I remember this session like it was yesterday. It was such a beautiful afternoon in downtown Chelsea. The prayer flags from the recent art project were fluttering in the breeze and the sunlight was doing its best to warm us.

The first photograph in this post is my favorite portrait from this session. I love it that this senior brought his cello. I love it that he brought a chair tied to Chelsea and tied to their family history. But most of all, I love the way the backdrop of our quaint town combine with the flags that were strung across the alleyway make me feel like we were somewhere in Europe.

Because I was photographing in full sun, I used a soft box in front of the senior to light his face. The sun was shining directly on the buildings behind us. I didn’t want my background to be completely washed out, but my light alone was not powerful enough to completely over power of the sun and keep the rich colors in the background.

Time to experiment! I switched over to HDR settings and captured three frames in a row. Each frame recorded a different exposure level and then the 3 frames were merged together. Because I couldn’t fire my flash 3 times as quickly as the HDR shots are captured, there isn’t quite a much light on his face as I would have liked in a more controlled studio setting, but I am still thrilled with the results of this capture.

Now that it is summer and the sun is out and shining on us again, I hope to continue my HDR explorations.

To this incredible graduate, wishing you all of the best. May your life after high school be filled with surprise explorations, and may life’s journeys take you to beautiful locations.