Engagement session number two for Kayla and Jeff. I’ve done a few of these types of engagement setups where we will do a couple different sessions, and I LOVE it! Engagement sessions provide a great opportunity to build a connection with one another. Having two of them? It’s even better. This second time around we went to more areas of Effingham. One thing I’ve been challenging myself to do is to focus more on the person/people in the frame rather than being so concerned with the background. Now, I know how this may sound, but in the past, I would make the background my priority and place people in the frame that fit with the background. Don’t get me wrong, I still do a couple of these, but I do not do this with every shot. Rather, I pay attention to the lighting and even if the background may not be “pretty” it doesn’t matter because when it’s blurred out in the background, as long as the lighting is great, the background will provide a great texture. One area, in particular, was a spot downtown Effingham when the sun was setting. In the background are some trees, parking curbs, buildings, even a trash can. Most of this is out of focus though, and rather than being able to tell exactly what’s going on in the background, it produces a cool texture of colors. I love this because what happens is your eyes are immediately drawn to the person in the picture rather than the background. Now, if the background weren’t out of focus, it would have the opposite effect. Fortunately, I shot in a way to prevent it from being in focus.

As the sun started to set, we wrapped things off at Tuscan Hills Winery in Effingham. An approaching storm created a pretty amazing effect with the setting sun light. Almost as if shadows were cast into the sky and these shadows spanned the ENTIRE sky. I’ve seen these before, but never like this. The storm clouds must have been in the perfect location. Speaking of storm clouds, it was supposed to rain this evening too, it didn’t. Throughout the shoot, the approaching storm was very evident, it was going to rain. There’s no doubt about it, God was definitely showing us some favor. This was a storm system spanning the state of Illinois (just about), heading right for Effingham. As it approached, it seemed to stop just north of us and wrap around us. It was pretty wild to watch on the radar. I’m so thankful for this because the sky that we were given for sunset images was perfect! I loved having another opportunity to work with Kayla and Jeff. Both of them are a blast to work with. I had a great time exploring new areas with them and even trying some new things. Next up is the wedding, and I couldn’t be more excited for it!

Comments

comments

error: Content is protected