Professional Photography-Being in the Moment!
My blog post from yesterday featured some of my favorite shots, all of them photos that resulted from a moment of spontaneity. Today Facebook popped up another example!
In March 2013 the lovely ladies of the Tyler Clan came for a visit to Freeville. Among the many activities we were all looking forward to were several photo sessions, but photographing anything outside in March in New York was going to be a challenge. Fortunately, it turned out that the temperatures were moderate, and the sky predictably overcast. Why would a cloudy sky bode well for portraits? Because it turned the entire world into a lovely gigantic soft box. No hard shadows on their faces— no matter the angle.
For the morning session I decided on a local field with a lovely creek winding through it. Initially we thought that the monochromatic pallete of colors that the fields and woods were offering that day wouldn’t add much to the shoot, but upon reflection it was awesome.
Morgan and Jamie between shots
The fact that Morgan and Jamie had packed sweaters that played well with the muted colors of the grasses and bushes was completely serendipitous!
In the photo above you see the creek reflecting the trees and sky.
An interesting picture that I really like because of the suggestion of movement in the pose and the bronze reflection from the creek.
However, it was while in between locations that I took the photo that makes me smile the most! Jamie caught in a playful moment, perhaps inspired by wearing my canvas duster and when she thought I wasn't shooting!
In 2016 we had the opportunity to do another photo shoot for Jamie. She was competing for the title of Girl of the West, a young woman that is chosen each year to represent and promote the Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo, and she needed promotional photos. This time we traveled to Colorado where the atmospherics couldn’t have been more different. In this situation, there were very specific wardrobe consideration as the iconic western hat was a must! The western hat is designed to shade the eyes from sun and it’s this function that brings a bit of a challenge to this portrait shot. You must compensate for that deep shadow —especially on a back lit shot—using a reflector to bounce just a bit of light under that brim!
I feel very fortunate to have been the “family photographer” for the Tyler Clan and am looking forward to the next time I can get them all together in one place!
