The (unexpected) photoshoot

You live, you learn

So in my last post I talked some about how my photography has changed in the two years since I started. I feel like it’s important to point out that I know I’m still a rookie. Sure, two years is a good chunk of time, but I’m still far behind those who have been doing this for decades. With that said, today I’m going to talk about how, even though I’m still learning, I've grown as a photographer.

Times, they are a changing

To fully tell this story, I have to take you back to Thanksgiving 2012. I was in the kitchen with my sister, her cooking while I edited pictures. I don’t know about you, but when I’m editing pictures, I get completely absorbed. Sure, I can make conversation, but my mind is primarily analyzes the exposure of a picture; is it bright enough? Too bright? Does the color look a bit icky? The hamster in my head runs and runs until every picture is exactly how I imagined it. So when my sister sat down next to me and handed me a card, I was slightly startled. It’s not that I forgot that she was in the room, just sort of…yeah, I forgot. Confused as to what was going on, and extremely skeptical, I listened as she explained that though we normally don’t exchange presents on Thanksgiving, she had one for me. Internally going through a list of reasons as to why she would randomly be giving me something, in a card, on Thanksgiving day, I slowly opened the card. And to my surprise, inside was a simple, small sentiment. I was going to be an Auntie again :)

The (not) so shocking truth

I’m not gonna lie, it threw me through a loop. I know it was a surprise to them, none of us expected them to have another baby for a good couple of years. But once I recovered from the initial shock, the excitement took over. Another little niece or nephew to love on, and of course a chance to start over with all the photo-shoots I've done with my nephew. Almost immediately my mind started spinning with all the ideas, and the Pinterest madness began again.

Oh, the possibilities

Step one was figuring out where to begin. After talking with my sister about what she would like, and giving her some of my input, we both decided that the first shoot should be the announcement of the baby, since I was the only one they had told. After deciding where to start, the next step is always developing the concept and figuring out the location. I was lucky enough this time to already have some shots in my head, and my sister was the one to figure out the location when I explained what I was looking for. So we headed up to Baldy after church one Sunday.

Photographer vs. nature

I can honestly say this turned out to be the hardest shoot I've done yet. Trying to find what I was picturing in my head in a terrain consisting of ups and downs, a stream of water, and very large rocks was a bit more than I had in mind. 

This time, however, I scouted ahead to find the right spot, and then a path that would be easy for the preggo lady. The last thing I wanted was to exhaust her, or even worse for her to fall. But once I found each location, they felt right.

Since we were so close to Christmas at the time of the shoot, we decided to figuratively kill two birds with one stone and do their Christmas pictures at the same time.

Setting the scene

Once I found the spot, I strung some red tree ornaments I had picked up from target. Going ahead of them worked out great, since it gave me time to setup and gave the pregnant lady time to eat her lunch ;)

The location of the sun at that point proved to be a bit challenging  since it took more time than I had expected to find each location and set everything up. Yet another example of how still naive my skills and knowledge are. But like I said, you pick yourself up, brush yourself off, and learn from the experience. 

 It makes this process so much easier when the pictures still turn out how you imagined them.

 The end justifies the means

After everything was said and done, I loved how they turned out. And more importantly, so did my sister. The location was perfect, it provided both the greenery I was looking for, along with the stones and rustic looking trees to hang the ornaments from. Some of them were a bit tricky to edit, especially with the overexposed lighting. But I managed, and got their card layout done as well.

So there you have it, two years later, and I'm starting to get the hang of this whole photography thing ;)

Tell me, what was your biggest growing point? Is there something in particular that you feel you've grown on?

An insight into the past

Well hello there.....

I've stared at the screen for going on 15 minutes now, unable to write. Paralyzed with the pressure of my first post, all I can think is how do I start? Where do I begin? It's a daunting task, to be sure.

Lets start with the truth. I've been meaning to get this blog up and running for about a year, but in my day to day life I honestly just don't have the time. Or maybe I don't make the time. I'm not going to lie, this hasn't exactly been a priority. But seeing as I'm bed ridden for a few days due to a blocked gland and an extremely swollen and painful face, I don't have much else to do. So here we are, four o'clock in the morning, waiting for my next dose of Vicodin to kick in, and inspiration hits.

My little love 

                                                    

Meet Caden, is he not the cutest little thing there ever was? He's also my main model. 

How it all started

I began really getting in to photography when my sister found out she was pregnant with him two years ago. She approached me about wanting maternity pictures, but did know where to go and honestly didn't want to shell out the cash. After thinking about it for some time, I thought why not? I can snap a few quick shots to document her pending mommyhood. And thanks to Pinterest, there was no lack of inspiration. So I volunteered, and began planning. 

Decisions, Decisions

In the beginning I had every intention of doing four or five quick shots at the local park. But after loitering around Pinterest for a while (lets be honest, I spent like five hours on it. I'm an unabashed Pinterest addict) I began to get excited. Really excited. The more I thought about it, the more obsessed I became. I decided that since it was officially fall (my nephew was due the last week of October) that could be my main inspiration. 

The location

After deciding to explore the fall theme, I immediately knew what the location had to be. Ever since I was a little girl, Oak Glen has always represented fall in my mind. The colors of the trees are a rich orange and crisp red, the pumpkin farms are full, and the apple orchards are ripe and gorgeous. There's nothing like it. And since my sister shares my love of Oak Glen, she was an easy sell. Thinking that my nephew would be coming just about any day (in reality he made us wait an extra week past his due date), I scrambled to get everything together and head up. 

Still a bit green

That first shoot was a challenge. I honestly didn't consider any of the (now) obvious key issues. Lighting, timing, weather, and the fact that I was hauling around a very pregnant and very tired lady. To be honest, looking back now I'm pretty embarrassed by my lack of consideration and common sense. I didn't call ahead to see what time the ranches closed (two of them closed five minutes after we got there), didn't check the weather to make sure there wouldn't be random heat wave (which there was) and I didn't look at the steep little hike we would be making and consider that my sister was 39 weeks pregnant and had a separated pelvis. I also made the poor decision of taking my dog along, who I love dearly but is extremely needy and distracting to the point of driving me, and her, insane (honestly he's more like a child than a dog). If that first client hadn't been my sister, I know for a fact they never would have approached me again for another session. And who would blame them? All these things are our jobs, and it's extremely important to pay equal attention to them as to the pictures themselves. 

What a champ

Despite all of this, my sister was an absolute trooper. I don't remember her complaining once, or even asking for a break, though I'm sure she desperately needed one. 

My camera was a simple Nikon Coolpix L22 

Though it has 12 mp, it was was pretty basic. I'm still extremely proud of how how they turned out, despite my inexperience and lack of equipment. I truly believe that by starting out with such a simple camera, I was able to learn even more about photography. Rather then rely on the camera, I had to use my natural ability to find the right angle, lighting, and potential. And to be honest, it was as exciting as it was frustrating. But in the end, the pictures still turned out beautiful.

You don't always get what you want

 Looking back, there are definitely things that I would have done differently. For instance, the light exposure and lens, the colors, and the distance . I also would have brought an extra set of batteries (confession: I still struggle with this bad habit) so that when they died I wouldn't have to switch over to my iPhone. Over time I've discovered that no matter what, when I look back at a shoot there's always something I would have done differently. Sometimes its frustrating when I see something so clearly in my head, but I can't make it happen in print. But I've had to learn to keep this frustration at bay, because the truth is that the most important thing is that the client is happy. And not to toot my own horn, but I've yet to have an unhappy client. Granted at this point most of my sessions are done for my sister, but she still counts ;) So to all you photographers out there, don't be too hard on yourself. I know we're our own worst critics, but make sure that your obsession with getting just the right shot doesn't jeopardize your relationship with your client. Because lets face it, they're the reason you even have a job, so their opinion is 100% the most important.

You live, you learn

Overall I'm still proud of them, and I certainly learned a lot. I also fell in love with photography. I never have as much fun as I do when I'm behind the lens of my camera. There's something about it that just frees me. But I do believe our artistic duty is to constantly look at our work and consider how we can improve.

I ended up doing a second, shorter shoot with just her Downtown, I can't recall why.

But I'm glad I did. Now, almost two years later and after many, many more photos I'm still content with the outcome of the pictures. And best of all, my sister loved them.

So my closing advice to all you budding photographers: plan, plan, plan. Think your location through, make sure the weather will cooperate, bring extra batteries. And most importantly, consider your client and how they will feel on the shoot. Your number one priority should always be making sure they feel comfortable  I guarantee if they don't, you'll see it in those pictures. 

Oh, and never take your child dog with you.

So tell me, what was your first shoot like? Were you content with it, or are there things you would change?