Not terrible...

I spend most of my time photographing critters and scenery.  I do this for two reasons.  One, I like critters and beautiful scenery.  Two, these subjects aren’t critical of my photography skills.

This week, I stepped out of my comfort zone and took some photos of my niece, who will be starting her senior year of high school this fall.  In her town, all the senior girls wear the same outfit for their yearbook photos, so senior pictures aren’t as big of a thing there.  But she and her mom (my sister) both wanted some more personalized photos without breaking the bank.  So our other sister volunteered my services. (She is much less critical of my work than I am, which is endearing if not exactly unbiased.)

I have a new respect for professional photographers after my session with Ana.  We spent 2 hours at two different locations and I was mentally and physically tired afterward.  It was a challenge to find a good “urban” location with privacy and decent light at mid-morning.  When we moved to a local park, my light went all to hell and I had to scramble to get any shots that weren’t completely dull and lifeless.  And my niece’s fair skin and red hair were wreaking havoc with my color perception.

The end result are a few photos, that in my opinion, don’t completely suck.  Which as a first-time portrait shooter, is really all I could ask for.  But I think I’ll stick with frogs.

—Teresa