Spring has finally sprung here in Michigan...
about two weeks later than usual!
I met fellow Michigan blogger and Instagram-er Tracy from Plaids & Poppies
online last fall, and since she blogs about gardening and decorating,
I invited her to meet me at the spring spectacular
Dow Gardens for a portrait shoot!
Oh, my! Dow Gardens was bursting with tulips, daffodils
and all the spring bushes and trees!
I know it seems intimidating to shoot on a bright, sunny day,
but that's just the day I chose.
We started at 9 am when the park opened and the sun
was still pretty low in the sky.
By shooting with the sun behind Tracy, I was able to ignite her
hair with the sun and avoid mottled shadows and splotches on her face.
To learn more about how to capture beautiful skin tones in
bright sunlight, read this blog post.
When shooting with back-light, I use a reflector that I hold myself.
To learn how to use a reflector for portraits, read this blog post.
It's a bit bulky to carry around, but SO worth the effort!
We also hauled around all those props!
I like to shoot close-ups:
Medium shots:
And, some full-length.
Tracy was a natural on-camera!
Try different and interesting angles.
I stood on a large rock to take these from above her:
Throw in some action shots:
And, zoom in on some pretty details:
In this photo, notice I added a spring blooming cherry tree!
Watch my video tutorial to show you how to add a spring tree to your photos.
You can purchase my high-resolution cherry tree png (transparent background)
in my Etsy Shop by clicking here.
It was wonderful to finally meet Tracy! We laughed and gabbed as we spent
several hours in the park.
Notice I'm wearing my white shirt! I always wear white when shooting portraits
because whatever color I wear, shows up in the subject's eyes!
Learn more about capturing catch-lights in the eyes in this blog post.
I hope you have a chance to get out and capture some spring splendor!