I Shot the Kellum family yesterday at their place. What a beautiful family!
I love breaking the unwritten rules of photography. One of them reads: "Put your camera away when the sun goes down." I have found that some of the most fun you can have with a camera is when the sun has already set. Depending on the time of year, and where you are at, there is a period of time between sunset and total darkness, maybe 20-50 minutes when you can make some truly magical photographs. There are many techniques that can be used, including time-lapse, silhouettes, multiple exposures, and so forth.
Here I used a fast (f/1.4) lens in combination with an on-camera flash to produce a series of photos that the kids had a blast in making. They show action, they show the kids having fun, and they have impact. As I downloaded the photos to my laptop a few minutes later it was like a party all over again, as they all enjoyed seeing themselves jumping in the air with this stunning background behind them. Who would have thought that a bunch of bored kids on the beach could have so much fun? The best time to take your camera out is when you have willing subjects who are up for a good time! Late fall portraits in Oregon can be a bit tricky when you want a beautiful outdoor portrait. Even a relatively decent day can present challenges that make it hard to achieve a high quality image. Here I shot the Barnhart family on a marginal day where it had been raining, and threatening clouds still loomed low on the mountainside. With some scouting beforehand, a little patience, and a bit of extra lighting we were able to come up with a very nice result.
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