Thursday, September 15, 2011

Thomas Family Photo Session

It was probably the gloomiest, most overcast, dark evening possible... and I was scheduled to do a family photo shoot.   I had been concerned about the light when we scheduled the shoot.  Normally, I only shoot morning or afternoons because I use natural light and not artificial light.  This was definitely going to be an experiment!


The session went great!  The Thomas family arrived and we were off to a location close to my house.  I have known this family for over 20 years and we have a lot of history together.  Therefore, it was a smooth and easy shoot.  They were good sports when I asked them to kneel in the grass or gravel... they smiled when I told them to "squat" in a not so comfortable position...  and, there was a lot of laughing which always makes for great photos!  It was really amazing to see how much their daughter had grown up.  I had this little girl in my first grade many years ago.  I remember her bringing these tiny magnetic animals... her "pets" to school one day.  Now, the kids are not allowed to bring toys to school, but she really needed her "pets" at that time, so we came up with a compromise.  She stuck them all under my desk until the end of the day when she could retrieve them.  I reminded her of this at the shoot and she just smiled - I don't know if she actually remembered it or not (she is all grown up and in Jr. High now!).  I think her Mom thought she had done something "naughty" but honestly, I knew those little "pets" were so important to her at the time and sticking them to my desk helped her feel secure during the day.  Sometimes, you have to think like a first grader! (smile)


So, how did the photos turn out?  Well, initially, I was very concerned.  The light was NOT my friend and in the future, I know that shooting after 5pm in September is not going to be an option - no matter how much I want to do it!  I learned a valuable lesson about the power of LIGHT!  While I am still not totally happy with the photos, the power of photoshop has helped me transform some "light deprived" images into better photographs.  


Conclusion:  The sun is my friend and even if I hate the heat during summer, I love the LIGHT it shines on my photographs!!
























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