A few weeks ago I had the nervous pleasure of taking on my first Solo/Couple Session. A friend of mine requested some pics to use for her upcoming birthday and also wanted to get in some couple shots with her husband. Originally I had suggested using Forest Park but then realized Lafayette Park would be a better destination for many reasons. First, with this being my first session I didn't want to be overwhelmed and Lord knows going to Forest Park on a Saturday is already insane by itself. You fighting for parking spaces and other venues that might already be going on as well. Not to mention did I say it's a big ass park? Lafayette Park is a beautiful medium size park (compared to Forest Park it might be considered small). So I went a week in advance and cased out the place. I went walking around to find out where I think it would be great to take shots. I took my phone with me to take pictures of the various areas so I would be able to go over them later on and then also put together a Pinterest folder of various poses to look them over.
I also asked questions and received great advice from another photographer. Thank you Corri:)
So we met up on our designated date and my day was already busy from a photo shoot earlier that morning that I left to go straight to this photoshoot. I arrived early so I could take a mini walk through the area again to remember where I wanted to get shots. I had my phone with me going through the Pinterest folder I had on poses. So when Tamika and Craig arrived I became more nervous. LOL
So we got started shortly after meeting up and I have to say they are an amazing couple. Craig had Tamika laughing and smiling the whole time. Tamika started off doing her own posing because I was still nervous as fuck. I was so worried about lighting I was just thankful I had brought my flash with me. I became more comfortable after a while and slowly started guiding her and her hubby through poses. By the time we were done a hour went by.
I definitely learned somethings as I was shooting. Hard light sucks! Always bring a flash even during the daytime especially when dealing with the shade. Bring a freakin reflector! Study more on poses! Research your location before shooting so you can envision what type of shots you want.
So once I got home that day I checked out the pictures on my camera and put them away for a few days so I could start fresh when it came to culling and doing edits. What I definitely learned is that you can go through numerous bouts of editing. You might think you are done and then you go through pics again and realize something else could be changed to make them better. So after 3 rounds of editing, I was satisfied and thankfully Tamika loved them.
A lot goes into planning a shoot, even when you are dealing with the least amount of equipment. Hell having equipment is just a part of it. A lot of planning goes into it when you want to execute your vision. I look forward to the next challenge :)
