Light Walk

In Austin there are several groups I belong to as a professional photographer that are very helpful and encouraging and help me to build my skills and keep them current and fresh. Last night I attended the monthly meeting of the Professional Photographers of Austin, or APPA, where we heard from an awesome photographer – Shelby Lane. She is based in Victoria and specializes in babies and children and she talked about her business journey of the past 8-9 years. I love hearing how other photographers approach the business; it’s something that I can never learn enough about it seems. From my perspective she is a very down to earth teacher, giving what amounts to simple clues that can help anyone willing to listen to hard-learned lessons. I learned a lot! This talk was particularly good for me since I have always loved children and creating portraits to celebrate their lives is something that I have a passion for.

Shelby covered the obligatory “here’s the way I work with kids and here’s the equipment I use” stuff but what was most useful was her experience trying different approaches to build life-long relationships with her clients. I love photography precisely because I can have meaningful friendships and connections with real people and can make something with them that they cherish. A couple of things I walked away with in my pocket:

• A lot happens in a child’s first year of life, so an overall plan to capture key milestones during that year is an awesome way remember those changes and provide a wonderful set of memories to the family.
• Very early on in a child’s life (<1 month) is really the best time to successfully photograph them sleeping.
• Expressions are everything with a baby; when he or she is learning them (around 3-4 months old is when it tends to start) is the most fun time to create portraits focused on expression because this is what everyone in the family has been longing for!
• Older babies (12 months) are great for movement and more actual posing since the child can sit and stand and walk and move about.

I plan to bring some of these things into my business practices over the coming months.

And here’s the booth almost gone. We had a wonderful time meeting very gracious brides and talking about wedding days to come. Almost ready to get the dolly…

The Austin Wedding Extravaganza is today! Our booth is ready and we’re resting before the show opens. Come on down and see all the wonderful possibilities! The Palmer opens at noon and the show closes at 6:00pm.

Regardless of the camera you are using, these steps can help get great results:

1. Frame the subject; photograph only what makes the image matter. Keep distractions out of the picture, make sure all hands are either completely visible, or completely invisible (don’t cut them off at the edge!), and position the subject out of the center for drama.
2. Position the subject with intent; look at everything in the frame and make adjustments to anything that needs it! Create a pleasing background: not too distracting, nothing intersecting with the subject’s head, don’t shoot against the wall (shadows usually don’t look good), don’t shoot towards anything shiny in the background; you can get nasty reflections from glossy cabinets or walls and certainly from shiny metal, and make sure there isn’t any bright light in the frame; this will just make the subject look dark. It can be fun to position the subject directly blocking a bright light (like the sun) for a silhouette look.
3. Light the subject; the interplay between light and shadow is what makes a photograph. Make sure some kind of light is falling on any and all faces; if you are outdoors, position people in the shade looking outward toward light. The flash on your camera will generally do a better job if it only has to augment the existing light, rather than provide all the light on the subject. Note that natural light generally looks more natural than flash. A window or even a regular household lamp can provide a great light for a face. Remember also that light is what makes a person look “real”; if all the light comes from the camera position the person can tend to look “flat”, but if more light is landing on one side than on another they take on a more three-dimensional look.
4. Coach; sometimes what people are wearing is just as important as expression or scene. If possible, coach the subject on what to wear; clothes should not draw attention away from the faces! (Well, unless you’re trying to sell clothes…)

With those steps in hand, your photographs will look great.

We all know about the Austin 360 bridge; it spans the Lower Colorado River on Loop 360 and is uniquely Austin. There are so many cool angles and views around the bridge that it just makes a perfect place for photography. One of the important characteristics of a good photograph is “place”; where the photograph is taken and what it says about the person in the photograph. For portraits of people, the bridge can place them “here” and help identify something important; their life in Austin.

One of my favorite vantage points is from the cliff to the NW of the bridge; from there you can see over the top of the bridge and all the countryside around it. It’s a fairly easy climb to get to the top and enjoy the overlook view.

Here are some images from a recent sunset session.

If you want an “Austin” portrait, this is one of the many cool places to go.

Closeup of Kristen and the arch of the bridge in the distance

Shooting from down low to only see the bridge and sky

The rays of sunset are almost parallel to the North-bound traffic.