This past weekend, in lieu of the upcoming holidays, I had the opportunity to take pictures of my friend Kathy and her beautiful children! With this being my first time to actually photograph a family that was not my own was exciting but also nerve-wrecking.
I've been a practicing photographer for over 12 years now and for whatever reason I am just NOW am getting into portraiture. I have to say I love it. There is something magical about capturing love especially between siblings so candidly!!! The challenge of light and time is invigorating because these are moments that can disappear in a blink of an eye. Literally! Maybe one day I will get the hang of it, till now bear with my imperfections!
Some lessons learned:
- Taking the time to frame the shot. I used a F/1.8 50mm lens and found it difficult to get the hang of capturing a shot without cutting off limbs of the subjects awkwardly. No zoom, means you are having to move yourself to get the best frame. This can be tiresome for both the you and your client.
- Focus. I love the lens that I used because of the amount of light that it lets in without having to adjust the shutter speed. However getting close up, I spent quite a bit of time trying to focus properly. At some point I had to rely on manual focusing which can be super unsettling since I could not tell if my pictures were okay until I uploaded them to my computer.
- Time. Golden Hour- Sunset- is my favorite time to take pictures, however you are very limited to timing. I would advise to start an hour earlier. Practice while you can and take the time to see what really works.
Maybe one day I will get the hang of it, till now bear with my imperfections!
Let me know if you have any recommendations and suggestions! I am all ears to learning and improving!
