Portrait Photography Outdoors

Outdoor portrait photography is a lot of fun and gives you great results when you keep a few things in mind as you shoot.
-When you know your what your location will be plan what your subject is wearing to coordinate and/or stand out from the natural surroundings.  A couple of changes of clothing or props like hats, scarves, umbrella, book, flowers etc. will get your creative spirit flowing.  In this shoot with my niece, I used her hat and a scarf as props.  Her clothes blended with the winter woods and the scarf was a dramatic color addition.

-Don't forget to set your white balance appropriately.  You will still want to play with it in Photoshop especially if the light changes as you are shooting.  In this shoot the sun began to come out and changed the light dramatically.  We stopped when it got too strong.

-I use manual mode and check my histogram frequently.  Aperture preferred mode is also good for portraiture as you can set the f stop and get the depth of field you want without worrying about the shutter speed.  Remember: make sure your shutter speed stays fast enough for a moving person!
-Be playful and have fun.  Be clear with your subject what you want them to do and where you want them to look.  They don't know!

Fall Colors in Acadia Nat'l Park - Creating a mood with color and contrast

Today I was analyzing each photograph from my 4 days in Acadia National Park for composition and sharpness.  I chose a few images to play around with.  I balanced the color, the contrast, the highlights and the shadows.
Then I started to enhance the overall feeling of the images. I  began to play with color and contrast.  I began to break some rules.  It was fun and I was in the "zone".  I felt tuned in to the mood of each photograph.  I enhanced that mood in my digital darkroom.  
                                  

Thomas Bay - The Narrows

"I am sure the next step will be the electronic image, and I hope I shall live to see it.  I trust that the creative eye will continue to function, whatever technological innovations may develop."  
~Ansel Adams

I feel very happy with the photographs I have created today.  That creation began outdoors with my camera on a tripod in one of the most beautiful places on earth.  I finished the creative process today with my computer much as Ansel Adams did in his darkroom.

"The negative is the equivalent of the composer's score, and the print the performance."  ~Ansel Adams

Eagle Lake - sunset

                   

Ferns near the Park Loop Road.

Birches - Acadia Wild Garden.

Photography is an art form.  It is not only the faithful rendering of what we see in the world - we can leave that to the photo-journalists.  It is the creative expression of what we have recorded with our cameras.  As such it is unique to each photographer.

Please leave a comment if you like my work and visit my website at kmilsteinphotography.com.

Hunter's Beach - Hidden Gem of Acadia

The trail to Hunter's Beach is easy.  The footing is tricky.  Wet roots provide the biggest challenge.  It follows a lovely little brook through dense forest to a cobble beach opening directly onto the Gulf of Maine.  The beach is a great place to catch the sunrise and see smooth cobbles, chunks of bedrock polished by the tireless waves.
You cannot get there on the Loop Road.  Instead, take Rt. 3 south from Bar Harbor towards Seal Harbor.  Turn left onto a small road angling towards the ocean which later reconnects to Rt. 3.  Look sharp as you are liable to miss the tiny parking lot at the trail head.  Down the road a bit you can find the trail head to the cliff trails or you can start up from the beach and climb the cliff trail.

Hunter's Head will be to your left.

Hunter's Cliff trails to the right offer exciting views of the beach and the ocean.

Hardly anyone knows about this peaceful little corner of Acadia.  Finding it feels like wonderful discovery all your own.
The cliffs are not for faint of heart.  One can walk out onto to rocky ledges for a wonderful view.

View of Hunter's Head

Close up of the lichen and moss on the cliffs.

Fall into Winter in New England- our Little Pond

Winter and a new year coming! The glowing warm colors of fall are gone now - my favorite time of year to photograph is over. But not without a last trip down to the Little Pond in my neighborhood with my camera. What is going on everyday in the beautiful places in your neighborhood? Look very close and you might find stunning color or step back and see faces in the landscape. Look sideways and you will see a foxy face in the reflection of the pond. It can depend on whether you hold the camera for a vertical view or a horizontal view. It can depend on whether you angle up or angle down or even get down on the ground.

One trick is to immediately turn around 180 degrees and check out the possibilities of a good shot behind you.

New years always bring energy and possibility - that one stunning photograph is always out there to be captured! Here's to the beautiful images of 2010!