9-25, Strong Daylight

In continuing my hunt for more outdoor portrait locations, I drug (yes, drug) our teenage son along for assistance.  It was time to update his photos, but not too many teenage boys (or boys of all ages?!) enjoy having their pictures taken.  I have never ordered school pictures for him (ever) and this is the price he has to pay for having a photographer mom (well, one of them.... LOL.....)!  This exercise was  an invaluable lesson in lighting.  I purposely chose the same time to do this as the previous session with our daughter.  The location I had in mind has this wonderful 'character' bridge (I can't call it a real bridge because no water flows under it!).  Much to my dismay, the sun was already quite high in the sky and blazing down on this scene.  For the first image, I used my reflector for a different purpose-- to block the direct sun.  Ideally, a scrim would have been best (a large, light-diffusing panel), but that item has been on my wish list for quite some time will I do my homework on which to purchase.  The reflector, on a light stand way up high, shielded my son's head and shoulders from the glare of the light at least allowing me to capture an image with the bridge.  

The next two images were taken using only the available natural light in the shadows of the surrounding trees.

You've got to let your models have some fun, too.  Here he found a tree to climb and I saw the most authentic smile (the second image) of the session yet.  He was quite some distance from me, but you can see the small catchlights in his eyes from the umbrella I used to bounce light back into his face.

Here is one final image to round off our session.  My experiment yielded the answer to my question regarding lighting on location:  soft box, umbrella or reflector only.  Softbox all the way in my book.  Although I am happy with these images of our son , the lighting yielded from using the soft box is much closer to the effect I am trying to achieve.  I will continue to dabble and play with natural light, but for now my soft box will be my go-to item for future location sessions.  

9-23, Balancing Daylight

Recruiting my little one to be assistant and model is like rolling the dice-- you never know what you're going to get.  I sought out her help yesterday in scouting the area and lighting for an upcoming sibling session.  The trick with this particular session is going to be joining the location that I love with the time of day and lighting that will be less than ideal (but, really when on location is the lighting ideal?).  Many photographers get into photography solely as natural light photographers and may progress into supplemental lighting.  I have rarely focused my work on natural lighting.   I love the intrigue and challenge of balancing the given light of a scene with additional illumination.  This combination is how I achieved the images below and will be again using for the sibling session.  The sunlight in this scenario was high in the sky and coming from about a 45 degree angle to my right.  With no additional light brought into the scene, the first image below was the result.  I could have turned her toward the light, but a squinting smile is as undesirable as half a face in shadow.   There are several methods I could have used to bounce light back into the shadows, but because I work alone (oh yes, with the exception of my little assistant and model) my options are somewhat limited.  My solution?  A speed light (fancy word for external flash) attached to a soft box on a light stand to my left and a few feet from my subject.  Adding the flash to fill in the shadow side of her face, helps balance out the directional light from the sun.  The remaining images utilized the naturally occurring sunlight and the softbox.  Together, the lighting opens up her beautiful smile and shining personality. 

9-20, In Search of Aspen

This is not my first rodeo.... as I kept telling my husband this day.  I don't know why that particular phrase stuck in my head, but it did.  This was not the first year we set out to capture the fall foliage in the Colorado Mountains.  At least this year, I feel we came somewhat closer (last year we ended up at a glacier-- as you may have guessed, glaciers are higher than the aspen tree line.....).  No glaciers this year, but still not that quintessential Colorado aspen image either.  We think we got a pretty early start in our aspen quest, but as I look at my calendar for the weekends in October I'm feeling a little pressed for time to fulfill my search.  Exploring is fun, but already having the knowledge can sometimes be better.  Which region are the leaves at their prime now?  What off-the beaten path or road can the aspen best be viewed?  Our internet searches came up short for this last weekend.  We're closer, but not there yet.  Oh, aspen, we will find you--- but will it be this year?!

All those scouting days hanging out with my dad as a child have paid off.  Look what I spied!

We found aspen in the varying phases of color, some just about to turn and others already past their prime.  This one was glowing fireball. 

There is just something about the molecular content of the air at 9,000 feet that yields a deep, rich blue sky. 

Don't forget the polarizer for your lens if you're in search of the aspen, too.  Rotating the polarizer affects the sun's rays and increases the saturation of blue in the skies and cuts the glare off the leaves.  

9-5, Dillon Reservoir

I love when we discover new, beautiful places in the area where we live.  Other than driving by on the way to somewhere else, I'd never spent time near the Dillon Reservoir.  I must say-- I have a new favorite place!

9-10, Baby Anthony

Babies, babies!  How funny is it that it's been quite awhile since I've photographed babies, and I've had two sessions in the past two weeks of two little boys that are both three months old?  The irony of it!  This little guy is on the reserved side.  He was pretty impressed by the studio lights and not so much by the available light poses.  I think he would have stayed in the studio the entire session if he'd been able to voice his opinion.  I must say it was the quickest session I've had yet-- the ordering session took twice as long as the actually photographing session!  What this little man had no problems voicing was when he was done being the center of attention.  I had to chuckle when his mom told me that he went home and took a four hour nap and slept all night after our time together.  Hmmm..... I remember what it's like to be the mom of a little one-- maybe I should be charging more:  1/2 for my photography fees and 1/2 for the sleeping assistance.  That's too funny!  Thank you, Baby Anthony (and family), for giving me the privilige of capturing this special time for you!  See you again in three months!

7-26, Garnet, MT

If you've followed any of my other posts over the years, you know that I love ghost towns.  When we were recently back home having a dinner with some of my relatives, my uncle mentioned a ghost town that he finally, after a lifetime of having driven past the exit on the interstate, went and saw.  It's name is Garnet and it's not too far from Missoula.  I was intrigued that there was a ghost town so close to where I grew up yet somehow I'd never heard of it.  After all the excitement of our 'west coast tour', we extended our journey on our way home just a little further to go see this old town.  It was a beauty!  We could have easily spent an entire day meandering the old dwellings, but we were lucky enough to have a few hours to spare.  Interestingly enough, I was not the only person attached to their camera and gawking at the sites.  I chatted it up with a few along the way to discover that they were part of a workshop group with the Rocky Mountain School of Photography.  Maybe that will be my next educational adventure..... and a wonderful reason to go back home for awhile!

7-23, Coupeville

The beginning of my solo day began at the Lavender Wind Farm, and the remainder of my day was spent at historic Fort Casey and the town of Coupeville.  It's neat to come back to a place where you started your married life, before kids, and see how much while so little has changed.  Whidbey Island's Coupeville holds a soft spot in my heart.  I remember how exciting it was to move to such a new, beautiful and remote place.  Compared to the city life of the Big Easy, Whidbey Island was a world away.  Part of me has said I could never go back (it's too hard to go back to the beginning, right?) and part of me thinks that's exactly where we need to be.  I guess we'll see where the current takes us as my husband embarks on his journey departing the military life.  Whether our route comes full circle or not, I will always cherish my Whidbey memories and look forward to future visits.  

My 'claim to fame' is that I was the first Kings Pointer (in the 50+ year history of the Merchant Marine Academy) to do an internship with the Washington State Ferries.  Even 10 years later when I needed to make the long commute from Whidbey to downtown Seattle, I still loved the ferry rides.

The view of Ebey's Landing.

Admiralty Head Lighthouse

The Coupeville pier.

Coupeville's waterfront.

A sailing regatta in Penn Cove.

7-23, Island Lavender

Recently on vacation, I had two whole days to MYSELF.  No husband, no kids, no house, no chores, no computer.  What's a girl to do?  I picked up the local paper and read an article about Lavender Wind Farm in Coupeville.  In previous years, Whidbey Island had been our home-- one year in Coupeville and three years in Clinton.  I had no idea that lavender was grown on Whidbey or that there was a local farm.  I have to admit that I have a slight obsession with visiting lavender farms.  Last year, we enjoyed traipsing through the fields in Sequim.  I was so excited to learn about this local Whidbey farm and eager to pay it a visit.  I really can't think of a single thing as relaxing as walking through fields of lavender.  The sight is so beautiful and the smell is so incredibly relaxing.  This farm was above and beyond those things--- it has a view of the Strait of Juan de Fuca.  I can't think of a happier place to be.  I spent several hours meandering the grounds of the farm, camera in hand, senses on alert but in a very serene way.   What's almost as good as the lavender plants themselves?  The products made from the lavender!  I spent another good bit of time browsing the items for sale in the store and selecting my favorites to take home.  I can't wait to go back again!