The Weather Outside Was Frightful

Snow.  It can enhance the holiday spirit, or cause many obstacles.  So, when I was faced with a challenge to have my first solo photo session, in the snow, I had a lot of mixed feelings about the white stuff!

On one hand, the snow reflects light beautifully, eliminating the need to use a flash.  On the other hand, the cold air makes for some awfully red noses and otherwise washed out features.  There was no doubt about it, I had a challenge on my hands - but did I back down?  Never!

A lot of planning went into this session.  The location needed to feel natural and wintry, so I chose the wooded area near my house.  Not wanting my clients to sit in the cold snow, I brought a chair along to gather the family around it for the group shot.  Trees made for fabulous and convenient props, and the filtered sunlight provided the right amount of light while making the woods feel like a winter wonderland.

As for the little girls ... they were troopers!  It was not easy to be so young and have your picture taken in 30-something degrees, all without uttering a complaint.  I was incredibly impressed by these little ones, and it was a joy to photograph them.

I learned a lot through this experience that I will take with me as I continue with this venture into portrait photography.  In the future I will try to take my time; this particular session made that difficult since it was so cold, I was working with children, and I was feeling terrible with a violent cough and sore throat.  If I don't rush, I can consider a variety of interesting positions, and will crop more with my camera rather than in post processing.  I am seriously considering a camera with higher resolution as well.  But, overall I am pleased with how this maiden voyage went.

So ... the weather outside may have been frightful ... but their SMILES were so delightful! 

My apologies, I just had to say it!  {impish grin}