Approaching strangers and asking if I can photograph them can be a scary thing. You never know how people will react or what they will think. As I traveled around America I became very comfortable speaking with people about Future American President and asking them if I could photograph their children. Looking back, it seems like a crazy idea, but if you're passionate about something and believe in it anything is possible.
Parks are always a great places to find families, and in Maryland that's where I found a young family. When I first spotted them, I loved that the father held the baby and that the mother walked with the dog. When I approached them they seemed hesitant at first until I showed examples of other families across America. Once they gave me the okay, I did a fast light test and took about 5 to 10 minutes to photograph them.
I learned a long time ago, that the best way to get and keep people excited during a photo shoot is to shoot fast. If they never get a chance to get tired, they will give you better images and leave feeling good.
For this image, I set up my shot before I found a subject to photograph. I had no idea if I'd meet a family with a 2 week old or a 10-year-old but I wanted to be prepared. I set my strobe up in a manner that would enable me to adjust to any situation and then waited for someone to come by.
One my light was set up, I did a quick test to make sure my exposure was correct, then I placed a branch from a tree behind me on the spot where my potential subject or subjects would stand. Once I liked my test images I had to be patient and hope a family would pass by. Sometimes this worked and other times it didn't. Tomorrow I'll share a story when it didn't work out.
Being patient as a photographer usually works in my favor, and many times throughout the making of Future American President, it paid off. However, there were times when it didn't work, but I have no regrets.. Check out tomorrow's blog post to hear more.
Always Dream Big