Portraiture and Fashion Photography - Natural Light versus Studio Lighting.

Greetings, it’s been quite some time since I wrote a blog due to an extended illness.   It’s nice to be back.  During my recuperation, when I was supposed to be resting, I found I still had to dabble in my favorite passion which is photography.   I decided to try my hand at portrait/fashion photography using natural light for a many of the shots. Strobes/studio lighting is fine and certainly has its place but it’s a lot more challenging to use non-artificial lighting.   Natural light has its own unique look but I will also include photos I took using my strobes.  Let me know which type of light you perfer.                                                                                            

I decided to experiment in using a slow shutter speed to create pleasing blurs.  Blurry photos are often something photographers groan over but they can give a sense of movement and mystery.  Let me know if you like the blur.

I have included my camera settings and please remember that for most of these shots I was using a tripod.  If I haven't included camera settings then know I am using studio lighitng and that any sudio shots have camera shots of Manual mode, shutter speed of 1/250th and a variety of F-stops ranging from 2.8 to 7.8 depending on how much of the main subjecft I wanted in focus and how much out of focus (oof) background I wanted.
If using natural light please remember that shutter speeds under 1/60^th will usually cause camera shake. The exception being the blur shots where I hand held the camera.
The photos I am including in this blog are not indicative of where I want to be but chronicle my learning curve in mastering the art of portraiture using natural light. There are certainly flaws that show me just how much more I have to learn.

I would like to thank  my model, Nico, for her patience and willingness to re-shoot as often as I needed.  Nico not only demonstrates how to wear clothes well (she also has a 37" inseam), she gives great tips on where to find recycled clothes.  She puts them together to create a style you could expect to see in fashion magazines such as Vogue, Vanity Fair, W and more.  Her ability to apply make-up has made for some exciting shots. Although her blog is somewhat geared towards younger women, her recipes have universal appeal.  I sent a link to her blog to my daughter-in-law and granddaughter and they tell me that her recipe for fruit roll-ups are so delicious that it’s hard to believe they are much healthier that the ones you can buy.  Please check out her out @ (http://www.satinandsalt.com/ .  She doesn’t store passwords or sell anything so feel free to follow her or “like” her on Facebook as I can promise you that you won’t get spammed.  

My other model is Drea.  She is passionate about exercise and works out on a regular basis.  We decided to try photographing her in the style reminiscent of the 60’s.  Her make-up and clothing were done as a tribute to Twiggy.  I hope to use her more often.  I also used strobes to capture her spirit as a carefree teen.  I have noticed that a lot of seniors are choosing to go with shots they feel are more representative of how they see themselves in lieu of the traditional cap and gown.  Do you think they will be sorry when they are in their 20's and 30's?

I hope you enjoy my foray into portrait/fashion photography and please feel free to ask me any questions you might have regarding camera settings. I am certainly not near the standard of mastering the art of portrait photograpy.  My reason for writing this blog is to have others share their experiences and knowledge they have learned along the way.
Most of the photos were taken with my Canon 7D and my favorite portrait lens, the Canon 24 – 70 2.8.
Also, please feel free to upload your favorite portrait shots and any tips you have in creating a pleasing portrait.