Monday, May 31, 2010

Staying Cool

My friend's daughter invited me to help celebrate her birthday by taking photos of her and her friends from dance class on the beach this past Saturday.  Being me, I worried about all the things I couldn't control: the light, the weather, the crowds of people going to the beach on a holiday weekend... not to even mention a big pile of girls, who are given to having their own minds.  :)  But it seemed like a really fun opportunity to be creative.

My husband came along to be my lovely assistant, toting my water bottle and tripod and helping herd the girls (and moms) along occasionally.  My reflector/diffuser that I'd hoped to use to even out the blazing noon sun on their faces ended up shading me -- he held it over my head like a little roof, keeping the sun out of my eyes and keeping me significantly cooler while I looked anxiously through the viewfinder and tried to capture each perfect moment.

Despite the sweat and the sand, I think I got a few shots that came out pretty well.  Girls at their age have their own special kind of joy.

















8 comments:

  1. These are just beautiful! We are going to be hearing from these girls, they're so talented! I love the formations and colors, and the balance of sea, beach and sky in the individual shots. What a lovely gift for your friend's daughter. Thanks for sharing these!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I've been watching So You Think You Can Dance. The girl in the brown suit has lines that rival those auditions! And you caught the moment perfectly.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Angella, it was really amazing and inspiring to see the girls' ability, and it made me work even harder to capture just the right instant.

    Too bad I don't have video of them!

    ReplyDelete
  4. OMG! These are awesome!

    I hope all those girls are really as confident as they look. God knows at that age, I was hiding under a rock, thinking dark thoughts. Good to see girls out in the sunshine. :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wow you really have a gift for capturing images!!
    Warmly,
    Tracey
    x0x
    P.S. I really appreciate the book recommendation...i haven't read it yet but trust your opinion...i think i'll order it from amazon today!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks KLM! Me freakin' too. :)

    Tracey, I really hope you like it, please let me know. And thanks for the compliment!

    ReplyDelete

Tell me what you think!