Challenge 4: Portraits (Tips, Tricks, and Challenges)

Well I am way behind on this one, but I guess it is better late than never right. I love taking portraits, but I sometimes find it difficult to find people who are willing to sit for more than a photo or two and so I don't get much practice or many shots to work with. Most of the following ones I just got lucky on...I have lots of not so lucky ones too. The only really willing subject I have is my dog who will sit for hours if I have a treat or a toy. :)

I shot the portrait above a few weekends ago at my cousin's wedding. I took lots of pictures to get this amazing photo and I love how it turned out. :)


This is my aunt and her new dog, Buddy. He is the sweetest little thing you will ever meet and I wanted to show the special relationship that these two have.

This is my dog Bailey. One of my favorite things to do on a summer day is take her outside and take a gazillion photos of her...at least she doesn't mind. To get this shot, I was holding her favorite new toy over my head and snapping away as she looked at it longingly. Then after a few shots, we played catch for awhile and started shooting again.

This is my other super cute cousin at the wedding a few weeks ago. Isn't she adorable?

My sister and her fiancee...again at the wedding...it was a gorgeous old mansion and both the inside and outside were wonderful for taking pictures.

My dad at the wedding...I really love this picture of him, even with the bit of glasses glare. :)


This is my cousin at our family 4th of July barbecue and pool party. My aunt let me play with her zoom lens and I was able to capture this sweet shot.

My mom at the pool. This is probably my favorite portrait I have taken all summer. She looks so relaxed and happy and she looks beautiful as well!


My self portrait...this was taken this summer in Disney as I was walking around the World Showcase at Epcot all by myself and of course I had to get a picture of myself in each country. :) This is my favorite one...the dreamy look of Italy behind me is a great look.

This is our sweet little neighbor boy. He and I were playing around with my dog and I captured this shot of him. I really like the angle of it and it shows his fun personality.
Another great shot of our neighbor boy...this one is more thoughtful and sincere. I really like it with just the clouds in the background. I was sitting on the ground for both of these photos and looking up at him. Its a great natural backdrop for stunning summer portraits! :)