Winter Woods

Winter is kind of an off-season for me regarding photography, at least for wedding and outdoor portrait work. I actually did have a wedding in January, and I have another coming up at the end of the month, but for the most part I haven't had much going on. That of course makes me feel a little bored, so I try to find personal projects to work on. A couple of weekends back, I took photos of my friends sending Margaret off to Nashville, and then this past weekend I asked a student to model for me for a quick creative shoot. Kristen and I have lots of mutual friends, and we got along well. She was so sweet to get out in the cold with me to take pictures! Earlier this same day the ground was covered in snow, but of course it all melted before I got a chance to get out and take pictures.

I took Kristen out on the biking/running trails behind campus and just took some portraits of her. I have a vintage filter that creates that kaleidoscope effect. I was excited to finally try it out, and I love the result! I also finally got a wireless transmitter for my flash, so I experimented with lighting a little. Some of the photos look like there is sunlight, but that's actually my flash strategically placed. I am excited to start using it more! It is a lot easier to carry around that my big studio lights, especially when climbing in and out of gullies in the woods. I felt like a kid again, playing in the "big ditch" with my neighborhood friends.

That last one kills me. How gorgeous is she?! I took a ton of shots in that location, trying to get her face in just the right spot. There are a couple more that I like where only one eye is showing, but I ended up choosing this one. It was so great to just get out and shoot something with no pressure to please anyone but myself. I should really start doing this more often. I just need to get better about approaching people to model for me. That's honestly the hardest part because I feel like a weirdo. Luckily Kristen is an artist, so she totally gets it :)

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I was intending to post this yesterday, but unfortunately we had quite a tragedy at Union. I still haven't quite processed it, but I feel like the only thing I can do is pray. I don't even want to write about it, but you can read about it here, if you're curious. Please keep Olivia's friends and family as well as our campus in your thoughts and prayers.