Julia, pt. 1

I had the pleasure of shooting portraits for my student, Julia, that day at the Arboretum. We've known each other for a long time, so it was a comfortable, easy shoot. And she's super photogenic! I tried to venture outside of my comfort zone of open shade portraits to experiment with some different lighting. Even had a reflector so I could look like a real photographer. :) Kim, I just realized I never answered your question about that. It's a 38" reflector that's white on one side and gold on the other. I've only used the white side so far, because I'd read it gives the most subtle lighting. My biggest challenge with it is getting it to fold back up properly. It's kind of tricky! :)

Side light

Back-lit with reflector (really want to experiment more with backlight as I love the rim light around the hair)
I've also been experimenting with various actions in Photoshop Elements. I love the Perfect Portrait action which is a free download from the Coffeeshop Blog.There are also a few nice actions from the Pioneer Woman blog. All free and easy to use with good instructions for installation and use.

More faves tomorrow...