250510-22 It might appear to you that photographers just point their cameras and push a button but I assure you that there is so much more to it than that. There are so many camera settings that we need to know about and we have to decide where to place you and how to pose you. At the same time that we are having a great conversation with you, we are asking lots of questions in our minds such as "Which way is the wind blowing?", "Which way is the light shining?", "Does she have any stray hairs in front of her face?", "Does she have catchlights in her eyes?", "Are there any distractions in the background?" and "Was that my stomach growling?". 

This photo of Lacee is one of my favorites from our last session. The lighting beside the building was awesome. Her eyes have great catchlights. The colors worked together really well. The wind was behaving for a moment. Lacee does a great job with her makeup and I am sure that you will agree that the color of her lipstick definitely adds the finishing touch to this portrait.

Here is another one of my favorites from that session and we used the available lighting in a different way...

250510-74 In the first image, Lacee was standing in the shade facing the light that was coming into that covered area but in the second image, we had incredibly soft light bouncing towards us from the wall across the lane. This is why the transition from highlight to shadow is softer in the second image and yet at the same time, look at the beautiful catchlights in her eyes. Her face was positioned so that she would have some shadow on the side of her face but still have plenty of light in her eyes.

This is why I love being a portrait photographer. Studying light, studying color and learning how to make your experience even better. Thank you to everyone who allows me to be your photographer.