Matching composition to the setting?

[Julie Deane]

Thanks, Michele, Cindy and Garth -

I guess I'll go with a normal perspective depending on what looks good with the children and the scene.

Mom wants separate portraits so that the kids can each have theirs when they are grown. She could have picked two other spots for display in the house, but they did not lend themselves well to individual portraits (the spaces were horizontal and smaller).

The plus side is that the portraits will be one of the first things to catch the eye upon entering the home. If I leave business cards with her, maybe she will do as her friend and my previous client did - and pass them out to interested parties.

[John Crowther]

A quick thought, and perhaps something to think about (and hopefully not confuse the issue), the low angle perspective you're talking about was common in Renaissance painting, especially in large altar pieces. In Italian the term in "da basso in su." Think Tiepolo.

John C.

[Julie Deane]

Interesting, John. I like Tiepollo, but these are kids I'm doing. No high drama, so to speak.