Sometimes you just go with it.

Though I have never been confused with being a great portrait photographer, this part of my photography has steadily gotten better. Though the above is not one of my best efforts, it does merit a story. I had grand plans when I arrived. My Great Aunt was in town and that is rare for the month of November. She usually is wintering in Florida by Thanksgiving. I wanted to get a family picture. My great plans included a nice park with play toys for the children used as props, picture of my Aunt and children hanging upside down next to her on the monkey bars, me moving the light deftly into the correct spot quickly and feverishly.

I arrived and dinner was sooner than I anticipated, my sister was sick with the flu and nobody wanted to go outside because it was cold. I opted for the backyard. The first spot was on a little stream that bisects my sister's property. The lights kept falling down and the space was too small for the CLS to work properly, the lights weren't being triggered. After I resolved those issues, I then found that my aunt wouldn't be able to walk to the spot I had chosen. So plan 2.

A family picture with my best attempt to control the hot spots in the background. I got 5 pictures and one pose. This was the best of the bunch. The other way without the setting sun was an old dilapidated aluminum shed that was facing the other way. It's family though and I love them despite the hot spots.