One of the downfalls of living in Texas is our summer heat. It's great for tanning and spending time at the lake...not so much for my photography business. I notice a considerable drop in people willing to step out and "enjoy" such, shall we say, outrageous weather. It takes a special family to book a summer shoot, and that's exactly what the Chaneys are!
We had talked in the past about working together but our schedules never seemed to hit Paris at the same time...until recently. I had the privilege of not only shooting a family session, but of doing a combo cake smash session for their adorable little girl (her shoot/blog is to be posted in the future). Even though we picked one of the hotter days of the year, we had some seriously good lighting.
A lot of strong summer sunlight can create deep shadows (exposing for the highlights) and, even still, blown out highlights. By shooting an hour to an hour and a half before sunset, using a diffuser and adding in a reflector, I was able to adjust shutter speed and ISO to work with most shadows and highlights to create a more cohesive and consistent image. Not all images will get the desired effect, but the ones that you hit just right are worth all the trouble of constantly adjusting posing, fighting for exposure, and of course getting the kids attention!
