The Girl with the Yellow Balloon

I absolutely adore meeting new clients and photographing their portraits and events.  It’s a great perk of what I do, and I cannot express the joy I feel when I see their smiling faces through the lens of my camera.  Yet, there are times when I just love grabbing a friend and doing something different.  I get a rush when I grab my gear and decide to just go, letting inspiration guide and sway me.  It’s a time when I can experiment with colour and new photography styles and compositions.  I’ve found these moments to be great for defining my style and my art.

On Saturday, a good friend, Toni, and I went on a little adventure of our own.  The weather was perfect, a prime example of the magnificent temperatures of a Southern spring.  I braved the pollen and Toni braved my insane instructions.  Toni, the wonderful smiling spirit that she is, donned her awesomely purple dress and sassy yellow shoes and became the girl with the yellow balloon.  Er, I should say balloons, as we were trailed by three sunshine-bright yellow balloons.  Toni was an amazing friend and model, and words cannot express how thankful I am that she became my inspiration for the day.  She was a spot of pure smiles with her purple dress, and the yellow balloons just perked up the twinkle in her eyes in every shot.

I had wanted to hit the light right before sunset, but poor timing on my part had us smack-dab in the glorious high sun.  It’s one of a photographer’s ultimate challenges – harsh lights, harsh shadows.  It can make for rather washed out photographs and a sweaty model.  I’m glad we didn’t turn away from the light.  Some of the most light intense photographs from this session are my favourites!