November 11, 2010

Brandon & Pierce

My nephew, Brandon, asked me to photograph him and his friend with their favorite cars. I was pretty excited because this was my chance to get a couple of tough guys with their tough cars. Next time I photograph black cars at twilight however, I will be sure to recommend a wardrobe color other than black! lol Live and learn! :o)



November 4, 2010

Oct 24 Bradlie

Even though she might not always enjoy it, Bradlie often helps me with my appointments. She acts sort of like my gopher - carrying my extra equipment, helping with reflectors or other such things, but why I really love having her with me is her undeniable people skills. For a teenager, she is great with putting everyone at ease in front of the camera. Her great sense of humor makes kids laugh and as a bonus for me, she has come up with some really great posing ideas on the fly!

October 24 she helped me yet again and sat still while I took some test shots getting all my settings ready for lighting and locations. Normally I delete the test shots, but I just had to play with these. Photos like these are why I prefer location sessions without backdrops and studio lighting. I feel like I can get a better sense of someone's personality and I hope that comes through in my work.



No fan I own could have blown her hair so perfectly off her face for me.


We played around with various poses so I could see what I liked and didn't like. It was a bit chilly and definitely windy, but I don't always mind the hair in the face looks.



It seems the serious face is incredibly favored in teens right now and Bradlie is no exception. I tend to like the serious look myself, but what Mom or Dad can resist and true, giggly smile from their child? I know Bradlie does not think much of these two photos, but they are very dear to her family.

I remade the above photo in color for my Grandma. It never fails that every time I create a black and white of the kids, she asks for the same photo in color. lol I had forgotten myself for a minute when I worked these shots, so I went back to get a color smiley for Grandma
.

When taking serious face shots for young people I always try to tell them to "soften" their eyes, smile with only their eyes, or some other version of looking serious without looking angry. It can be a difficult trick to master, but once someone gets the hang of it, it can completely change the whole look of their session. It may just be the Mom in me, but I've always thought Bradlie's expressive face is the perfect tool to show someone how to "smile with only their eyes". I'm pretty sure she feels like a performing monkey when I ask her to show someone what I mean, so I try to show them myself. She's still way better at it than I am. lol

A couple of recents

I forgot (again) to post sneak peeks, but here are a few samples from a couple of recent sessions. We had a great time and I think everyone's portraits were fantastic!

The Gensler Family
I really enjoyed spending a Saturday afternoon with the Genslers. Their children were gorgeous and really enjoyed playing around with me and my camera. Mom and Dad even got in on the fun with me!





The Hartwig Children
What a couple of incredibly photogenic kids! I am so excited about their session and I hope they love their portraits as much as I do. Both kids have amazing eyes that made my work so much fun.