I shot the entire session with the 50 f/1.4. I was looking for a really blown out backgrounds, but super sharp details in the subject. Due to the overcast day, I didn’t need to worry about a lot of uneven lighting, but I did use the SB-900 as a form of off camera fill flash.

I still need to work on posing and finding a good background or location, but I’m pleased about how the shoot came out.

Here are some of the images of Alyssa.

If you would like to read more about Alyssa, please travel over to Nature Light Photography.

As always, please feel free to leave comments or let me know if you have any questions.

Now I think that I am going to use it to do two things. One, document my attempt to start my portrait business and, two, document my learning on my trip through a photographic life.

Why start a business when I have a great job teaching biology and AP environmental science in high school? Because photography is a great passion, but an expensive one. I figured that I could combine the passion to feed the passion. I could use photography to help pay for the photography.

I have been told that I take good images, but the images are of nature, wildlife, and landscapes (with a little of everything else thrown in). Working with people scares the hell out of me. It’s WAY outside of my comfort zone! So, why portraits? Because I think working 36 different high school students every hour gives me a unprecedented access to potential clients.

What are my limitations? It’s against school policy (and maybe ed. code) to sell in the classroom. Besides, I think it would be unethical. That doesn’t mean that by being available to individuals is wrong. But I don’t want to be limited to students. I need to be reachable by the parents also and by limiting myself to one school, I limit the possibility of expanding my reach.

To do that, I plan on to treat this as a true business. After following many different individuals, both online and in other areas. The first thing I want to do is establish two things. An identity and a reputation.

The identity is in the works and the reputation comes from getting my work out and having people see it. That is the purpose of this website. To let others see my images and what I am thinking. Nature Light Photography is my site that I use to market my portraits and let clients know what is going on. (I still need to set it up.)