Shadow Play

Caden and I took advantage of the GORGEOUS day today!  The rain cleared and left a beautiful blue sky, cool weather and perfect lighting for photos!  However, I didn't want that typical gorgeous-midmorning-sun look.  Today, I focused more on the fun shots you can get with shadows.  I love to use shadows as part of the composition....love how they fall across the ground, over the face or distantly in the background.

I also remembered how much fun I had "breaking the rules" when I did photography back in the day.  And by that, I mean that I would set the photos to be either slightly over- or underexposed.  Exposure is just the total amount of light allowed to fall onto the film or sensor.  Usually, there is a meter in your camera, seen through the viewfinder and on the LCD screen of a digital SLR camera.  When you manually expose your shots, text books urge you to aim to get that meter to fall right in the middle.  However, it's when you shoot slightly left or right of the center when you get GREAT shots!  I tend to shoot slightly left of center, which means my shots tend to be a bit darker, or slightly underexposed.  I often compare my work to professional photographers, and I see many professionals over exposing their shots.  I guess that's their creative niche.  I usually prefer a darker, more saturated look....  Caden and I took some really great shots in a very shady area today, and I found myself shooting both left and right of center.  I really enjoyed both looks, especially in the shadows!

Mr. Crazy Hair

Caden LOVED the awesome gazebo over the water!

I love the way the shadows falls across the planks.  I also love the way the vertical shadows of the trees in the background compliment the horizontal planks on the bridge.

Shot a bit to the right

Shot to the left

My FAVORITE from today!  The shade was just right, and the light that came through looked like a spot light!