Backyard Photo Session

Wanting to switch it up from taking photos of the flowers in my front yard and inspired by my favorite yellow sweatshirt, I decided to work a little more and took my photog equipment out to the backyard yesterday afternoon.

 Here's what I ended up using (photo taken after the "session" was complete).

We have an old bench (it belongs to our daughter, Jessica; she inherited it from Peet's during their remodel but I just might keep it) and decided it would be a great spot to learn and play.

Returning the flash stick into it's stand in order to use it as a light stand, I attached the swivel bracket and my Canon 430 EXII flash with a Cactus receiver attached.

 

Camera with polarizer and a Cactus on a tripod, I snapped some pre-flash pictures to test and see the result.

Realizing that I could light up the fence behind me, I retrieved what Rod (one of my photo instructors) affectionately calls my "ghetto" flash (it's so ancient - a film camera flash) and put it together with a Cactus receiver and a red gel, and into a Quaker Oats can.

Grabbing a pail, a brick, a rock and my bean bag, I set it up behind the bench pointed at the fence.  Kind of felt like a photog MacGyver.

More test shots to see if it would have the desired effect.

Now adding the Canon 430 EXII flash.

 

 Set it on the timer and "strike a pose"!

Noticing that I was appearing a little more "wrinkly" and tanner than usual, I adjusted the saturation and contrast settings.  Say "cheese!".

 

Running out of poses.  Tyra makes it look so easy!

 

I really am smiling, but it doesn't look like it!

So over it.  Now I know how the kids feel and why they protest when I ask them to model.

Pleased and happy with my first multi-off camera-flash experience, I am looking forward to doing this again.  I would like to work with different saturation and contrast settings, plus maybe hire a new model!  =)