I was probably one of very few people in Seattle who was not happy when the sun shone brightly on this past President’s Day, an unusually mild February day. I had been concerned about rain, but sunshine was also on my list of what I didn’t want to appear during a scheduled portrait/headshot session. I would have preferred an overcast, cloudy day where the sky could serve as a giant softbox giving soft even light. Instead, there was bright sun, and in addition to that, wind. At least it didn’t rain.
What initially looked like a poor day to take headshot photos ended up being a unique opportunity. I used the bright sunlight to skim the back of my subject’s hair, as is often done with expensive lights in a studio. The wind blew her hair randomly, but I utilized that as a natural fan on the ‘outdoor set’ and again, we got a lovely shot.
What I thought were undesirable conditions on that day to take headshots turned into bonus opportunities that brought special qualities to the photos which otherwise would have been absent. I still prefer a giant softbox in the sky, but the sun doesn’t necessarily equate to bad results for photography. And how can I be so particular, with temps hovering around 0 degrees on the East coast. I’ll find a way to work with the sun…
4 Comments
Arlene, my friend Debbie Lacy referred me to your sight. Wow. Being a nature lover I find your eye for the “natural placement of things to be ref reshing. I would love to talk with you about a portrait and possible shots for my site.
Lynn
Thank you Lynn! I will send you an email to discuss. Would love to work with you.
Arlene, thank you for these wonderful headshots! They were exactly what I was hoping for but had not been able to find with other photographers. I loved how you went with the flow that day and used the sunshine to your advantage. I enjoyed watching your artistry in action with the choices you made throughout the session. This is a lovely post about your process and I was so pleased with the outcome!
Thank you Debbie. I enjoyed working with you and am pleased with the outcome as well. And I loved the comment you shared via email that you teach the people you coach in your life coaching profession (http://www.theinspiredcoach.com/index.php): “we can’t always have what we want but we can make something wonderful and unexpected out of what we have”. That was the intent of this blog post.