Quick & Easy Outdoor Portraits

I got my start professionally photographing portraits and models outdoors. As a poor college student, I didn't have the funds for flashes, umbrellas, and the other paraphernalia that indoor portraits require. Fortunately my alma-mater, Michigan State, had extensive park and garden areas available that made ideal locations.

I still enjoy working outdoors. Lighting is much more natural, and being out of a studio environment tends to relax subjects more. I try to avoid an overly elaborate setup, preferring a flash with diffuser attached to the camera with a rotating flash bracket. Put the sun at the subject's back, add enough flash to fill in the facial shadows, and everything's ready to go.

Last week I was contacted by a member of my synagogue, asking if I could shoot a portrait for use with her daughter's upcoming Bat Mitzvah announcement. It needed to be done quickly, and the fact that I would come to their house to shoot the photos was a big plus. We had the option of shooting inside (I had my flashes and umbrellas in the car), but we had a nice day and they had a nice front yard, so everyone agreed that outdoors was preferred. The rest of the family sat on their front stoop while we shot. I used the dark hedges for a background, making the hair highlights really jump and helping to separate the subject from the background.

Deanna

I just finished a shoot with another OneModelPlace model who goes by "Deanna Destruction". She's a total professional who is a blast to work with. She's got a great head of hair that looks great when the wind catches it.

We did part of the shoot under a highway underpass, and I turned it into an outdoor studio. I set the exposure manually to kill the ambient light, and then used three flashes (one on-camera, one from behind on the left, and a snooted flash high and on the right. The results were dramatic and exciting, with an old-school glamor flavor to them.

2011 Spectrum Charter School Graduation

My older son KJ has been going to Spectrum Charter School in Monroeville for four years now. Spectrum is specifically set up for high-schoolers with autism spectrum disorders. All of the kids there thrive and grow in that environment. Every May, a few of them graduate, and the entire student population, family, and friends attend. It celebrates just how far they have all come.

The gallery of photos can be found here.

"Double Trouble"

This past Saturday I had the opportunity to photograph Haley and Gwen's B'not Mitzvah ceremony. They're twins, or as the Rabbi referred to them, "Double Trouble".

I was specifically asked to take photos during the actual ceremony, rather than doing staged photos beforehand. This presented some challenges, because the Synagogue requires the photographer to stay in the back (in one location only) and to not use a flash. Shooting indoors with a telephoto lens and no flash is tough. The long (slow) shutter speeds mean that any subject motion results in a blurry image, and the telephoto lens means any camera motion is amplified and also blurs the image. And the wide apertures needed for low light mean that the focus has to be right on the mark.

This a perfect situation for my recently acquired Nikon D300 camera, because it offers much better low-light capability than my previous Nikon D70 cameras. I also decided to take advantage of my fixed location by bracing the camera against the door frames at the entrance to the Sanctuary. This will steady a camera almost as well as using a tripod or monopod. The net result was a much higher percentage of "keepers" than I've had on the past. And that means a happy client...

Dynamo Soccer Make-up Weekend

This past weekend was planned as a make-up weekend for shooting Dynamo Soccer photos for anyone who was missed the first weekend. The original plan was to spend a few hours each day at the field, so parents could just bring the player over for their photo, or a team could come over to have a team photo re-shot.

Unfortunately, the lousy weather our first weekend (April 16 and 17) meant that a lot of teams were missed that first weekend, and in some cases the players were covered in mud for their photos. So I planned to stay the entire day this weekend to make sure I got everyone taken care of. Mother Nature, however, had other ideas. Saturday was gloriously sunny, so much so that I got sunburned. But Sunday was a rain-out again, with weather only fit for ducks (see photo). So there are still a number of teams I still need to shoot. I haven't figured out yet whether there will be ANOTHER make-up day, or whether I'll try to make it to some practices to get the remaining teams. I'll post an update once I know more.

Dynamo Soccer

The last two times I've photographed Dynamo Soccer, I've been blessed with really great weather. Well, I guess the law of averages caught up with me! I had scheduled soccer photos for the weekend of April 16 and 17. This had to be the wettest photo day since I started shooting Dynamo Soccer. Dynamo ended up cancelling all of the Saturday games that were being held on the grass fields (The artificial turf on the main fields has pretty good drainage).

Sunday the weather was better, although it was still extremely windy. And the grass fields where Sunday's games were played were still waterlogged and muddy from Saturday's downpours.

The gallery with the soccer photos from the first weekend can be found here:

http://photos.paulrichardwossidlo.com/g/dynamo_soccer_spring_2011

I'll be on the field this weekend (April 30 and May 1) to photograph the teams I missed that first soggy weekend. I'll update this post as more photos are posted online.

Easter & Mother's Day Special: Gift Certificates

We have a special Easter and Mother's Day offer available if you are still looking for something unique and memorable: A gift certificate for an on-location family portrait session and one 8x10 print (which you select) from the session. Normally this costs $80.95 ($70 for the session and $10.95 for the print), but from now until Mother's Day, you can purchase a gift certificate for only $39.95 (less than half price!). If you would like a gift certificate, you have two ways to order one:

1) If you wish to pay by cash or check, please email (pwossidlo@aol.com) or call (412-480-4698). We will make arrangements so you can purchase your gift certificate and receive it before Easter or Mother's Day.

2) If you wish to purchase your gift certificate using a credit or debit card, click on the button below to pay for your gift certificate using PayPal. We will mail the gift certificate to your PayPal address within 24 hours.

Samples of my portrait work can be found in my portrait portfolio. If you have any questions, just ask!

Paul