After three short portrait sessions with friends (first two here and here!), I can say I’ve gotten just about enough experience in portraiture to be a little dangerous during a photo shoot. 🙂

Finagling how to balance flash with ambient light, place light sources, and pose a subject are three areas I am still working on, but in all three of my short sessions, I have learned new skills in varying scenarios. The first with Matt Simmons saw me working under different-colored fluorescent light, then under the shade during a bright day. The second with Ashley Montgomery let me experiment with balancing flash with the sun to create highlights from the now two light sources, and figure out some feminine poses. Finally, my most recent shoot with Melissa Moberg challenged me to constantly adapt to ambient light levels that quickly dropped from sunset to twilight.

It’s never easy, is it? Continue Reading