Jasmine's Instant Exposure

I'm about to start offering a Polaroid add-on to my portrait packages after doing a little trial run with Jasmine on our recent photo shoot. You can see more of Jasmine's shoot on Facebook.

Grace In Her Backyard

My wife and I had the pleasure of spending time at the Tate farm in Windsor, VA to shoot Grace's senior portraits. I am a texture fiend, so walking around their farm is like Toys-R-Us for a 7-year-old.

Shot with the Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8 on a Nikon d700 with an Alien Bee B1600 with 48" shoot-through umbrella providing the light.

Daniel on a Pile of Trash

This was taken on top of Mount Trashmore in Virginia Beach. For those of you who grew up in VB, that doesn't phase you at all.

Mount Trashmore is a landfill that the city turned into a park. It's favorited by kite-flyers, joggers, and when it snows, it's frequented by daring kids with trashcan lids.

We were fortunate enough to have clear skies and gorgeous weather for Daniel's senior portraits.

Shot with a 80-200mm Nikkor lens zoomed to 80mm @ f/16. The sun was to the left of the frame, and my Alien Bees B1600 at half-power was providing our key light.

Daniel is a natural in front of the camera, and such an easy-going guy to begin with, it was a cinch to get what we needed.

Michael in the Parking Garage

I like this portrait of my good friend Michael because he is not the first place your eye goes. Naturally, your eye goes to the light, to see if there's anything there, and although Michael is not really in the shadows, I wanted him to not be completely in the light either. My goal was to create the illusion of a dark underground parking garage with some of the lights out. In reality, this was a very well-lit, above-ground garage with plenty of daylight pouring in.

On the technical side of things, I was using a Nikon SB-28 speedlight shot into a 46" reflective umbrella triggered by pocket wizards. I was using my "new" Nikkor 20-35mm f/2.8 lens that I got from UsedCameras.com - This is the first zoom lens I've owned in about 5 years. Primes are still my first love, but I figured, since it's a constant aperture, it will have plenty in common with the other glass in my bag. Plus, it's a preemptive step for more international travel.

Stephanie

Here's a photo from a highschool senior shoot I had this past weekend in Hampton Roads.

Her name is Stephanie, and she was great in front of the camera. She wasn't shy, she was naturally elegant, and wasn't afraid to look into the lens. She made my job pretty easy.

Natalie and the Silver Diner

I was really looking forward to Natalie's senior portraits. We had some pretty elaborate plans for an outdoor shoot, but the rain made sure we kept our expectations low. I was able to get permission from the local Silver Diner in Chesapeake, VA and the general manager, Andi, was so gracious and accommodating that she put us in a section they had closed off because they thought we could use the murals.

One of my first prime lenses for the Nikon was the 50mm f/1.8D. For a while, that was the only lens I owned, and I made it work for whatever I had to shoot. I've since gotten a few more lenses that are designed for specific purposes, and sadly, my 50mm often goes neglected. I wanted a load of head-room in this shot because of the mural, but I also didn't want to distort anything on the edge of the frame, so I dug deep into my bag and pulled out my 50.

This was also shot with only one light. I used a hot-shoe flash shot through a 20" umbrella. I really wanted to get the lamp in the frame to give some motivation to the source of light. I think Zack Arias would be proud.