As a family and children’s photographer – I gently direct and play games to get the looks that I want. I like my sessions to be fun, enjoyable, and I want my clients to leave our location with smiles on their faces. I don’t want kiddos to ever feel like they’re working or it’s a chore to have their photos taken.
I shoot manual mode 100% of the time. With this session I used my 50mm f/1.4. It allowed me to be close to Ireland and not have to raise my voice had I used a longer lens. The sweet spot for my 50mm is around f/3.2-3.5 which I used for this session. Since I was moving really fast to get the shots – I kept my shutter speed at 250 and higher in order not to risk motion blur.
What inspired the choice of location was thinking outside of the box. I wanted to take Ireland somewhere that you wouldn’t normally see a little girl in a fancy dress. Her Uncle’s orange grove was the perfect spot. The oranges brought out pops of color which was an added bonus!
Of course light is what all of us photographers seek on location and I’m no different. Although I’m probably the only photographer around who prefers to shoot before the golden hour and find a beautiful, soft, whiter light! This session was shot at 3pm and the sun was at a 45° angle to Ireland – in front of her was a light colored road that reflected light back up at her. It was perfect!
For the above image I said, “Ireland, I’m gonna sit you right here. Can you show me what a princess looks like? That’s so perfect, you are a princess aren’t you?”
In the above image I said, “Let’s go get the biggest orange we can find! Oh my goodness. Your orange is totally bigger than mine. Let me see that!”
In the above images of Ireland spinning I asked, “Hey Ireland, do you think you could spin around and show me how your dress twirls?”
Tips to Getting the Shot – Part 2
My name is Chanelle – I’m the owner of Harps and Fire Photography. I’m a natural light photographer based out of San Jacinto, California. I specialize in children with a side of families and grandparents. I’m a pretty darn good wife and enjoy being a Mama to 5. Although, I do have permanent mommy brain! Photography found me in 2013 and keeps me grounded. My middle daughter has Cystic Fibrosis and Asthma – photography is very personal and meaningful, it’s my therapy!
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