In a portrait state of mind

I have been recharged and focused on my photography since the beginning of the year. It feels great to be making images! The most challenging and rewarding type of photography - for me - is making portraits. In a short amount of time a trust forms between you and the sitter. Artistic vision, posing, location and the electricity in the air combine to create images that capture the essence of the person in front of the camera.

Portrait work can be as easy as a snapshot, or as complex as a studio setup with props and lights. I enjoy direct and simple portraits, especially those made with natural light. I like to keep my backgrounds and props simple, and bring the focus back to the subject.

I had the opportunity to photograph Krissy and her boyfriend Robert this week. What a great couple to work with. I've know Krissy for a few years, but just met Robert the day of the shoot. 

These images were made almost entirely with natural light. To camera right is a large sliding glass window diffused with a white sheet. To left is a large gold reflector to bring light back into the subject on the shadow side of the face. A few times I used my speedlight to pop in a very small amount of fill flash to make up for what the reflector wasn't giving me.

It was a great photo session, and was over before we knew it. I am usually full of energy when I shoot, and like to keep working and posing, but not too quickly. I also like to let the subjects pose themselves, and then tweak their posing with a head lift or moving an arm slightly. This the first few photos usually lead to some great artistic opportunities that come both by working towards a style or angle, and by happenstance. It is a lot of fun to have these magic moments happen.  Here are a few photos from the session, I hope you enjoy them.