School Daze

I just got back from school. I spent a week with one of my favorite teachers, Doug Box from Texas. There were about 18 of us from around NY State and other parts of the country. It's a great way to share ideas, learn new techniques and get energized.

It's always interesting to see how someone else creates images. It's all about getting the people in front of the lens to trust the person behind the lens.



So one night after class, I hooked up with one of my friends and we played with the magic light of sunset. A little explaination, his wife creates costumes for re enactors and he brought one outfit with, just in case. With that said, I wanted to use the sweet light of the setting sun and make a very strong portrait at the same time.



For me, it was a fantastic week. I had a chance to learn, share and catch up with friends. Plus, I got to make a portrait of a pirate. That's what I call school daze.

Plain and Simple

It's a great title, but the truth is, Seniors are far from plain or simple. They are quite complex. They are entering their final year of high school, they are about to embark on a new journey.

The key to a successful Senior portrait is getting beyond Plain and Simple, but not over doing or over thinking or over processing the image. I talk constantly during the session. I want to break the barrier between photographer and subject. I want the final image to be a collabrative effort. I love it when the parents tell me that I caught the "look". That means I did my job.

What is plain and simple about this image? It is straight out of the camera. No post processing. No effects have been added. Just wonderful, natural light balanced with just the right amount of flash. Plain and Simple.