Just Keep Shooting; A Portrait Session w/ Carmen

During this photography journey I’ve found myself in this consistent evolving cycle of learning a new technical photography skill, trying my hand at it, failing, trying again, seeking advice, getting better, rinse and repeat. A process I’m sure we all know and understand as creative people in some way, shape, or form. Despite that, it’s always nice when you start to see the fruits of your labor and even nicer when there are people who opt-into becoming part of the journey. I recently had the pleasure of doing a portrait photoshoot with my hairstylist, Sahar, who continues to inspire me on this creative endeavor. This was my second shoot with her and it was such an honor to capture loving & endearing familial moments at Rosie’s Coffee and Wine Garden last month. 

It was a sunny but semi overcast Thursday. I arrived at Rosie's about 15-10 mins prior to our session to set up my off camera flash and scope out areas of the garden for us to use. I was using my Canon EOS Rebel T7i camera,  Tamron 28-75mm, f2.8 lens and a Godox TT600 speedlight with a 24” square softbox and grid. It was humid as it always is so the sweat was perpetually everywhere, doesn’t make for a comfortable shoot, and yet, we keep on keeping on. When Sahar arrived, it took us a moment to get situated as I was testing out the positioning of my light stand for her and her baby girl. Sidenote: working with off camera flash is still semi new to me as far as positioning the flash stand to illuminate your subject in an artistic or flattering manner. Once I got my light stand situated, I began shooting and trying different angles of Sahar, her baby girl and eventually her mom once she joined.

A  hump I noticed immediately, was sorta being out of practice lol Life has been lifing lately and I hadn’t taken the time to just leisurely get out and continue to practice the craft of photography. That showed in some of my beginning shots where they were either too tight or all over the place with framing. Also, trying to adjust my flash power just enough to still see the ambient light but not under or over expose my subjects. It took some trial and error before I got to a comfortable set up. When we moved to a different area of the garden, this time with a little more sunlight,

I had to readjust and start that trial and

error process over again. I think this is something that will continue to happen as I continue practicing the craft of off camera flash, especially outdoors and having to adjust for natural or ambient light, until I get to a place of mastery. And don’t even get me started with editing and having to adjust the white balance 😵‍💫. All things that I know will get better with time. Overall,

it was a really great shoot and we ended up getting some great shots. Their all white outfits against the peaceful greenery of the garden adds a nice angelic feeling, in my opinion.

The biggest take away for me is to always be ready; meaning, never stop shooting. Even a week or two away was too long! Something else I noticed is the feeling I get taking these types of photos. I love candid and natural flowing shoots. I am not that great at posing (yet!) but I do like trying my hand at it. However, this shoot reminded me just how much I love capturing people authentically. I’m grateful to know people like Sahar, who is understanding of the process, being a creative in her own right. 

Check out my instagram for more outdoor portrait shoots! @naturalescenes

Written by: Carmen Cummings