Ybor Portraits

  Last week I had the chance to photograph this beautiful girl in Ybor City. Most of these photos were taken with the Canon 580 flash shooting through a soft box. This first photo is my absolute favorite. It was in inspired by a video I watched on Kelbytraining.com where Scott Kelby walked around Venice Beach, Ca with celebrity photographer Jeremy Cowart.  He had his model lay down on a strip of metal stretching across the ground and got some really interesting shots. I have photographed people by the railroad tracks in Ybor several times but was looking for something different to do and this idea popped in my head. I really love the combination of the rocks and the wood for a background. it was not easy standing in just the right place to get the best angle here but I am really happy with this shot!

  This one was taken in an ally. I just like the soft nature of it and her natural smile. Sometimes getting models to relax and look natural is half the battle in getting good portraits.

  Here she has a very different look, confident and maybe even fierce? I love trying for a wide variety 'looks' during a single session. Never stops amazing how different people can look from one moment to the next depending on their mood and facial expression.

  I also really like this photo. It is a rooftop photo with the city of Tampa in the background. Her dress and the lighting just screamed "Make me black and White"!  She really is glowing here.

  We were running out of time after it got dark but I wanted to try to take a few shots with my new Gary Fong Powersnoot.  It enables you to create some pretty dramatic lighting. This photo was taken on a street in Ybor, I intentionally made the background totally dark.  I am eager to practice some more with this and a beauty dish I recently purchased.  Tomorrow I am headed over to the Photo Shop World Expo in Orlando where there some of the top photographers in the business will be teaching classes, will blog about my experiences there in a few days!  Stephanie