People Get Bored Of Umbrellas

I think the saddest thing about being a photographer is searching for people to pose in front of you. You can always use yourself, but if you are using a flash, it’s suddenly 10 times more difficult. This could be anywhere from 20 minutes to 35 minutes. You could cut that in half if you have someone sitting in front of the camera.

• You set up the camera

• Set up the chair you’ll be sitting in

• Sit on the chair and make sure you’re in frame

• If not, then you have to adjust the chair or the camera

• Then you set up the flash

• Take a photo

• Walk to the camera and change the flash output

• Sit down and take a photo

• Adjust the position of the flash

• Sit down and take another photo

• Just adjust the flash power once more

Then, you can finally move around and take photos. Keeping in mind where the frame of the camera is of course. After a few shots, I always get bored. I’m not that good on the eyes.

That's when I start bribing people. Nieces and nephews, neighbors, friends. Who ever is around is fair game. I usually start off with kids. They are the easiest to bribe. A candy will get me 2-4 minutes of photos before they get bored and cancel the deal.

Adults however can shoot a little longer. And even if they get bored, you can still push it and shoot a few more frames.

Karina gives me 10-15 minutes usually. She used to let me take photos of her more often, but now she’s kind of over it so I take whatever time she gives me.

After taking photos of a few people, one thing stood out to me. Although my setup is pretty basic, the light coming out from the umbrella is really beautiful. It’s soft and strong and to me, it has the perfect contrast.

The way it makes certain things pop is truly amazing. From eyes to the fabric in the clothing, it all looks so beautiful. I wish I could keep shooting but sadly, I always seem to run out of subjects.