Autumn Beauty

This week's session had all the fixin's of a dream shoot.....great light, gorgeous fall colors and a sweet young lady. I photographed Olivia's communion session earlier this year and was thrilled to do her birthday portraits in the lovely autumn season.

Capturing the color was a must so I decided to shoot at a slightly upward angle and blurred the foreground and background to add a bit of interest. Olivia's carefree pose is a perfect fit for this setting.

 I always move in closer to capture her lovely features, making sure she popped with clarity while everything else is out of focus.

 I like this traditional, natural pose and composition, using the empty space as a canvas for the background color.

 I asked Olivia to make some silly faces as the smile that comes afterward is always a great time to click that shutter.

 I like the graphic elements here - the tall slim tree and the tall slim girl. It would have been a totally different shot had I centered it. There is a rule of thirds for a reason!

 Whenever I see a branch, I do this shot...just fun and different.

 Sometimes you have to break the photography rules and shoot into the light. Makes for great hair light and love those glowing leaves behind her.

 Olivia's expressions are just awesome!

 When I see a wall with texture, I do this.

 Love everything about this....definitely a favorite of of the day (although definitely the heart attack shot that shows mom and dad how quickly their little girl is growing up).

 I hit the location jackpot with this park (great suggestion, Olivia's Mom!!) and wanted to incorporate the graphic element of these cool barn doors.

 The colors couldn't be more perfect here. I shot low and angled slightly up to not make this too dramatic, just a little interesting. I like how you see the light behind her.

 And OF COURSE we did a leaf throwing shot.

 Kids get into this and I like to capture the excitement just before they throw.

 Bridges make awesome dramatic lines, especially when you shoot with the right lens. I love the even composition.

 Natural and carefree.

 Little specks of light coming through the rear greenery can turn into little light spheres with the right camera settings. Makes for a nice soft photo.

 Same here, but wanted to capture more body to show her relaxed pose.

 I don't direct kids when they want to climb trees - they always find more interesting poses than I would.

 With this pose, I knew I wanted to switch to my super wide lens and add some funk to those branches. Another favorite....a framer for sure.

 Traditional with a bit of flair.

 I just adore the colors here - Olivia's blonde hair suits this image perfectly.

 Close-up with a strong composition.

 Another favorite - I love the sun, the angle, the colors....a nice moment to capture her age as well.

 Singin' in the rain (but glad it didn't). ;-) Look at that super saturated blue and red. Nature rocks.

 Similar angle as the stone wall shot but I wanted to try a vertical shot instead.

 Last but certainly not least, a shot with Mom. Even though it was the end of our session, Olivia brightened up in a way a child only does for Mommy. Love this picture.

Olivia and Jenn, I am beyond happy that you asked me to capture these images. I hope you cherish them always. xoxo