Project of the Week & How We Did It

This past week, we were asked to capture the beauty of the nature surrounding Locust Lake State Park and a young couple a few months away from having their first child (what will be my niece or nephew). This is far from our first shoot at this spectacular location, in fact we love it so much we included this venue in our list of the top 6 Local Wedding Venues for Summer in our recent post.

In order to make sure everything ran smoothly once the couple arrived for their shoot, we made sure to arrive early. Although we have shot here plenty of times before, it always amazes me the new and interesting ideas that pop into mind once I get to know my clients and look around at the location to see what we can use, how we can position a shot, and how we can best use the location to reflect what the client wants.

I chose to bring just two cameras with us for this shoot because I wanted to use both an 18-55 and a 55-250 mm lens allowing me to get a wide range of zoom lengths no matter what was needed on location that day. I also chose to use the same body (Canon T5i) for both lenses and attach both to my belt to allow me to move around fast and not be tied down to a tripod since there was no video aspect involved in this shoot. Using the same model of camera body for both lenses also allowed me to easily white balance both the cameras to the same color temperature and edit through the photos much faster in post-production with no need to match up the temperatures later. I decided on the Canon T5i for this particular shoot since it offers me a lighter camera to hold and the client had no need for anything larger than a poster size print so the T5i was the perfect fit for this shoot. We also brought with us an external flash with a mini pocket-box and a bounce card rather than bringing large lights just in case the sunlight was softer than needed for the photos but luckily the sun was perfect for the entirety of the shoot.

Once the couple arrived, they showed me some photos on Pinterest that sparked their interest which I always love seeing what inspires my clients and helping them recreate or incorporate it into our shots.

Luckily we have already built up a good relationship with the couple so moving from spot to spot and giving direction to them on slight adjustments was a breeze. The shoot went by so fast because we were having so much fun and we came back to the office with lots of great shots to choose from.

The next day we took the 364 shots into editing to choose the best and make black and white versions of some of our favorites. Now, 24 hours after the shoot -- the photos are on their way to the couple for print and we're looking forward to seeing the final prints.

If you're interested in our photography services, check out our page here: MHP Photography

If you want to know some of the reasons why we love shooting at Locust Lake and what makes this spot one of the top 6 local spots to host your wedding or event over the summer months, check out our blog post here: 6 Local Wedding Venues for Summer