Who Am I?

Hello! I’m John MacDonald. I’m a photographer and Epson Professional printer based in the Tri-Cities, WA. I specialize in in-home studio family portraiture. I often work with my wife, Marcia, as my assistant. Not only is she a fantastic VAL (Voice Activated Light-stand) because she now knows the difference between a gobo, a scrim, and that funny white/gold thing that is in the black circular bag is (reflector). While these are all great, the real addition she brings to many of my shoots comes from her ability to preemptively know what it will take to get the best expression out of children, born of years as an elementary school teacher.

What is in-home studio family portraiture?

I always think I should get this question a lot, but, in reality people just seem to gloss over this point and ask for directions to my studio. My signature shot is on black, so well I must have shot it in a studio and they want the same look. Well, I did shoot it in a studio. Some of them were even on my property… But, the whole point is that I have the ability to bring the studio to my clients. Over the years I have built up a studio system that fits in my car, can be put together in a few minutes, and my lights all run on battery packs.

Why is in-home studio family portraiture better?

Convenience. Familiarity. Comfort. Everyone is more relaxed when they are in a familiar location and relaxed expressions lend themselves to better photographs. This is especially applicable to late-term maternity photography where comfort is important, to infants that may not like to travel, to toddlers that can sometimes act out in new situations, and to young children that are simply excited to show off the feather boa that they have in their costume box (true story). Sometimes it even means that spouses will complain less about having to go get their picture taken. It also means that I’m there to capture lifestyle images, your children chasing the slobbering dog through the mud, followed by bathtime in the sink or a hose down on the driveway at any rate.

What equipment do you use?

While I somewhat subscribe to the idea that a good photographer can make a good image with any equipment I also do believe that it is also important to get the right image and sometimes that takes specialized gear.

I shoot with Canon cameras (yes, multiple. Always make sure your photographer has backup gear, especially if it is a one-time event like a wedding that can’t be reshot). I use both fast prime lenses (for extremely low-light) and zoom lenses (for versatility). My lighting and studio gear is varied. I use a variety of equipment, some of which I have created myself, from companies such as Manfrotto by Bogen, Canon, Photoflex, Paul C. Buff, and Westcott. I generally shoot my studio style images on washable fabric backdrops as they weigh less than the huge rolls of seamless paper. 9 out of 10 babies seem to agree that while ripping paper is entertaining, chewing on fabric is more fun.