Caleb is a close friend and one of my favorite photography subjects. Though he isn't a model and he never saw himself as photogenic, he is always willing to be my muse whenever I'm feeling inspired and ask him to be my model. Recently I discovered a nearby location with great natural lighting that I couldn't stop thinking about, and when Caleb and his girlfriend visited this week it was easy to persuade him to take a quick walk to this spot to pose for some photos. His girlfriend, who is a professional model, loves seeing him step into the role of the model and truly loves having the resulting photos. Caleb says they really boost his self esteem, which makes me very happy to hear.
Typically I don't shoot wide open for portraits this close to the subject, but I wanted the ethereal/romantic sort of feeling that I think accompanies a very shallow depth of field. I got the look I was after, but my focus wasn't always as accurate as I'd prefer on a couple of these because of the wide aperture. I also used to avoid using my 50mm lens for closer-in portraits like some of these, but lately I've been really enjoying the look of it. I certainly wouldn't use it for a headshot client, but I feel much better about not being so constrained by certain "rules" if I'm just taking photos of a friend because I'm feeling inspired.
Canon 5D MKIII, Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 lens, lit using natural light and a reflector.
