Two for the price of one.

I'm gonna talk about two things tonight, the first being portraits and the second is composition and post production.

Wait...that's three things.

Huh, an even better bargain than the title suggests! (And it's free anyway, so I don't wanna hear any complaining!)

First, portraits.

I enjoy doing people photography, but there's more to it than telling people to say "Cheese!" and "Act natural...". I'm not what you call a people person and interaction doesn't come too naturally to me which is why I enjoy the style of portraits labeled Candid photography.

A candid focuses on a moment in time, often captured without the subject noticing. Make no mistake, this can be just as difficult as regular posed portraits, but when it does work , the result can be very powerful. The more you look at a candid photograph, the more you start to imagine...your mind wanders... you start to feel emotions, wondering if this is what the person in the picture was feeling. A frozen moment in time suddenly becomes a story.

Sometimes the pictures need a bit of back story to set the stage.

This is my other "brother", JD. He is with Emily and I at Niagara Falls early in the morning. This is the one time a year we can all get together. Everyone is cold and hungry (except me, cause I was smart enough to wear thermal underwear, ha-ha), but look at the picture one more time...

As he takes in the majesty of one of the natural wonders of the world as the transition from winter to spring unfolds in front of us, it's clear there is no other place he'd rather be at that moment. Looking at the picture, you can feel the cold, you are reminded of the amazing things you've seen and what it feels like to be with good friends. That is the power of candid photography.

Second (and third), composition and post production. Or rather composition FOR post production.

Often, I'll take a picture for the purpose of doing something with it in post production. I think of it as using the picture as a canvas to create a piece of art. It's not JUST the picture, but what I can do with it to give it an artistic quality, something unique. I think of it as creating a digital painting, I need a shot to work with though.

If you've read this far....take two things away from this.

1. Never hesitate to snap a picture when no one is looking, you might like what you get.

2. Look beyond the photo when you take it. Look for the opportunity to express yourself. You might be surprised, it could be in a picture that you would have written off before.

3. Check back later for Emily's addition for the day.

Waaaait.....that's three things again instead of two. I guess I really need to learn how to count, huh?