Always learning..

I took photos of my friend Staci today, whom I know affectionately as Kmart. Don't ask.

We headed down to our local park, and although it was rather cold (40-some degrees!) we were having a blast taking pics, and the cold weather didn't affect us much! It was also very overcast, and from what I've read this is the best time to take photos, especially when your taking photos of women or girls. Really! It is! I was sorta skeptical, (as skeptical as one can be of something that someone says, who happens to be more knowledeable than you) could it really make for better photos on an overcast day? I mean, I get the logistics, the cloud cover diffuses the light from the sun, so you get this neat even lighting, without harsh shadows. Well today I put it to the test, and the photos speak for themselves.

 The lighting was just bright enough to illuminate Kmart's photogenic self, and I did use some fill flash a couple times when we were in shade, or she was backlit. It worked out so very well, the lighting was gorgeous, and complimented her extremely well. We worked on some poses to make her look her best, and walked around basically pulling up ideas for photos as we saw different areas in the park. This photo is my absolute favorite from the entire day:

I adore this shot, and I knew it was going to turn out great as soon as I had it in the camera! It's so delicate, I feel it showcases her sensitive side very well. Hopefully she doesn't develop poison ivy or something from cozying up to some pretty suspicious looking trees!

The park that we go to for photos has this amazing tunnel, the creek runs through it, and it has this narrow walkway that you can actually walk through on. It has quickly become my favorite place to take pics, as you can see I used the same location for Jessica's shoot also. The side of the tunnel has a great texture, and some crazy metal rebar or something sticking out of the rock face.

The day was bittersweet though, I was thankful that I got to spend time with one of my best friends, and provide her with, hopefully, some nice photos to keep. The time I spend with her is important, as she will be moving across the country (almost) in a few months. Makes me wish I had squeezed more time together into our friendship, but I plan on making the rest of the time she's here count!

So look forward to new shoots, more photos to love (or hate) and hopefully more tips and techniques I'll pick up and share with you along the way..