the right light

My entry into photography began with a passion for portraiture; brides, babies, families, and eventually my own children. Because I was shooting soft and subtle subjects, I had to develop an eye for soft and subtle light. Since my photo training didn’t go any further than Photo 101, I had no idea how to use artificial light (aka a flash of any kind) and therefore had to learn how to achieve my desired results using natural light whenever humanly possible. After much trail and error and working at fine tuning my eyes to see the light (I swear I am not trying to be cheesy) I can now say that I’ve got it down.

So, why then did it not occur to me that the same rules can apply when shooting other subjects?

As I have turned my lens to the beauty of natural elements (flowers, trees, found objects) I guess I found myself in a similar light learning curve. As I was figuring out what worked and what didn’t, what I liked and what I didn’t, I wasn’t even falling back on the techniques I had already worked out. It wasn’t until I shot this blooming agapanthus that it clicked. I never tire of that pun. Why did this shot come out so well (with no photo editing needed at all) when other attempts on other days didn’t? The answer was simple. I shot the image in the late hours of the afternoon during the delicate light of dusk. The light was soft and my aperture was wide open (by default I might add as the camera was doing it’s best to gather as much light as it could under the dimming circumstances) which usually creates the perfect alchemy for an exquisite photo of any kind.

As I have taken my new/old lesson to heart, my nature photos have dramatically improved. I’m not saying you need soft light to capture lovely flower pictures. You don’t. But today, I challenge you to try treating your nature photos more like portraits. Schedule a session or two with the blossoms and blooms that are waking with the warmth of Spring. Be mindful of the light and try to flatter your subject as you would a dear friend. Relax and enjoy yourself and watch your nature photography bloom.

Authentic

This is a shot taken from my first senior portrait shoot of the season. It started out the same way they all do. With me wondering if my clients think my minivan makes me uncreative. And with my clients wondering if I'm going to make them sit on a bail of hay and say "NUT BALLS". Kellye made it clear in an email to me beforehand when she said "I just don't want to look uber-cheesy". It was her way of saying  "make me look good". After fifteen years of shooting, I can't tell you how many times I've heard that. And it's understandable. In all honesty, it's also easy part. Looking good is just about light, and posing and angles. It's about stuff that can be packaged up into a nice formula.

What can't be packaged up, is what my clients are really saying, which is: "Make me look good, and make me look like myself". This is the challenge. Because it's hard to find the real parts of a person when you don't know them. If you're looking for something real, you must be willing to be vulnerable too. Even then, the real parts of a person might still remain illusive. And that's okay. I've gone through many successful photo shoots, positioning people in pretty light, making them "look good". And it's enough. As an observer/photographer/human being, it's a rush when authenticity happens. But as it is in every day living, you never know when it will.

And that's how this shoot went. We started off posing. The light was as beautiful as she was (is). And it was fine. Then she got out her gi and her sword. And the girl who'd been politely smiling and posing, turned into a Force of Nature. Something in her eyes showed up, that was all her own. A Black Belt in Karate, she turned a sword fight into a dance. And I was completely mesmerized by her transformation. I realized that this was her Art. This was what made her feel most like her Self, and I felt privileged to capture it. It also made me think about how we all have that Thing that makes us feel like our Selves. Whether it's baking a cake, or writing stories, organizing drawers, or delivering babies...there is something that makes us feel at home. It's the part of you that that has always been there. The part that you don't question. What is that part for you?