Danny's session
Two beautiful babies
OK, they're not "babies," but they are to me. Especially after having spent an evening with them. Especially since my kids are 8 and almost 7 and growing up way too fast. Then again, so are Matt and Addi! :(
Evan's Outdoor Adventures
What a fun day I had with Evan. He showed me a lot of living creatures on the lowlands by his new house. Thankfully nothing that slithers!
Taking great sunset photos
I took this portrait of my kids at Naples Beach last week at sunset using my new Nikon D5100 -- a non-professional DSLR. I used manual settings (Aperature: f9; ISO: 100 and shutter speed 1/200) and metered to get the correct exposure. Even though the exposure is technically correct, the kids are too dark because of the backlight/sunset. They aren't "popping" on this gorgeous beach like I want. If I metered on the kids, the beautiful sky I was using for their backdrop would wash out, like this:
So, here they look great, but I lost the sensational backdrop. This is why it's so important to know how to correctly use flash. It can really set your photos apart. And you can do it, too, even using auto settings and a pop-up flash. I kept all my camera settings the same and used an SB-800 flash that I absolutely love. If you don't own a fancy flash, you can use your pop-up flash with a diffuser (even a piece of white cardstock paper taped in front of it will work) or my favorite -- the Light Scoop. Of course, the danger of using flash is the closer it is to your camera and the more direct, it is more likely to create a "flat" image. Natural light photography is gorgeous because it preserves dimension so well, but flash can, too, if you do it properly.
Here is the final result of my image: a beautiful sunset with my adorable kids standing right in front of it not looking flat. There are minimal shadows from my flash, so it looks natural, and they really pop off the stunning background! Now it's your turn to try! I'll be posting some more tutorials using my more ordinary camera this summer, so stay tuned or subscribe for the latest posts!
