Monthly Archives: July 2010

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Sprinkler Fun!

I’m so excited to share this post with you I can hardly stand it!  I did a session a while back for a client of mine who wanted some shots of her daugher playing in the sprinkler.  I was so pleased with how the shots turned out I knew my summer couldn’t come to an end without getting some of my own kids in the same setting.  So here you go…some fun sprinkler shots of my own kiddos.  Oh, and thank you to my neighbors and good friends Bill and Pat for letting me use their yard, sprinkler, and water!  You guys are the best.   I’m sorry about the muddy mess we made in your yard.  And to you other photographers who want some lighting tips on how to get these shots, just read at the end of the post.  I’ll try to share some other tips in future posts as well.

You wouldn’t be a normal kid if you didn’t try and sit on the sprinkler water!  I think we’ve all done it!

I was getting so darn hot taking these I had to get in a few for myself.  And Kudos to my dear husband for taking these next 4 shots!  You did great Wes!

Photography Tip:  These were take in the morning (about 9:30am) with the sun to the kids’ backs.  I used 2 Canon Speedlights, one on camera and one to camera right, with no difussion.  I also had a darker background of trees for the backlit water and subjects to stand out against.  I used my 70-200mm f2.8mm L lens to keep far enough away to avoid getting wet but still able to get up close shots.  ISO 200 f/5.6 1/200ss.  Everything was edited in Lightroom 3.0.

Location, location, location

Since entering the wonderful world of photography, I have learned to see the world differently than ever before.  I see the world through my lens.  When I am driving I am ALWAYS looking for places to take pictures (which can often times being a driving hazard…my husband can attest to that.)  When I see a field I am visualizing how it will look through a particular lens with my camera set at specific settings.  I don’t just see flowers and grass, but I see the colors and textures and they way the textures appear through the blur of my lens in the forground or background of the image.  Sometimes the colors will look more vivid in my eyes because I am looking at the final product as I visualize the scene.  I know what can take place in photoshop to intensify the colors, brighten the image, and enhance the mood of the image.  I see all this when I take in the scene.  Often time clients will be a bit surprised at the location I’ve brought them too.  I can see a bit of doubt on their faces when they look at the surroundings, but they aren’t seeing the final result like I am.  They aren’t seeing it through my lens and my eyes.  They trust me though and the results are better than they expect.

Being a photographer, I realize more now how important it is to trust the vision of your photographer.  When I get my own pictures taken I prefer to not interject too many of my own ideas.  I prefer to follow their vision…it will always produce the best results.  I know from my own experience that if I can’t visualize it then it won’t turn out great.  I know I do my best work when I can be free to follow my own vision and capture my subjects as I see fit.

Some of my favorite locations are ones I stumble across when I least expect it.  About 6 weeks about I was driving down a road I’ve driven down hundreds of times before, but at this particular time there were Day Lillies growing wild along side of the road.  The light was beautiful, the grass length was perfect, and there was a beautiful backdrop of trees behind the scene as well.  One thing I’ve learned about doing sessions in the natural surroundings is that the scenery can change in any particular spot throughout the year…and from year to year.  You have to take advantage of the moment when you see it.  Right when I saw this particular spot I spoke to my client sessions I had coming up that week and told them I wanted to do their photos in this new spot.  They were more than willing, so I shot 3 sessions in one week in the same location.  I’m so grateful I did because the lillies are gone now and I doubt that spot will ever look the same again.  Here are some photos in the lillies and grass.