So, Where’s My Studio?

Victoria Portrait Photographer {Studio}

I have the privilege of living on Vancouver Island in the Pacific Northwest. I’m originally from Vancouver, so to me the Greater Victoria area is a lot like a mini Lower Mainland of Vancouver. There is just enough ‘city life’ to satisfy the city girl in me, but I grew up in the suburbs, so having a variety of communities to choose from is incredibly satisfying for me. We (my husband & I) recently built a house closer to the country, but around here a mere 20 – 40 minute drive will take you back into the city. I enjoy living close to nature – lots of trees, animal life, and beaches. I am a lifestyle portrait photographer, so presently I make our beautiful outdoors my “studio” of choice – and what better studio is that? I have an enormous choice of  “backdrops” to choose from – beaches, forests, parks, garden, rural, rustic and city scapes  make for unique and memorable portrait opportunities, not to mention lots of room for my families to run and play together.

I do, however have a nice big garage, which could easily double as a studio, but for now I choose the great outdoors. I love using natural light – and the sun, with its many shades of cool and golden light provided many opportunities to exploit its very beautiful light. Natural light can; however be exploited in both outdoor and indoor environments. Just as wonderful cloud coverage can act as the perfect diffuser of natural light, so can a sheer curtain, or translucent blind.

Once you begin to study light, you will (if you haven’t already) begin to get very excited when you see it fall on a willing subject. I had a recent rendezvous with some beautiful filtered light, and watched as it softly fell on my daughter’s face. My girls are very gracious, willing subjects, and they help me learn and grow as a photographer with many such opportunities. This particular day, I noticed it mostly in her eyes. The following images are the result of a quick impromptu photo shoot with my daughter, some filtered light, and a woven gauze scarf. I hope you enjoy them!

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