On a Cold Day in March...
I had the pleasure of photographing two gentlemen and brothers, both of some local renown. The days leading to the session had been warm, so we expected the trend to continue. But instead, the air was bitter cold and the wind was relentless. Yet we braved it for a good 2-3 hours. I dare say, we managed to craft some great photos.
Alas, my Experiments!
The weather affects the shoot not just in terms of client comfort, but also in what choices were left to me when it came to my tools. I had been looking forward to experimenting with outdoor flash. So despite my doubts regarding wind speed, I went ahead and set up an umbrella and a flash on a tripod with my gear bag to weigh it down. The weight might have prevented the whole setup from flying away with the wind, but it did nothing to keep it balanced and upright. I only needed to let go of the tripod for a moment before the umbrella caught a gust of wind and toppled over. I abandoned the endeavor and shot with only natural light.
The Stata Center, by Frank Gehry
I enjoy mixing architectural or nature elements into photos of people. And I think this work by Frank Gehry worked out really well for us. The reflective surfaces, combined with the timing of our session made for some interesting lighting conditions. I really liked the shape the shadows cast along the metallic exterior wall. It's something I intend to come back to play with a little more.
A Good Cup
It only took some hot coffee for us all to keep going, right up until the golden hour, just before sunset. Once in a while I would look at my shots in-camera and get cautiously excited, hoping they wouldn't come out blurry when imported. I'd say the excitement panned out after all.
I really wanted to include this candid shot in the series. As a joke I had suggested one of them get under the giant heart for a photo, and of course he obliged while laughing. After enough taunting one another, they were both under this corny structure and we all got a good laugh out of it. This is a big reason for my budding love of photograhing people.
