Graduating Senior portrait session

On Tuesday I met Linsey and her dad for her senior session; she was a little nervious in front of the camera at first but warmed up quickly. I find that I like to do the generic shots first before getting to the creative stuff; that gets the subject used to being photographed and they loosen up a little. I rarely use the initial shots but they are a great warm-up. Playing music they like helps a lot, too...John Mayer is almost always a good choice! I'm learning some of his songs for my music gigs.





I have been studying a lot lately to learn more about lighting and portrait techniques and it really paid off today. I almost always try to work with natural light first and then add flash only if needed. Most of these were shot with only sunlight and a reflector.






This was the last shot of the session and I love how it turned out. I suggested that she bring along something unique to her to use as a prop. As it turns out, she loves to work with stained glass. I had her dad hold the piece behind her and I zoomed in tight; I put the sun behind her and held the reflector with one hand while shooting with my right...a little awkward but, hey, whatever it takes to get the shot!

Danielle and Michael's Wedding Day

This was the most fun I've ever had shooting a wedding; I also provided DJ services and had an assistant handle music during the times I was shooting important parts. The wireless lapel mic comes in very handy when I'm announcing their grand entrance AND shooting it at the same time. They got married on Feb. 29; does that mean they only have an anniversary every 4 years?