Get the BLINK outa here!

     For those photographers out there you know how fun blinking can be in a family portrait. Especially if you are shooting a wedding and the entire cast is tired, hot, and hungry (and your strobes are being triggered by other peoples flashes - more on that later). Read on to find out what you can do to eliminate those closed peepers...

  Here is what I tried with my latest wedding:

I was in a pinch for time to take some family shots and had my wide angle on my Sony a100 (not the best quality glass coupled with my lesser camera wasn't the optimum situation) and my 70-200 2.8 on the Sony a700 (Great quality on both fronts, but 70mm for a group shot isn't the smartest move). So I improvised and prayed. Also I took a couple shots with the wide angle and they came out OK, but I like what my 70-200mm has to offer.

I shot 3 different panoramic shots of the entire scene 2 times. Each time there were a couple of blinkers. I usually tell everyone to blink on the count of three and I take the shot right after.  Some eyes in the group lagged behind their closely packed relatives'. All in all I got what I needed through those 6 shots. 

When I got into Photoshop I used the photomerge tutorial from their help section.  The results were stunning!  Everyone in the picture looked great and I was able to choose which blinkers were hidden behind their respective layer masks.

 

This first attempt saved the photograph and taught me a lesson.... make sure your lenses are on the proper camera BEFORE everyone is assembled and ready to model!

Here are the BLINKERS Before and After:

Thanks to Julie and Tim for letting me capture your special day!  See more photos from the wedding here...