Almost 3 years ago I took an amazing road trip out west. It was one of the favorite times of my life. We spent most of our time traveling/hiking in national parks. Everything we needed was packed into my mighty Ford Focus station wagon. I took tons of photos. Here are a few that I kind of made into abstract Black and White fine art photos.
Sometimes I find myself shooting winter weddings when it is below freezing outside and the bride usually doesn't want to spend more than a few minutes (if anytime at all) outside in the cold. Can't say I blame her. I have studio lights that I bring for this situation to make an ugly or boring church look more interesting, but the first thing I always look for is a large window. I love using a large window for lighting. The light is soft and beautiful, which everyone appreciates when you are taking their portrait. A good lighting principle to know is: "The larger the light source the softer the light." If you can find a large window to use you can create some really beautiful and flattering portraits. Here are some things to remember about using a window as your main light source:
Since you are only using one light source you need to make sure you are positioning your subject to match the look you are going for. If you have one side of their face against the window and they are looking straight at you, the other side of their face will most likely be dark = Half their face is lit and the other half is dark. You can move your subject to where the window is more directly in front of them or have them look out the window to create a more balanced lighting situation.
Sometimes, you may find yourself with only one location to shoot indoors. You have to be able to get as much variety out of that one place as possible. In the photos below you will notice how many different ways you can use a Window as your main light source by moving your subject and moving yourself. Shoot from far back and then move in for a really tight portrait. One of my favorite shots is to have a Bride sit by a large window and shoot from above. You can also play with exposure settings to create a silhouette or blow out the background.
If the window you are using has sheer white window curtains you can use it to make the light even softer.
If I can, I will turn off or eliminate any competing light sources so I do not have white balance issues.
I turned 30. It happened. Luckily, most people in the world didn't notice because they were distracted by the Superbowl. 30 is one of those birthdays that makes you look backwards and forwards. It is so easy to get busy with all the little things you "have to get done" on a daily basis and never take the time look at the larger picture and think about what you have been doing with your life. If we are not intentional with our time it will unknowingly escape us. I love my life. The last 30 years have been amazing and I'm hoping with a little more wisdom under my belt the next 30 will be even better.
I wrote out some words to help ground me and remind me of what is truly important and life breathing to me. I don't know why but I've always found that goals or dreams for my life are more likely to come to fruition when I write them down on paper. If I'm slacking on my goals the piece of paper comes and haunts me in my dreams. Here are the words I came up with:
I want Love to be at the center of everything I think, do, and dream.
It took me a while to figure this one out. I'm still learning. I've always kind of been a loner and maybe I wanted to believe that I would be okay without people so I could not be hurt by them or something. [Enter psycho-analysis {here}] I still have to force myself to open up and talk about myself to others because I know it's important. It most definitely does not come naturally to me. I think that is part of the reason why I love sharing my photos. It gives me a way to say, "Here...look...this is what I see and feel." Anyways, being married 3 years and having a son has taught me so much about the importance of family and the unique bond shared between us.
The general feeling behind this word for me within the context of this blog post is that I want God to be involved in all things that I do. Acknowledge his presence in the mundane and the extraordinary. I have two subcategories under this one including 'Serve' and 'Grow in Faith'.
When your Photos pay the bills it is important to take ones that don't. Personal Projects keep me excited about photography and help me transfer that excitement and creativity over to the weddings that I get to photograph. I realized that when I went on vacation I didn't want to bring my camera. #problem I started a new website for my commercial work and personal projects so be on the look out. www.justinwrightphoto.net
It's so easy to make excuses to not travel. The two big ones are Time and Money. The third one for us right now is a baby boy named Gray. I feel alive when I travel. I'm also okay using cliches. Lacy, Gray, and I are going to Europe this summer. If you wait until you have enough time and money you will probably never go. Or you will be old and not be able to hike mountains and show off you dancing skills at a late night Parisian dance club with out breaking your hip.
I think it is always important to be learning something new. Learning new skills and ideas empowers and challenges us to grow. I'm trying to learn more web skills right now which is really frustrating for me because I'm not detail oriented and you can create websites and blogs with vague coding. Part of learning also includes growing and refining the skills I have been working on for the past 30 years.
Thanks for taking the time to read this post. If you have set any goals for your life recently I would love to hear them and be encouraged.
tr.v. back·light·ed or back·lit (-l
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), back·light·ing, back·lights
I had so much fun getting to spend last Sunday with Shawn + Mitch. We spent the day taking photos at locations where they had their first dates and first kiss. It's always fun when the locations mean something to the couple and you get to hear their story in the actual location where things started for them. Unfortunately, I am booked on their wedding date so I won't get to photograph their beautiful California wedding.
