Colorado Photography by Chester Bullock

I am very much a newbie when it comes to doing portraits. I guess I have stayed away from them (except for family shots, like Garrett here) because usually it involves people giving you money and having certain expectations. That makes me nervous. A few people I know have said I am good enough to take pictures of people, and that is where the money is, at least initially. But it makes me start to worry about things beyond basic composition. Lighting, poses, shadows, makeup – all of these are as much, if not more, of a success factor as the scene and basic composition. Megan is a senior this year though, and that means senior pictures. Instead of paying someone to do it, at least initially, I agreed to take a stab at it and see what we can do. We went out for our first shoot yesterday. I need to review, edit and upload the pictures yet, hence no examples. That will probably happen tomorrow. But from what I saw in the camera, I think we got a few good pictures. The Art of People Photography: Inspiring Techniques for Creative Results was pretty helpful as a basic resource. The section on senior photos left a bit to be desired, but I was able to use tips from all over the book. I’d recommend it to anyone who hasn’t shot portraits and wants to get a feel for it.

Megan and I are planning to go out again, and this time she is bringing a friend. It’ll be good practice for me, and her friend should get some good keeper shots for free (not going to charge while I am learning). Hopefully we can set this up soon. Who knows, maybe I can start a good business doing senior pictures for Lakewood High School. I certainly seem to know enough kids up there.