My wife has a sweet tradition: she loves getting a perfect portrait of each of our kids at age three. Our youngest is almost four now, so we were cutting it close! We’ve taken plenty of photos of her this year, but none quite hit the mark—until last weekend.
The magic happened during a simple 5-minute shoot at my parents’ house. (We kept going for another 10 minutes, but honestly, one of the first few shots was the winner.) Even though it was midday, we found a great spot under a tree in the front yard, where soft, dappled light filtered through the leaves.
Gear & Settings:
Camera: [Canon EOS 5D Mark II](http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/583953-REG/Canon_2764B003_EOS_5D_Mark_II.html)
Lens: [Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8](http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/533555-REG/Sigma_579_101_70_200mm_f_2_8_II_EX.html)
Settings: Aperture priority at f/2.8, ISO 400, shutter speed 1/125s, focal length 125mm
Lighting: Just a [5-in-1 reflector](http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/358607-REG/Impact_R1132_5_in_1_Reflector_Disc.html) (silver side) held by my wife just outside the frame. Even in shade, it added a subtle fill light to brighten her left side and a nice catchlight in her eyes.
Editing Workflow:
1. Selected the best shot and opened it in [Photoshop CS5](http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/721417-REG/Adobe_65081291_Photoshop_CS5_Extended_Software.html).
2. Applied the Soft Portrait preset in [Topaz Labs](http://www.topazlabs.com/aff/idevaffiliate.php?id=366&url=339), tweaking the detail slider slightly.
3. Brightened her eyes and teeth using layer masks for a polished look.
We’re printing it as a 16×20 on watercolor paper to match our son’s portrait from six years ago.
I don’t usually post breakdowns like this, but if you find them helpful, let me know—I’d be happy to share more!