Changing it Up - Sunset Session

I've mentioned a time or two (or a million) that I am such a lover of learning. I would be a full-time college student if college courses weren't so astronomically expensive. I love learning and trying new things. I hate copying someone else's work though. I want to learn the why behind something and make it unique to me.

This May, I had the desire to try out using a fill-flash for an outdoor sunset session. This is a shooting technique that I hadn't used before. When shooting during golden hour (the hour right before the sun sets) it's important to keep the client's back to the sun. This prevents your shadow from being in the frame and it also keeps shadows off their faces. This is a wonderful technique, but when you shoot this way, it means that the faces are often quite dark in relationship to the gorgeous setting sun. Which isn't a total problem, because you can always brighten up your subject in post.

I had the idea to use a fill flash and exposure for the sky and adjust my flash to expose for my subjects. And man, let me tell you, editing was a breeze,

This session was probably the fastest I have ever edited. I created a custom base preset that I was able to tweak for each image, but I was able to move through the photos quickly. My exposure was nearly spot on for all of the images and I used an Expo disc to set the perfect white balance for each series of photos. I didn't need to do any additional skin or eye enhancements, since there was already catchlights in the eyes. When I did attempt to do my typical eye enhancements, it looked waaaaay too over-edited, so I opted not to do anything further aside from some simple dodging, burning, and some added contrast. I also used a simple brush to bring up a bit more detail in the sky. That's it. I am so obsessed with the outcome of this session.

There was so much greenery at Water Works Park, but no flowers {yet}. I was glad the fountain was up and running though. These three brothers had some pretty epic outtakes. I love capturing the moments in between the perfect shot. When the big boys started to rough house and when the three-year-old was acting extra toddler-like.

I loved this family's interactions. The way the three-year-old provided his mom with a dandelion flower and the older boys joked around with one another. I did get a few photos of just the parents together, but I needed to provide a safe activity for the boys to do to stay out of the frame and to stay out of trouble. I provided the youngest brother with my cellphone and instructed him to take some behind the scenes videos for me. This kept the boys occupied a bit. I also suggested that they each find their favorite rock in a designated area. Then I captured a photo of everyone's favorite rock. I took this image, knowing that it wouldn't make the final cut. I did include it in the proofing gallery though, because it was part of the story of their first professional photos as a family of five--the delay due to Covid.

I'm so glad this family trusted me to take their photos. It's always a bit risky to use a different photographer that you've never been to before--especially one that is trying out a new shooting technique. I loved photographing this family and I would love to capture them again and see how their boys grow and change.