Welcome back!
It has been a long time since I made any sort of blog. For those of you who don't know, in high school I had my own blog. When I made this website for my photography in college, I was interested in continuing to blog, but never kept up with it. There are a couple other blog posts here on my site, but this is a fresh start to stay consistent in sharing my work with everyone, and writing about a few different topics with each post. In case you are new here, I am Nichola Rae, a photographer raised in WNC, living in the Triad based out of Greensboro, North Carolina, but will travel wherever I need to in order to capture and tell your story! This is a space where I want to share either client galleries and stories, shooting at locations, advice and tips, and just random things that, in my heart. I want to write and share about pertaining to my work! This first post is about a recent Downtown Greensboro Graduation Shoot I did. The location was unique, the photos are beautiful, and we just had a lot of fun. I hope you enjoy!
Glass + Neutral Colors
When Logan first came to me, she requested a modern take on graduation photos. I definitely knew I wanted to create something more clean and timeless with modern in mind. Glass is a common go to for me when I work on something more modern to have a clean look in the final product. It is a nice background that tends to work with any outfit color palette, and also tends to compliment professional headshots, or more professional clean and modern graduation photos.
Architecture + Lighting
Personally, I am someone who really appreciates unique architecture that can be a wonderful addition to my photo. For this session in particular, we chose to shoot inside of a parking deck that had arch ways in order to add some more dimension, and a different look, to some of Logan's photos. The lighting was perfect for creating photos with such a great balance between the highlights and shadows in the space. I love that the whites are creamy and soft, and the shadows aren't super heavy. The contrast and balance feels just right to me.
Spaces + Stuff
Finding spaces that you can use to create something a little different and playful can oftentimes help to elevate your creativity. A really common "space" that is easy to start with is an elevator. We found this perfect spot at the top of the parking deck. Circling back to the first idea, the glass in the elevator really adds to the texture and glassiness of the overall photo. And the space creates a unique element of either fun and in-the-moment like this while keeping the doors open, or a steamy couples kissing shot while the doors close to an intimate small space... like a movie scene. Another great one is a doorway or patch in a wall of ivy... think of these as nooks and crannies, how can you use them?
I thoroughly enjoy shooting downtown and adding that urban vibe to my photos when possible. I think downtown areas, even in a small town or city, can offer a unique variety of textures, architecture, and spaces to utilize in your sessions.
This brings me to a further suggestion, that having a plan with what locations you want to incorporate before hand really helps to bring your clients vision to life. Or if you are planning your own photoshoot with a photographer, I hope this helps you figure out some good plans for what you are looking for and maybe what you can create with a photographer! When I shoot, I tend to think about how the location can elevate my photos and work. How can I use this space to the best of my ability? How can I use these dark shadows and bright highlights to my advantage? Challenge yourself to try something new and get creative. Even if your first time shooting the elevator shot doesn't go right, you can try again at the next session. Planning takes time, effort, practice, and lots of thinking. It always helps me to create my best work and is worth it every time! This may seem like a simple thing to understand, but maybe you needed the reminder, or some new ideas. I hope it has helped you in some way! You can check out more of the photos from this session below!
Thanks for reading.
Nichola Rae
