The Best Shot

(My husband Brian recreating his proposal stance the day after he proposed...7/8/06...Fairfax, VA. :) )


I was going through old photos today (as in pics taken years ago by me with a cheap point n shoot camera and no sense of photography whatsoever) but I noticed I was still a perfectionist.  I wanted to capture the person's personality so much in every shot.  I remember making people pose constantly and worrying if there might be something in the background or if the photo was blurry...you know, the days before I knew Photoshop.  :)  Now I try to capture a lot of unposed moments and finally have a camera that can keep up with someone moving a fraction of an inch. :)

There are so many factors in taking a great photo.  The weather, for one.  My favorite weather to shoot in is an overcast day.  That way, I don't have to worry about sun shadows on the face, or using a hood, or cutting a glare.  Just after the rain is also gorgeous...there's that strange brightness to the sky that gives such lovely light on the face.  In the studio, it's about the backdrop, the reflectors, hair lighting, back lighting, lighting on the face...pointing the umbrellas in the right directions!  :)

Then there's picking the right lens for the shot.  I use 5 lenses in shooting, but use two much more than the others...my 100 2.8 macro lens which doubles as a wonderful portrait lens, and my 50 1.4, which is a portrait lens and is delightful.  Sometimes I need my 70-300mm telefoto lens or my crappy fisheye for fun effects.

Then there's wardrobe, setting, making the subject comfy enough to take a really great photo.  It's fun...it's also intimidating and scary and exhilarating.  But there's passion.  I think in order to take that great photo, you have to have the passion as much as the tools.  

I have the passion.  I have the artistic eye.  It's not as edgy or as creative as some but I do think I get to the heart of the person and capture the moment in a timeless way.  Now I'm working on becoming as technically savvy as I possibly can.  And that means investing in more equipment as well as studying the pros.  I feel like a schoolgirl! ;)

I can't wait to post photos from the past year as a look back and see how I've evolved from now.  I hope I will still look back with pride, but that I will also have gained in experience and talent.  Fingers crossed! :)