Great Light is the Key to Great Photos

People often ask me the key to taking great photos. Well, there are many factors in play, camera gear, lenses, composition, etc., but I really believe the really big thing is - light. To master the use of light will greatly help your picture transform to another level. I'm not talking about the sunlight at high 12PM, and why some photographer insist on shooting with the sun blazing down directly on their subjects escapes me. That light is harsh and washes out your subjects leaving them with not so pretty shots. Now, having to shoot when the sun is blazing can be done, you just have to find the right spots and it becomes much more challenging, shade, behind buildings, under trees in a wooded area, etc. But the best light, in my humble opinion, comes about 1 to 2 hours before the sun sets. Take for instance the following 2 photos. Both were taken about 45 minutes before the sun set. Some slight contrast adjustments, sharpening, color saturation, and here we are...

California Trip Part I

Does getting back home from vacation ever get easier? We went out to the Bay Area to visit family and friends and we drove all over the place. I haven't yet even put a dent in all the photos I took. We went to Napa, Lake Berryessa, Monterey (Pebble Beach, 17 Mile Drive) and Half Moon Bay, and thought about going to the Gilroy Garlic Festival but got scared out of it due to the amount of traffic everyone said it generates. So here's a handful of shots from our trip with more to come (when I get to processing them).

Note! These aren't session photos, just shots of the family... If you want to see some work click around in the archives. :)

Verdeja :: Family

This is my friend Tommy and Geneva's family. I've known Tom for years, literally, since I can remember remembering anything, I remember hanging out with him and his family. Throughout the years we've had a lot of fun, golfing, hanging out, etc., so it was time to photograph his family. While shooting kids at this age is difficult, I do have practice considering mine are near the same age. It's a little of running around and a lot of patience - with the parents... :) Kids are kids and they like to do what their little minds want to do, so following them around searching for a great shot is just what you've got to do.

The sun really didn't cooperate with me all that much. We started around 7:30 PM, but really, we should have started around 8:30 PM - but then I'm not sure the kids (or any kids for that matter) would be all that cooperative. Of course, if we had more shaded areas we would have been fine earlier but at this location - we didn't but I think we made due and got some great shots.