10-10, Mass Ascension (4 of 12)

Every morning, it was a race to get to the balloon field prior to dawn.  The exploratory Dawn Patrol would take flight assessing the weather and winds and transmitting that information back to the field to disperse to the participants.  So, if the twilight glows were like being a kid in an amusement park, I felt these moments prior to the sunrising was like waiting for that moment you could sneak downstairs to see if Santa came.  Suspense and excitement.  Oh, and I must not forget serene.  Watching the balloons almost silently rise off the field and float away was like watching butterflies.    Almost like watching man take flight for the first time.....awesome.  

10-10, The People of the Fiesta (3 of 12)

As entertaining as the balloons were during the glows, I found the people to be equally interesting.  It was neat to see how excited the crews and crowds were.  And even though the people were sardined into the balloon field, everyone was so incredibly nice.  The joy of the event was contagious.   The warmth radiated from both the balloons and the people.  Just look at their expressions...... like little kids at an amusement park, I'm telling you!

10-10, Twilight Glows (2 of 12)

The balloon glows at dusk (just for show) and dawn (prior to take-off) are beautiful.  If you've forgotten what it's like to be a little kid in an amusement park, I think this experience would rekindle those feelings.  Every foot of grass was covered people, balloons, lines, gear, etc, and you had to bob and weave around to make your way through the maze.  In the darkness, you could hear the "psshhh, psshhh" of the flames igniting and warming the air inside the balloons. The crowds cheered as the balloonists did this in unison creating a symphony of sound and mesmerizing glows.  

And as if this weren't enough, the evenings concluded with spectacular fireworks displays that would rival any 4th of July show.  

10-10, Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta 2015 (1 of 12)

A few weeks ago, my family and I had the opportunity to join friends at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta.  It was an amazing, awesome, fun and unique experience.  Because our friends crew for two of the balloons, we got a behind-the-scenes look at ballooning and all that is involved.  I wanted to capture every moment of this new experience, and in so doing I took over 800 photos.  800!!  I know my Fiesta friends are waiting to see my photos, so I apologize for the delay.  It takes a good bit of time to organize and edit that many photos!  Alas, I have a game plan for sharing my photos with you.  Rather than one giant blog post, I will be publishing several smaller ones.  So, let the sharing begin...... the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta 2015.  Oh what an awesome time.......  let's begin with some smiles!

10-5, Sweet Nellie

Pet sessions are fun.  It must be what it's like to be a grandparent... a little bit, anyway.  All the fun and none of the responsibility when your time is up!  I spent a pleasant afternoon with Miss Nellie and her mommy the other day.  It was a bittersweet session.  Sweet, well of course, just look at that face and bitter because Nellie is getting on in years and her health is deteriorating.  Her loyal owner wanted to document this beautiful boxer and the love that they share.  There were so many precious moments (215 to be exact) that it was hard to dwindle it down to the 10 favorites you see here.  Thank you, Mommy Marion, for letting me into your lives to capture this beautiful bond you share with Nellie.  There is no doubt she always has been and always will be loved.

9-27, Lotito Kids

I had a fantastic time with the kids from my sibling session last weekend.  I thoroughly enjoyed every minute spent with these charming, beautiful kids.  They were awesome sports willing to lend a hand (or two or three) to carry gear, pose for lighting tests and hike through open space in search of suitable locations.  They were funny and compliant.  It seems as if every session I have I discover attributes which make my job that much easier.  Thank you, Grace, Gabe and Nick (and their awesome mom) for a great session full of smiles!  

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.