son is now 4) and was taken with a small Sony point and shoot camera. We got this hat for TJ and just had to setup some shots to use it.

This is setup just in the middle of our living room using a white bedsheet. TJ is sitting on a little rocking chair that I had as a boy to prop him up (under the sheet).

The reason that I titled this thread "Urban Cowboy" is that we noticed in looking at the shots later that we had our little guy in a cowboy hat - but we also had him in a sleeveless sweater! Not really your typical "cowboy dress" by any means! :) This is still one my favorite shots of my son and I get a chuckle every time I view it. That, to me, is a sign of a photograph worth hanging onto.

http://www.PhotoShare.co.nz/PhotoShareGallery1/100044/107670/TJcowboy29939_M.jpg

[Harv]

Now that's a well thought out photo, Jared. Good for you. I love it. Great shot and good thinking.

Point 'n' Shoot ???????? Hard to believe. I guess it's true that the camera does not a photographer make. Two thumbs up.

[Bobby]

Great photo Jared. Your love for your children and wanting to chronicle their life through images certainly is evident in this shot.

[JaredB]

Thanks Harv and Bobby - I very much appreciate your comments. I have some more 'processed' versions of this shot but I prefer the more raw work in a lot of cases, this being one of them.

TJ was young enough at this point in his life that he had trouble sitting up for this shot for any period of time - and actually took a couple of good spills off this chair as we were trying to "get the shot". He survived, but he sure became easier to shoot once he had a little bit more body contol! :)

[Keith]

Well thought out and very cute, handsome young man! It would be interesting to see the Raw file to the original to the out put here..... as a very small nit, it's lacking a little punch for b&W to show him off. Not hard to tell why your children are your favourite subjects........mine are a little more gunshy now they are getting older.

Here is a b&w I did not too long ago. I personally like the shallow DOF but its not for everyone.

http://www.pbase.com/keithrankin/image/55996809/original.jpg

[JaredB]

Well thought out and very cute, handsome young man! It would be interesting to see the Raw file to the original to the out put here..... as a very small nit, it's lacking a little punch for b&W to show him off. Not hard to tell why your children are your favourite subjects........mine are a little more gunshy now they are getting older.

Here is a b&w I did not too long ago. I personally like the shallow DOF but its not for everyone.

Thanks for the comments Keith - I appreciate it. Yes - this file does lack the normal punch that I would attempt to apply to a monochrome portrait and that is for one major reason - I really did not know what I was doing with PS back then! I was still learning the post processing game and did not really have a clue what I was doing (like I do now - not!). This was just a JPG shot in black and white mode on a point and shoot camera.

You have insprired me to take the original file (need to go find it) and give it the once over in Photoshop and see what I can do with it. I will post the result in this thread if I get something worth looking at.

Your shot is wonderful - gorgeous young girl and I really like the shallow DOF - its one of the reasons that I like to shoot my kids with the 50mm prime - to get that very blurred background. Great shot and yours has that "punch" that mine is lacking.