Photography Friday: A Walk with Tracey Clark...(Part II)

Back for part two of the photowalk with Tracey Clark from Shutter Sisters that I went on while at Alt Summit - this week, it's all about the color photos.  And let me just say for the record, color photos not so easy when it's gray, gray, gray outside.  Again, the theme I drew out of the hat was "sparkle", but I adapted that to also mean things like reflections, or things that resemble fireworks, or sparkly patterns.  (Did you miss Part One? That was all black and white.)

In the chat prior to the walk, Tracey shared a few thoughts to keep in mind throughout the day:

• Be conscious of what you choose to put in the frame, and be conscious to "fill the frame" with things that add to the story you're trying to tell.  If it's not part of the story, don't put it in the picture - be mindful of your object but also what's around it.
• Stop to see where the light is coming from - does that work for you? If not, how do you move around so that it does? You should know where your light source is in every shot, and once you get into that habit, you won't be able to "not know".
• Look for relationships - things in pairs, things that go together, things that are opposites...those relationships only help add to the story in the picture
• Don't feel like you have to master all the technical detail at once - you can learn things as you go and as you practice but in addition to things like settings, make sure you allow time to practice things like composition and storytelling
• Assign yourself a theme or a word when you're out practicing (e.g. like "sparkle" in this instance) - sometimes having a bit of inspiration and guidance will help you to see new things

Those were my big takeaways from the walk, but again, Leslie from Lights and Letters has a great recap as well.  And speaking of Leslie, she is the lady behind the lens of my portrait below - I'm not one for volunteering to be photographed but there was just something about her.

Also, the gorgeous brunette under the umbrella is Lindsay from the ModChik, and the quirky, endearing "I Like You" necklace belongs to Patina from the blog...wait for it...I Like You. 

Thansk Tracey for bracing the cold and rain and getting me to think outside my usual box!

Photos by the The New Diplomats Wife.
Last Portrait Photo by Leslie from Lights and Letters.