I was leaving Lake LaShane when a white flicker caught my eye. I stopped the car for a better look. Not far from a cluster of reeds, a small bird was wading in a shallow part of the lake. Its tail feathers were flicking up and down. It was the white underside that caught my eye.

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The Lamoni schools band concert was May 12. The 5th and 6th grade band performed first and then the 7th – 12th grade band. This is a selection of images from the concert.

April 21, 2023 was the final concert of the school year for the Graceland University Symphonic Band under the direction of Dr. Christopher Brandt. This is a selection of photos from the concert.

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If you want to improve your portrait photography it is really best if you start with the prior articles in this series before you tackle direct sunlight. Having said that, sometimes the sun works really well as the main light for portraits. Technically speaking, this image is not a “traditional” portrait, but it is one of my favorite images of Vassanta.

On sunny days, have your subject face away from the sun. You avoid all the disadvantages of having the sunlight on their face. As an added plus you have the possibility of really nice backlight. In this image I especially like the sunlight shining through Tiana’s hair.

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On sunny days open shade will give you the look of a cloudy bright day, but you have a lot less options as to where you can shoot.

If you are new to portrait photography, a cloudy bright day is the best kind of day to start shooting portraits. The light on a cloudy bright day is soft and forgiving.

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The single most important rule, 99 times out of 100, is to not have people face the sun. Sunlight is harsh. Sunlight is bright and it makes people squint. Sunlight magnifies every flaw and imperfection in human skin. It exaggerates every line, crease, pore, and wrinkle. If you are photographing the weather-worn face of a Maine lobster fisherman, fine, shoot in the sunlight. The harsh will help that kind of photo. But for everyone else, most of the time you should keep them out of the sunlight.

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This series of short posts was inspired by a look at some portfolios by other photographers. The photos ranged in quality from ok to not very good. If I was handing out grades they would range from B to F. One of the key issues was bad lighting. If you are new to portrait photography, this series if for you. The suggestions in these articles will make a big difference in the quality of your images. These articles are all about how to use and not use sunlight.

Links

Portraits 1 – Introduction (this brief article)

Portraits 2 – Sunlight Can Be Really Bad Portrait Light

Portraits 3 – Shoot On Cloudy Bright Days

Portraits 4 – On Sunny Days Use Open Shade

Portraits 5 – On Sunny Days Use the Sun as Backlight

Portraits 6 – Sunlight as Your Main Light

You are looking at all of the thumbnails for every click of the shutter on a 4 1/2 hour photo shoot (that also includes travel time to a remote location, plus the time for us to go through all the photos and pick our favorites).

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Moon Over Balanced Rock, Arches National Park, Utah.

Are you planning a spring photography trip to one or more U.S. national parks? Where should you go? Which parks will provide the best photographic opportunities? Which parks are at their best in the spring?

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Ocotillo. Big Bend National Park, Texas.

Which national parks are at their very best in the spring? If I could go on a fabulous spring photography trip to the national parks of my choice, all expenses paid, which ones would I pick? Here are my choices, grouped by state from west to east. This list includes the favorites I have been to and want to go back to again, plus the ones I haven’t seen and most want to photograph.

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