hoolahoop
My beautiful niece having some old-school fun!
My beautiful niece having some old-school fun!
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Feb, 2015Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in my front yard. This "mini" session with my niece actually happened by accident because I was practicing on my focus and composition skills on some pecans on the porch. She was playing, and caught my attention!Time
It was the end of a beautiful day, early evening. We had just had a get together, so all the adults were doing their own thing (of course, mine was taking photos! lol), and the kids were playing.Lighting
I actually took this opportunity to play around with the ambient light (high sunset) available. The sun was low, so I was getting some harsh side shadows. It took me quite a few shots, several adjustments, and playing with the flash a little bit to get a decent shot. Looking back on this photo now, I probably would have tried to use the sunlight more to my advantage.Equipment
I have a Canon Xsi 450D (hoping to upgrade soon! =)), and Tamron 28-300 mm 3.5-6.3, with built-in flash.Inspiration
When I noticed her trying to hoola-hoop, it made me think of when my sisters and I played with ours, and tried to do tricks with it. It was some old school fun being shared with the new generation. Not many little girls know what a hoola-hoop is, and it was refreshing to see her having fun outside instead of in front of a TV.Editing
I did some adjustments on the highlights/shadows to try to compensate for the harsh side light, and boosted the color.In my camera bag
Over the last several weeks, this answer would have changed about ten times! =) I have just recently(3 months ago) decided to take my side hobby to the next level and make a career out of it. With that being said, I did not realize how many tools there were available to photographers. But as of today: Camera (Canon Xsi), Tamron 28-300mm,(I have a Canon 18-55mm, but I hardly use it), 430EXII speedlite flash, softbox for speedlite, light relfecter for speedlite, extra batteries, 52" tripod, 75" monopod, receiver/transmitter, 24" reflector, SD cards (2), light meter (which I haven't used because I have not learned how =(], remote trigger cord.... and a partridge in a pear tree!! =P I'm sure that as I learn and grow as a professional photographer, I will discover what works for me, and will leave at home what doesn't.Feedback
I think shooting kids is one of the most difficult shot because they don't understand how you want them to pose... I think my best advice for others shooting kids at play is to play along with them... Smile! Use encouraging words, and I have definitely learned that they "mimic" better than "follow directions". For example, in this picture, I stood up and grabbed my invisible hoola-hoop and showed her a few ways to hold it. The last thing I would suggest is a faster shutter speed and several shots to get that perfect shot.
