Nov 21, 2011

Tashianna, fall color natural light outdoor portraits. Kathryn Albertson Park, Boise. Photos by Mike Reid, All Outdoor Photography.

We hit fall color just about at peak, nice cloudy day. These are all natural light outdoor portraits with the Nikon D3 and the older model 85 1.4 lens.

Tashianna's outfits were just right for colors of the locations this day, I really like how this shoot came together. There are a few shots from this day that went right on my all time favorites list. She is a breeze to work with and basically poses herself so I just pick the locations and the light and tell here more or less where to stand and then just shoot. What could be easier?

Check out the gallery, there is a lot of variety and some fun shots. This is one of my favorite galleries as so many elements came together in this one. The setting, the colors, the model .... and of course the light was just right.

For any of you that have been following the blog you already know that this is how I like to shoot when it all comes together. I really like when I don't have to do any posing....I can do it if necessary but it messes with the mojo of the shoot. It makes it much more difficult to really capture a person if you are telling them how to stand......obviously :).

Some of you may recognize Tashianna from the Freak Alley shoot I posted last month.

Here is Tashianna's full gallery:  http://alloutdoor.smugmug.com/Portrait-galleries/Tashianna-Fall/20065698_fTfvW2#1582279443_mwhnbRM







Cayla's senior portraits at Kathryn Albertson Park Boise. By Mike Reid, All Outdoor Photography.

The day was really cold and cloudy. Cayla was a trooper and ready to go. Clouds gave us really nice natural light so we didn't use the flash much. Most of these are with the D3 and the 85 1.4.

The fall color was still pretty strong but definitely on the downhill side. The shoot was a lot of fun, Cayla had her Mom and her boyfriend there, so plenty of conversation and clowning around.

These are Cayla's senior portraits and she was excited for the shoot and I really like how they came out.
Cayla is a cheerleader so right at the end of the shoot we took some nice shots with some of her cheer equipment with the d700 70-200 and my usual light setup.

Her full gallery is here: http://alloutdoor.smugmug.com/BoiseSeniorPictures/Cayla/20044224_vj5Dp6#1580210927_LrDTLjF






Nov 7, 2011

Sammi's outdoor fall color portraits at Kathryn Albertson Park in Boise. By Mike Reid, All Outdoor Photography.

Fall color, my favorite time of year for outdoor portraits.
When  a girl can let it go and be silly and fun and knows how to pose...portrait photography becomes so easy. Just find good spots put her in the frame and shoot away....enter Sammi.
I said "you can do whatever you want", she perked up and said "really" and that was all it took.

The park was SO crowded with "photographers."  We had to kind of take the unbeaten path so a few different looks....I know I have never shot anyone else up in that tree for instance....and of course the deer walking behind her across the path as we were shooting...well I would like to say I planned that but.

Her gallery is a real mix of flash and natural light. I had all the equipment out for this one. I wasn't able to hit all the normal spots because of the crowds of people and a lot of the less ideal spots are back in the tree cover, so lights helped out a lot. Then we ran late so a few very flashed shots at the end of the shoot were fun.

D3 with the 85 1.4 and the D700 with the 70-200 2.8. Had the light stand with sb800 along with the shoot through umbrella softbox along for the flash work.

So have a look at the entire gallery if you have a minute...some really unique shots in this one:
http://alloutdoor.smugmug.com/BoiseSeniorPictures/Sammi/19882764_3hBJxD#1564462590_Zn5bvZD









Oct 31, 2011

Katy's outdoor senior portraits at Freak Alley, Boise. Photos by Mike Reid, All Outdoor Photography.

I was a little resistant to shooting outdoor portraits downtown when fall color was at it's peak in the local parks....but you know what....I could have shot Katy anywhere and it would have worked. She is an obviously very pretty girl with a great combination of red hair and blue eyes.

Katy showed up for the shoot excited and shy.  We chatted a bit on our walk over to Freak Alley and she started to relax. We kind of eased into the photography and after about 15 minutes she gained her confidence and became a posing master.
After that I just had to put her in position and start clicking as she did her thing.
I love it when it is that easy, then I can concentrate on finding good spots in the good light.

These are all shot with natural light...seems I am doing more and more natural light shoots. I really like to shoot that way except when I am in a predominately green park area.
It was very sunny when we started so I changed my plan which had been to start shooting at City Hall and did the shoot backwards and started in the alley, so we were in good light the entire shoot.

Shot with the D3 and the 85 1.4 and the D700 with the 70-200. All in downtown Boise. We started at Freak Alley and ended up down by City Hall.

Katy's entire gallery is here: http://alloutdoor.smugmug.com/BoiseSeniorPictures/freakalleyportaits/19799536_TpTQgc#1556058836_MNcnbJn










Oct 27, 2011

All Outdoor Photography's last wedding, at The Wood River Cellars Winery in Eagle Idaho.

Jana and I shot weddings together for 5 years. When she moved at the end of last year, that was pretty much the end of it. We have not booked any new clients since then and do not plan to book any more.

This frees me up to do a lot more portraits and landscapes.

We were so lucky to have Palina and Steve for our last one. Beautiful couple, really so sweet and a lot of fun.
Wood River Cellars was the venue and it looks amazing in the fall. It was a beautiful fall day, about 70.

It was a typical wedding, everybody was late...which we pretty much plan for so everything went smooth on the day.

Lots of great photos.
If you want to see what a full wedding gallery looks like when done by All Outdoor Photography take a look at  the link. Last one so now or never :)

Shot with the D3 and 24-70 with sb800 on a bracket. D700 with 70-200 2.8 and the D300 with 24-70 2.8 Tamron.

If you have a minute go check out the gallery:
(Just click on the title above, the link is embedded)

Here is a photo of Palina and Steve.

Oct 21, 2011

Outdoor Portraits in Natural Light.

The longer I have been at this the more I believe the photographers skill at interacting with the person being photographed is at least as important as the technical skills a photographer needs to be any good at outdoor portrait photography.

Those of you that have been shooting outdoor portraits for any length of time and have perfected your craft know that the technical skills required tend to become second nature.
Technical knowledge of  how the camera works, iso, shutter speed, f-stops, are chosen/adjusted  almost without even thinking about it.
Don't get caught up in the equipment, a good portrait can be achieved with pretty much any camera and lens if you know what you are doing.
Don't get caught up in "the rules", if it looks good shoot it.

Light, backgrounds, composition, pose, personality, these are the components of a good portait.
Shoot during the right time of day to afford yourself the best light for the settings you have chosen.
Select the background first. The background is an accessory and should not compete with your subject for attention.
See the entire frame and place your subject into the frame in the most eye pleasing way.
Interact with your subject to put them in a position to look natural and complimentary.
The hardest part is to get some personality into the photo, this is where the 20 minutes you spent chatting with them and getting to know them at the start of the shoot comes into play.
Most would be outdoor portrait photographers will never put in the time and practice required to reach a level of competency and confidence which allows the technical aspects of the photography to get out of their way like they do for an experienced photographer.

A photographer whose attention is consumed with the technical and artistic requirements during the shoot is not free to concentrate on what is really the most important aspect of good portraiture, the psychology of the photographer subject relationship and the interaction with the subject during the actual shoot.

It is much more difficult for a  portrait subject to relax and feel confident in an environment where the photographer is spending the majority of their time messing, wrestling with their equipment.
If the photographers subject never reaches a point where they can relax, feel comfortable and trusting, then their true self will never be revealed to the camera.
This then is what separates great portraits from nicely exposed snapshots.

Now some photographers are naturals at putting their subject at ease quickly, some not so much.

This is where natural light photographers have a bit of an advantage. Spending to much time moving setting up adjusting and fidgeting with lights is really death on the relationship the photographer needs to form with the client.
Then the shoot has the potential to turn into one of those robotic, ok turn your chin to the left, put your hand on your shoulder, ok chin up 1 inch, smile, click.
Overdirecting, overposing, of the subject is a recipe for failure.
Find your background, place the subject where you want them in the frame, provide minor input and let them go. Many subjects will require some coaching, but keep it light and fun.

If your subject is relaxed, having fun and feeling attractive, that is when the magic happens :).

Anyway that is pretty much how I see it.

Oct 9, 2011

Tashianna's Portrait shoot in Freak Alley Boise. Outdoor Portraits by Mike Reid, All Outdoor Photography.

We had so much fun at this shoot. Tashianna has so much energy, we could have shot for hours.
Rained all day and stopped about 30 minute before the shoot. It was Very Cloudy and dark. These are actually my favorite conditions for portraits.

I didn't bring any light with me for this downtown shoot. Lights are to restricting and slow me down a lot. I am much more creative just "winging it". Taking time to mess with light distracts A LOT from the connection a photographer needs to make with the model and can really drag down the energy of a shoot.
I do use lights but it is a very minimum set up that takes no time to set up and/or move.

I love shooting black and white, the darker and grainier the better. So I pushed my boundaries a bit in this shoot and included some of that type of work.
Tashianna's classic Italian skin tone and hair color are perfectly suited for black and white.

I used the D3 with the 85 1.4 (old version) and the D700 35  1.8.
Most were shot at F2 or bigger. Love the short depth of field and really helps on these dark days.

Here are a few sample shots....if you like these I encourage you to check out the gallery.

Here is her gallery: 
http://alloutdoor.smugmug.com/Other/Tashianna/19410853_jBCn5c#1518202041_HCb7HH6

Sep 8, 2011

Kayla's outdoor portrait shoot in Freak Alley Boise. All Outdoor Photography, Mike Reid.

Kayla and her friend wanted to do a portrait shoot in Freak Alley Boise.
Kayla is my daughter so it was very easy to get on board.  She is also my second shooter and photography assistant so she spends a lot of time with the photography.

Freak Alley is the alley in Boise that has been designated as the ok place for graffiti type murals to be painted on the walls. It is really pretty cool with a lot of quality local artists represented.

Shot with the d700 70-200 and the d3 and the 24-70.

I have shot Freak Alley a few times and always try to get a different look. Most of these are shot with natural light as we had a perfect light day. There are a lot of reflections off buildings down there so I just worked those.

Kayla settles right into having her photo taken as I have shot her a few times and she is confident in front of the lens. She does her thing and I just click the button.
As you can see she is very pretty so for me all I have to do is just not mess it up :).

I am very happy with how these came out Kayla liked most of them as well.

Hope you like the pics, the rest of her gallery is here: http://alloutdoor.smugmug.com/Portrait-galleries/Kayla-and-Trista/18845586_jcZcLK#1460500452_wZTR6dG











Anna's bikini outdoor portraits at Smith Creek Falls near Boise.

Wow this was an adventure.
1 hour on dirt roads, 1 hour hike down into a "steep" rocky canyon at 8 in the morning. It was cold down in this little pocket near the water fall. The mist and breeze created by the waterfall were making Anna nice and cold.

I of course was toasty warm :). 
So Anna was a major trooper all way in...no hesitation all the way down on the hike.....then I asked her "so do you think you want to get in the water" ....she gave me that  "____ (insert expletive of your choice) no" look....and said sure why not.

Of course I messed up the in the water shots and since we had hiked all the way in there and I never accept anything less that what I know the shot can give I asked her "so do you want to get back in the water"?

I have to give Anna credit...she went right back in and I got it right the second time. "Thanks Anna!!!"

Shot with the 14-24 2.8 and the 24-70 2.8 lens. This was my first shoot with the 14-24.....love it. It is SO wide on full frame.  I had it on the D3 and the 24-70 on the D700.

I hauled two sb800 speedlights down there with me and was so glad I did. I set one up on either side of the water and pointed them back at the water fall.  Without them the back of that pack was very dark and the shoot would have not come out nearly so well.

This is the third time I have shot Anna and she is a lot of fun, we had a great morning.

Hope you like the pics, her gallery is here:
http://aoboudoirboise.smugmug.com/Other/Annas-swimsuit-gallery/18748456_HqqWrx#1450864833_69nxpsG















Bikini shoot with Charlie.

Charlie at The Old Penitentiary in Boise.
We wanted to shoot where there were not a lot of people around so we could take our time and she would be comfortable. It is a good location as there are a lot of different locations that can be used.

I did Charlie's Senior Portraits a couple years ago and she said she wanted to come back when she was 18 and do another shoot...and she did.
Most of these are with the d700 and 70-200 2.8 or the D3 with the 85 1.4.
If you have followed me at all you know I like short depth of field and these are two of the best combination I know of to provide that.

Most of her shots we did with the off camera speedlight on a stand with shoot through softbox. She left her stack of swimsuits at home as she walked out the door so not the best suit...but that is all there was so we made the most of it.

Some people asked why I shot a girl in a swimsuit and there is no water around....I say why not :).

Anyway hope you like the shots and the rest of here gallery is here:
http://aoboudoirboise.smugmug.com/Other/Charlies-bikini-portraits/18574415_HBmXHc#1434598497_T6JzztK










Jul 18, 2011

Family fun. Outdoor family portraits at Ann Morrison Park Boise. By All Outdoor Photography, Mike Reid.





Family fun. I actually do a lot of family shoots, I just don't advertise it very much. Families can be a lot of fun if they have an adventurous fun spirit. It can be just like a crazy fun family outing at the park, only with pictures. I don't believe in stuffy boring family pictures.

This is a good example from a couple weeks ago, not sure "Dad" knew what he was getting into when he agree to do the Dadpile. What doesn't look fun about this. This family was so much fun and the two hours went by in  a flash.

This shot is with the  d700 at about 200mm and I cropped it pretty tight so they could use it for a Facebook shot. I took the color out of it so their facial expressions and the fun would be the major theme of the shot.
Shot late in the evening right as the sun was going down so no major shadows and natural light.

Jul 4, 2011

Katie Ponozzo and Kristen Brooke, models at the Bruneau Sand Dunes, by Mike Reid-All Outdoor Photography.

Bruneau Sand Dunes SE of Boise. Now I can imagine this would be a photographers paradise at 7 in the morning or night....but at 11:00 in the midday on a bright sunny day with no clouds it is the worst possible conditions.
Flat light and no shadows except below their feet. I have never worked so hard on a gallery in processing.

Ok so all the complaining out of the way......what a great shoot this turned out to be.
Katie and Kristen are sweethearts, we had an excellent makeup artist on the shoot Amber Coats. Who by the way would make an excellent photographers assistant..she had some great ideas.

This shoot was a collaboration with Albert Diskson another photographer from Boise. He set the whole thing up...many thanks to Albert.

I did this entire shoot with no lights, no reflectors. D700 and the 24-70. Because the light was so flat. I shot them a lot with their backs to the sun...their faces would have been a mess of shadows and ruined every shot. In an effort to get some depth into the shots I took them to the top of the dune where mercifully halfway through the shoot we did get some wispy clouds in the background.

I shot Katie first as she had to leave...as Albert was shooting Kristin. Then we got them together in the frame for a few shots....which turned out to be my favorites of the day. Katie and Kristen and their outfits were a perfect contrast....yeah we meant to do that :).
Katie brunette dark genie outfit, Kristen blonde white genie outfit.
If you have been following me you know Katie is an amazing dancer...this is my first shoot with Kristen who is a fitness model...who turned out to be a graceful jumper and poser....lucky me.

Anyway if you like this kind of stuff DO check out the gallery as there are a lot of cool shots there:
http://alloutdoor.smugmug.com/Other/Katie-n-Kristen/17864348_2Cjn6H#1366333540_7B35HZc







Jul 1, 2011

Katie Ponozzo, desert genie at the Bruneau Sand Dunes. By Mike Reid-All Outdoor Photography.

Love this shot of Katie in her genie costume. Tough midday light so I turned her face away from the sun so I wouldn't have to fight all the shadows. Took quite a bit of processing to get to this look....you all know how midday light looks SOOC, not good.

D700  24-70 natural light.

 I will be posting more from this shoot later.


Jun 30, 2011

Katie Ponozzo dance portraits by the Boise River Greenbelt, by Mike Reid-All Outdoor Photography.

Great dance portrait shoot by the Boise River and Greenbelt with Katie Ponozzo, a beautiful Boise contemporary dancer. A bit late in the day but there were just enough thin clouds to take the edge off the sunlight. Most of the shots are on an old bridge over the Boise river.

Katie is so easy to shoot, I pick the background and the light and I put Katie in position then I shoot whatever she does. She obviously doesn't need any coaching from me :).

Used the Nikon D700 with the 24-70 and the Nikon D3 with the 70-200.
Used an SB800 with a 42" softbox for the D700 shots.

The D3 shots are all natural light, they are easy to spot as they are the ones with the major telephoto bokeh effect. I love to shoot portraits at, or as close as I can get to 200mm.

Katie and I have shot together a few times now and there are a few in this bunch that are some of my favorite shots we have created in our collaboration.

Thanks again Katie, great stuff!

Her entire gallery is here: http://alloutdoor.smugmug.com/Other/Katie-River-Dance/17799490_rxjnQW#1360407898_LtZ7S6K








Jun 23, 2011

Palina and Steve's engagement portraits at The Bishop's House and The Old Penitentiary in Boise, by All Outdoor Photography.

Palina and Steve, what a great couple. These two are so into each other, one of those couples that was meant to be together.
We started off slow but once they got into the flow of it and realized it was going to be fun we took a record number of pictures...and so many good ones. I didn't use any lights at this shoot and my photo count increased dramatically because of it. I didn't realize how disruptive using lights was until I didn't use any.

Of course the lights create such a different look, not better, but different.

All with the Nikon D3 and the 70-200 at 2.8 or 4.
Pretty straight forward shoot really. They were both comfortable in front of the camera, great sports and by the end we had one of my favorite engagement galleries.
Steve said the photo shoot experience felt like more of a date, and he really enjoyed the shoot, which makes sense because it sure looks like they are having fun in the pictures.

Check out the entire gallery to really get a feel for it: http://alloutdoor.smugmug.com/Engagement-galleries/Palina-and-SteveBoise/17663472_KBndGq#1346993045_PkJRWfg