Photo reference of my new twins

Jennifer Geary · 10-28-2004, 03:44 PM

Hello! It has been quite a while since I posted on this forum. I have recently had twins, and of course, they take up a lot of my time, but I would LIKE to start painting again! I really miss the smell of my oils! So, I have taken a few shots of the twins, and am showing you one of them in hopes of getting some response as to whether this is a good reference photo for a painting or not. I think it is quite different! Thanks for any responses ahead of time!
jen geary

Jimmie Arroyo · 10-28-2004, 05:34 PM

I'm not qualified to tell you if it's a good reference, but I did want to congratulate you. They're too cute!

Mike McCarty · 10-28-2004, 05:53 PM

My opinion is that this would make a better photograph than a portrait. I think you will get more mileage out of a more conventional composition.

Chris Saper · 10-28-2004, 05:54 PM

HI Jennifer,

Many congratulations! They look so healthy and beautiful.

I would pass on this as photo resource material and let it remain a photo. It's nearly impossilbe to photograph infants so that you can get good material, unless you have an adult or older sibling holding them. Otherwise you're left to look down at them from above (as in your reference), or past their little double chins up their little noses. I have seen, though several very successful portraits of infants lying on their stomachs, sleeping etc., when the viewer is at eye level with the baby.

Compositionally, as they are arranged in your photo, there's sort of a "spider" composition that invites the eye to move out of the canvas in several different directions.

Why don't you start with some images of your husband holding one, then both twins (if that's possible!) , where you set up a nice natural light source, and a composition where they relate to one another?

You will paint those twins more times than you can imagine!

Jennifer Geary · 10-29-2004, 10:32 AM

Yes, I agree, I suppose, that it would be better as a photo, not a painting. I just thought it was an interesting composition, but you all are right. The more I look at it, the more it wouldn't work. Ah well, back to the drawing board! Thank you for commenting at any rate! And thanks for the congratulations! They were born July 9th, and are now 4 months old today! :-)
Jen