10.24.2020

Fujifilm X-T2 + XF56mmF/1.2 R: 1/30s, f/10, ISO200

One year ago today I photographed this senior portrait session for my co-worker’s son. Portraiture will always be my favorite genre of photography because my favorite thing in life is to collaborate. I don’t travel alone. I rarely went to a theater alone when that was a thing we used to do. Two things photography has given to me which I treasure dearly are a good reason to get out of the house, and relationships with people I wouldn’t otherwise have had. I love shooting landscapes when I get to do it with good company. Portraiture to me is the epitome of two or more individuals aspiring to a common goal. Eventually, I hope to populate Updates with as many of these posts as landscapes!

Cole had a teammate who’s senior portraits the previous year had a low key look (dark/black backdrop) that he really liked, so he asked if I could do a few photos with that look. Many photographers develop a style / signature look. I don’t have a style (I think). I’m constantly trying new things so that I can accommodate many styles. People don’t seek me out because of the way I light, or edit, or compose (I think). I pride myself as being a photographer that’s chosen because I can execute many different looks.

As an amateur , I don’t have regular access to a studio where lighting can be most easily controlled, so I chose to meet with Cole and the family at the park near sunset hour and stay till dusk when my portable lighting equipment could easily overpower the ambient conditions to create the sought-after low key look. I used the time before dusk to take more traditional senior portrait photos. While I don’t confess to having a “style,” I do traditionally “color inside the lines” so-to-speak. I don’t like to crop on joints. I use my main light on the same side of the subject as the sun so as to blend the flash with the ambient light but with the benefit of having more control of the amount of contrast, softness, and light fall-off. That’s not to say I don’t use light to fill in shadows or separate the subject from the background by placing my lights strategically. I used all of these techniques in the featured gallery above.

Thanks for letting me photograph such an important milestone, Azuma’s! I had a blast doing this for you!