Making Lemonade Out of Lemons // A Portrait Session

As photographers we are constantly challenged to create beautiful images and give the client exactly what they want with sometimes less than ideal circumstances. Most photographers I know are absolute perfectionists and will work and re-work their images until they become perfect in their minds. Perfection in photography is most often a very fluid concept! We regularly shoot, re-shoot, delete, re-work and revise. Oh, the vicious cycle of the creative mind! In the end, we make do with any situation, and try to create a quality end product that is satisfactory both to our inner perfectionist, and of course the client. Hence, WHEN WE ARE GIVEN LEMONS, WE MAKE LEMONADE!

With that said, I had one of those “less than ideal” circumstances recently that I’d like to share, that accurately describes how our work is a lot more than just a click of a camera button. And I think my photographer friends will especially get kick out of this! Last month I was visiting family in northern Minnesota, having packed only my camera, when my cousin asked me to take his corporate head shots. No lights, no stands, no backdrop, no reflectors, no problem right?? EEK! So the search for a relatively good location, enough light, makeshift stands, a backdrop and reflectors began. 

After some brain storming, we set up a rather hodgepodge “studio” in the backyard. Check it out. Isn't it just so technical and professional!? Yes, you are looking at PVC pipe, rake and broom stands, crib mattress reflectors, and a lakeside shed backdrop. LEMONS! 

After some staging, tweaking and adjusting (and a mattress falling on my cousin's head a couple times), we made it work and created a solid professional head shot for his portfolio. So at the end of the day, we got the job done with certainly less than ideal circumstances, and it was a lot of fun! The client was happy, I was pleased with the final product, and a little resourcefulness proved to make for an exciting day!  

**A little disclaimer to all my clients: Please don't worry, I will not be planning to use a crib mattress and brooms for any future shoots... unless you want to ;)