Impromptu Sessions - Just Grab Your Camera and Shoot

During our recent vacation in the Florida Keys an unexpected photo opportunity arose when we stopped off at a cute little oceanside park just past the 5 mile bridge. My daughter’s boyfriend starting climbing a tree, and soon after, she followed. With camera in hand, I snapped some photos of them climbing, sitting and posing for a few couples shots. We had to work around the wind, but I have to share with you this tree shot that is just priceless of the two of them. Here is the sepia-toned image followed by the color version. There are a few others, but I love how her hair was flowing in this amidst the backdrop of the twisty branches.

And here is the color version (below)

If you choose to do a similar tree shoot. Compose your shots to work with the branches rather than fighting them. Below, the widespread branches acted as a support for James in the background, while the larger trunk made a great ledge for Kylie to be seated in the foreground. Another perk of shooting from this angle is that you also get the beauty of the blue sky peeking through the branches.

Seated and smiling, they look very happy and relaxed sitting in the tree. Be sure when shooting from below to utilize a zoom lens to enable you to get close to the couple, and be mindful of their clothing and positioning of their legs so the shots aren't overly revealing or awkward.

Also pay attention to how the light is falling to avoid harsh shadows or harsh patches of sunlight across faces. Unfortunately, I did not have my flash along with me to use a fill flash, however, I think we still managed to pull off some great images considering these were mid day shots, not the ideal time for lighting.

Getting a very natural portrait of a guy, especially a teen male, can be challenging since they aren't typically as into having their photos taken as girls their age. That is why I seized the moment to take some quick portraits of James, having fun and looking very relaxed.

On the ground, the wind proved to be a big challenge (part of the reason we started exploring other areas and shooting by the trees). I did manage to snap this solo beachside shot of Kylie by the tree post.

The lesson learned from this impromptu photo shoot is that when your subjects feel relaxed and in their element, it will show in the portrait session. With family, or even clients, you can stage and pre-plan portrait sessions, but sometimes you have to just throw caution to the wind and work with great opportunities as well as nature’s wonderful props. Forget that they may not have on the perfect outfits or makeup, and just roll with the real life experience. You may be surprised with some of the best, most natural portrait sessions yet! Happy Snappin'!

Making the Pieces Fit

Some days life is like a collage, which takes patience and planning to make things balance and work. This week has been a bit like that. Early in the week, I was excited to see the results of two projects that I had been working on recently. I designed a partial scrapbook using MyMemories™ scrapbooking software which I finished online using Shutterfly’s custom path tools. It was a birthday retrospect for my daughter's boyfriend of fun events over the past year. I was thrilled to see the 8 x 8 book, and James ended up loving it, too! (Pssst, check back soon for a giveaway and promotion involving My Memories scrapbooking software!)

But the day leading up to giving it to him, was eventful. My daughter had an allergic reaction to the lunch I packed. Unfortunately, I mixed up her gluten-free ravioli's with ours. The initial reaction wasn’t too terribly bad and was halted by some benadryl and claritin. She was a bit sleepy and had to chill out at home, which made it perfect for giving James his late birthday presents from us.

Here is James with his photo canvas collage of his high school soccer state championship highlights.

Most photo canvases are just one image stretched over the entire canvas, but Kai wanted to do a collage photos I had taken at the state championship game. Being short on time to execute this, she asked for my professional help. I worked on it in Photoshop to include as many of the important photos as possible along with the game’s scores, list of teammates and James’ name and number. Little did I know that the next day would involve some of the same challenges of trying to make things work out under stress...Kai had two recurring allergic reactions amounting in two separate ER trips in one day. That was a first and hopefully last time for that to happen. Returning home at 6 am the following day, we were less than thrilled with our second ER experience and the lack of care we received from our hospital. It seems more evident than ever that in today’s healthcare system, you are your best and sometimes only advocate for knowing what is best for your child. 

Our lesson learned: if you even think you need epinephrin, you better get over the fear of the needle and administer it yourself. ER personnel seemed to have an even bigger fear or resistance to giving it to you. Who would have thought that I would be forced into a career in nursing, against all creative resistance!

So this canvas represents for me what it often life’s daily challenge...making many things work, fit and balance at the same time while insuring the outcome is pleasing. We send out a huge thanks to Dali Decals for their awesome execution of this 20" x 24" poster-like canvas art and their speedy turn around. We know it is special to James since he is contemplating putting it in place of his Kelly Slater poster!

I hope that your next project allows you to pull all the pieces together and