Tim Monzon

Here’s another photoshoot. Say hello to Dinah, who’s turning 18 this year and is having a debut for her birthday (click on any thumbnail to enlarge)

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Since I’ll be the one photographing her debut later this year, I figured it might be nice to get a portrait session out of the way already. We both had a free weekend, and the southern California weather decided to be nice to us today, so we went over to the Shoppes in Chino Hills and spent some time there.

A minor inconvenience popped up, as I realized when we got there that I had forgotten the power cord to my Alien Bees light, so we had to switch to incorporating a lot of natural light by reflecting it. Luckily, Rachel, Dinah’s sister, was more than willing to volunteer and held the reflector for me as I directed the both of them. It was a pretty fun day, and I think we managed to get ourselves a few nice shots. I actually prefer to use natural light, but I like using flashes to be the fill, simply because its easier to manipulate and create some nice catchlights in the eyes. It’s a little harder to do with a reflector, but the light is a heck of a lot more flattering on the skin. Lighting – its one of the most important factor in portraits, and photos in general. Lighting sets the mood, adds drama, and helps accentuate the centerpiece of the photo. For those wanting to get further into photography, learning lighting is one of the most essential steps.