On the Way to Graduation

[KellyL]

We were on our way to graduation ceremony, and I thought the dress Sarah was wearing would go great with a brick wall near our home. We jumped out of the van and snapped a few fun, spontaneous pictures.

[felix.reichardt]

Looking very good ... 1 and two are my fav's ... great idea!

[KellyL]

Thanks,

I wish we would have had more time, but hey....I just wanted some cool pics on her last day as a high school gal.

[MVB]

Very cool Kelly, I like them nice lighting, color,& good comp. So when she runs off to college will she come back for modeling jobs.
Congrats I wish you & her luck in both your futures.
Mitch

[JDArt]

Very nice pictures! They have a dreamy 3D feel.

[harryd]

I love them Kelly, the color and light are wonderful. Did you use fill flash or something else on them?

[KellyL]

No flash. All natural light. I had been reading posts of people who have been using their 85mm f/1.8 and I made myself drag it out of the bag and do some shots. It was 1:30 in the afternoon with a slightly overcast sky. I got lucky on the lighting.

Very litte post processing in PS. Did some quick adjustments in Ligth Room. At first I didn't understand the point of Light Room, but now...oh my gosh...since I have FINALLY started shooting RAW, I can't live without it. It is incredible!

[harryd]

Well you sure did great and you need to drag that 85 out more often. Glad you love Raw, it is all I shoot now that I have found it helps correct a multitude of sins and I sure make lots of mistakes I need to fix.

[Worm324]

Great lighting and exposure Kelly!! The Brick does make for a great background!!

Jay

[rsmall]

Very nice indeed, Kelly. From a cropping standpoint, why did you crop Nbr. 1 leaving so much brick wall at the top of the image? This is not critism; I'm trying to understand. TNX.

[Stormdancing]

Great shots Kelly.
You're right, that dress goes so well with that wall. Just beautiful.
I'd have to say that #3 is my least favorite because of the hunched shoulders and the way the dress drapes in the front. They are all fantastic and I'm glad you got a shot in without the sunglasses. Pretty eyes.

[KellyL]

Dana: Yep, she's been a huncher FOREVER! I have found myself over the years saying, "Sarah, stand up straighter! Don't hunch!" The last shot I told her, "Straighten out your shoulders, take off your glasses."

RS: As far as the cropping is concerned, don't ask me why, but I like leaving negative space in my pictures. I had this image (number 1) in my mind. For ME it just has an artsy feel to it. I also like breaking the "don't look out of the frame rule" at times. It just gives everything a little more edgy feel, in my opinion. I have been studying the guidelines, and I want to create good images, but I also want them to be different enough that it might just bother you a little to look at it. You like the picture, think something isn't quite right, but then the longer you look at it the more you like it. I don't know if that sounds rational, reasonable, or just plain dumb! Sarah likes things to be just a little different and unusual. Placing her there in the frame sort of brings out that part of her personality.

Thanks Jay for the kind words. I am still waiting to see more of your postings.

JD: Thanks for the kind words. It always makes me feel good when one of the Camel Masters shows up in one of my threads.

Harry: Yes, I need to get that lens out more often. I do love it, but as Max said, you have to be so far away from your model that you have to shout directions.

Mitch: Thanks for looking! Modeling? I don't know about that. But there is one of her senior shots we did in Chicago that all her friends raved about. Told her she looked like a model. I know that boosted her self esteem. And then Aam told me to get her phone number on another post. When I told her that, she turned red.

I forgot to post this one.

[Paul Shields]

Great series Kelly, and the last one is the best of the lot in my opinion. Great pose, and very sexy (I hope that's a fair comment ).

[KellyL]

Thanks Paul. I have a hard time looking at that as sexy, since she is my daughter. Maybe I should think before I click from now on!!!!