Brenna: Part Five {Piano}

Brenna loves music and has played the piano since she was a little girl, so we decided to try for another {potential senior} picture with a little bit of piano in the background.  We went to a music store and found a gorgeous piano for her.  Only problem?  The lighting was TERRIBLE and the walls were mustard yellow.  I tried adjusting my white balance to every single setting, I tried adjusting my exposure as much as I could, I tried using both the external and built-in flash, I tried not using the flash, and her mom (my friend Kelly) was even using the reflector to block some of the obnoxious lights.  This is definitely a situation where my inexperience came into play.    

I tried removing some of the yellow, messed with exposure and brightness in post processing, but they still look a little wonky.  So I opted for black and white.

These are two of the top contenders. . .

and hese are just some silly ones. . .

And wowzers, that girl can really play!

Brenna, thanks for putting up with the crazy camera lady for another session! I am learning a lot and appreciate having such a patient and photogenic subject. Our next one is scheduled for tonight OUTSIDE, thank goodness. 

Brenna: Part Four

Here were a few more of the casual looks we tried out at the end of the night (the convertible ones were just for fun).  These are without any natural light, so I worked with a small external flash which I have not used often.  I think next time I'll stick to natural light.

 Pretty nice car, huh?

And the really cool thing about this entire session is that our instructor, who is a professional photographer, was ALSO taking pictures.  Brenna will have access to all of those photos as well.  So, while it was a wonderful learning experience for me, I am really excited for her to have some professional level photos.  Win - win for sure!!

Brenna: Part Three

Remember my friend's beautiful daughter Brenna?  We took some pictures (potential senior portraits) awhile ago.  You can see them here and here.

Last night our photo instructor from the class we took this summer let us shoot at his studio.  We actually never ended up in the studio because there were too many cool scenes outside and around the building to try out.  He even let us use some of his lenses.  I had access to lenses I'll never be able to afford and guess what happened. . . I had to switch back to my own lens!  I felt like I was committing a sin, but they were so heavy and new to me!  I was having camera shake issues so I switched back to what I was comfortable with.  If we get the opportunity again I'm going to try and be less of a chicken and snatch that opportunity up!  All in all it was a wonderful experience.  And it sounds like we might go back and do some more!  WooHoo!

Here were some of my favorites. . .   We started to lose steam after this outfit, but I have a few more to share so stay tuned. .  . :)

And a couple of outtakes that I love. . .

Thank you so much to Kelly and Brenna for letting me share this experience!

Brenna: Part Two {BOOKS}

We thought it would be nice to incorporate some of the things that Brenna loves in some of her photos.  She has a stack of books by her bed and loves to read so we started with books.

Brenna: Part One

My friend Kelly asked me to try and take some senior pictures of her beautiful daughter Brenna.  I was super excited and super nervous, but mostly honored that she had enough faith in me to let me give it a shot.  We have some upcoming sessions planned for different locations and I can't wait!  Here were a few of my favorites from the first session.  Brenna was soooo patient with me and I didn't even have to bribe her with anything or stand on my head to  get her to smile.  Bonus!

More parts coming soon!  

 Brenna, you were so fun to work with. Thank you!