I met up with a friend of mine, Heather, a month or two ago and went downtown to shoot at a couple of spots. She has one of the most infectious smiles that I have ever seen.



There is an old staircase that is at street level on 2nd Avenue in Decatur. I have shot in it a few times over the years...I still have no idea what's behind the door at the top....how's that for a random thought that has nothing to do with the image!?

Anyway...this is one of my favorite shots from that evening. It doesn't look like it....but she was absolutely freezing.










We also managed to squeeze in a quick shot of her and her little boy Gage. They are quite the photogenic pair. This photo is a good example of something I try to explain to my subjects all the time. People are always worried about the background. "I don't think this makes a good background" or "Don't you think this pretty bush would make a great background?" I always tell them that sometimes the background really doesn't matter much. Yes...often it does...but not always. This was a quick setup at a friend's house. We were in the corner of the kitchen. Nothing fancy...no seamless paper...no pretty bush....nothing. My point is this...the background does have the potential to make or break an image...but if you do it right...the people in the photo can make everyone forget about the background. Just like the photo below.

















The pace of my new blog posting has been pretty slow... but I promise I'll do my best to speed it up a little.