A couple of casual portraits, just because the evening light is always so nice. I simply opened up the front door to the house and had him stand in doorway. Special locations aren’t necessary….it’s all about the light.
Category Archives: Portraits
When Ryan asked me if I’d be willing to do some head shots for him, I didn’t hesitate to say yes, but I made sure he knew I’d never done them before. Somehow I knew that wouldn’t be an issue with him, though, because he is the epitome of the perfect client…easy going, carefree, always happy, super flexible and is down for anything. His fiance, Renae, is much the same, which is why I’m SO looking forward to their wedding on 10/10.
I was meeting Ryan and Renae to go over last minute wedding details anyway, so we decided we’d knock out the head shots after that. That is, until Junior decided to Just. Stop. Working. Absolutely nothing happened when I pressed the shutter release, for what seemed like forever. No problem, I don’t crack under pressure. While Ryan and Renae were concerned about me, I was apologizing profusely while running to get Big Daddy, aka, my backup camera. I got situated, turned it on, took a few shots to get my exposure right and It. Quit. Working. The battery died. Feeling a little sheepish while they waited patiently for me to get my act together, I inserted the spare battery and took a few more test shots only to have it quit. Again. Another dead battery. (Mind you, they’re fully charged before every wedding in case I ever need to use it. Apparently they’re not holding their charge very well these days.)
So, after 1 dead camera and 2 dead batteries, I’d exhausted all of my options and was completely embarrassed. The wonderful client’s they are, they were more worried about my situation then the fact that they were inconvenienced. Luckily we were able to reschedule for the next morning, provided I could get my act together, lol.
Sunday morning we headed over to the local soccer field, because Ryan is a huge soccer fan. He even owns a semi-pro team. I really wanted the head shots to represent him.
Whenever I’m shooting, I prefer to start out in a way that puts the subject most at ease. For Weddings that’s usually when they’re getting ready at the salon, and for Engagement Sessions I tend to start out shooting from a distance so I’m not up in their face. For this…what better way than to kick the ball around for a bit?
Then we moved on to some casual head shots in the t-shirt. This is one of my favorite ones from the session, because it’s just Ryan. A few times I’d asked him not to smile, and when going through the images I tossed almost all of them. He’s always smiling, so it’s just not natural to see pictures of him with a serious face.
There are 2 different versions of this shot. Focus on the ball:
And focus on him. This is another one of my favorites.
I got so wrapped up in shooting and getting finished in time that I almost forgot to take some of him in his nice shirt!
Ryan, thanks for being so patient and understanding, and thanks for the opportunity. I’ll see you in a few weeks!
P.S. For my Photographer friends and client’s with weddings coming up, I want to let you know that Junior has been sent to the Canon repair center for a checkup. I think his shutter may be going, and it’s better to be safe than sorry.
I first met Joyce at Origins, which is a coffee shop that recently opened in Homer. (I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am about the fact that there’s a cool coffee shop with a great vibe nearby for me to meet clients.) Joyce’s bubbly personality was infectious from the moment she said “hi”. She’s outgoing, positive and fun, as are her future in-laws, and I knew I was going to have a blast as her Wedding Photographer. Matt was over in Germany at the time, but I knew after talking with his fiance and parents that he’d be just as cool as they were. I was right.
Joyce & Matt met Missy & I at my house Tuesday morning for their session, and we all rode over to Robert H. Treman State Park in Ithaca together. In the car Joyce kept exclaiming how much fun she was having, and I kept telling her the fun hadn’t even started yet. I honestly don’t know how anyone could possibly be in a bad mood when she’s around, lol.
It started to drizzle right after we arrived, so we started out under cover.
The drizzle only lasted a few minutes, and then we were able to make use of the scenery.
To my couples: it’s *totally* OK not to smile in pictures. In fact, sometimes I might ask you not to smile.
There’s something about this one that I really like.
Confession time: I’m not going to lie, I do a lot of Engagement Sessions at parks, and sometimes I worry that I’ll get stuck in a rut and come home with the same ol’ stuff I’ve shot before. What I forget sometimes is that each couple is different, and it’s impossible to get the same pictures when I’m working with different personalities each time. I think these next images are going to become some of my all-time favorites. The light is great, the location is beautiful, and the connection between Joyce & Matt is undeniable.
You knew there was a ring shot coming. Joyce’s ring is gorgeous, and I’ve never seen one like it. It’s a tension setting, so the middle diamond is floating, held together by those two prongs. Nice job, Matt!
My BFF’s daughter and future Daughter-in-Law is turning 6 on Tuesday. It’s been an honor to photograph her through the years, and I’m always amazed at how well she takes direction. If I say to her “turn your body away from me just a little bit”, she knows exactly what I’m looking for. She’s a natural in front of the camera, and her big, brown eyes just draw you right in. In no time I’ll be shooting her Senior portraits. It’s amazing how fast time flies.
Anyway, here are my favorites from our session yesterday in fields of flowers.
