Wedding on the Beach

To pose or not to pose? That seems to be the biggest question I am always asking myself when photographing people. Some of the best people photographers pose their subjects. Arnold Newman and Ed Westcott both heavily directed the positions of their subjects. When posing people you have to be careful or you will lose their real personality or even worse, make them look awkward and nervous. For this wedding image I did some light directing. After having my subjects face each other I waited on a natural reaction which is what you see. You have to remember most people are not actors or professional models so getting a natural pose is not easy. Also when shooting people always take lots of images so you have more to choose from and find a more natural pose or expression. LynnFreeny.com

Shadow and Sand Fence

Shadows are very underrated. As I was walking on a boardwalk in the Gulf of Mexico I saw these wonderful shadows created by a sand fence. I used a wide angle lens so I could include most of the fence along with this shadow in the frame. The composition does not include the sky because it would distract from the overall image. The gentle curve of the fence gives a nice vertical reference for the photograph. This image is more about tone than color thus making it a great subject for black and white. LynnFreeny.com