Winter Shoots

I built my signature editing aesthetic on sunshine and green tones. So when the trees dropped their green leaves each fall and left Texas a barren wasteland until spring, I felt lost and completely out of my element. For many years I hated the work that I produced in the winter months. I despised the brown and gold tones and longed for green to return each spring when I felt like I could find myself and my style again. The feeling of defeat left me wanting to not touch my camera throughout the winter months… or only travel to places like California or Florida where it stayed sunny and green year-round.

But I didn’t quit. I kept forcing myself to shoot during the winter months and produce personal work. It took years of practice, but I finally caught my stride and started loving my winter work by the end of 2019.

So what happened? What changed?

At first, I mistakenly scouted light the same way in December as I did in July. I approached a tree the same whether it was full or bare and that was my biggest error. It took a lot of practice to figure out that I would need to place my subjects differently in relation to the background.

With a newfound look at light and backgrounds, I focused more on tones. I realized that it was important to separate my subject very far from the background and study the tones it would produce in my images.

I also realized that I must look at locations differently in sunshine versus overcast. I treat them almost oppositely now.

Above all, it took looking at my work very critically to breakthrough. If I only liked one set of images from a winter shoot, I would study the reasons why I liked those images and try to replicate the circumstances at the next session. During sessions scheduled for personal work, I would make it a point to experiment the entire time and break out from my comfort zone.

Personal work is important for me because on paid work I fly on autopilot most of the time. I am very experienced and extremely comfortable, which causes me to rely on habits and muscle memory. It is on personal work that I force myself to break those habits (whether they be posing, composition, lighting, locations, etc) and get uncomfortable. I make it my goal to photograph something I would normally never. Try new lighting scenarios. Try different locations. Try insane poses. FAIL repeatedly.

Click here to read more reasons I do unpaid work.