Nikon D300 with Nikkor AF ED 80-200mm f/2.8D lens @ f/5.6 ISO 400 1/640th strobist: Nikon SB-800 Speedlight on light stand to frame left triggered by Yongnuo radio remotes
"Third time's the charm" is a cliche, I believe, yet it was true for the Odum family's candid Florida beach portrait session. Originally scheduled for an early Sunday morning, that was promptly rained out. A Monday evening plan was empathically rained out. That left only a few hours of daylight Tuesday morning left to have the portrait session before they had to return to Georgia, and finally Florida's brilliant blue skies revealed themselves and photographs were made.
Nikon D300 with Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 lens @ f/8 ISO 200 1/250th Strobist: Nikon SB-800 Speedlight on light stand to frame left triggered by commander mode
It actually worked out well as Clearwater Beach is normally the most crowded beach in the entire area, yet on a random Tuesday morning it was as empty as it ever is. At 8am, even the lifeguards were not yet on duty so their stands could be used as backdrops. The sun was already fairly high in the sky, creating a hair light for young Jada.
Nikon D300 with Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 lens @ f/11 ISO 200 1/500th Strobist: Nikon SB-800 Speedlight on light stand to frame left triggered by Youngnuo radio remotesIt was a cloudless morning, so I painted the background of many of the shots with vivid blue, as seen above. I used my trusty default Florida strobist sunshine shooting settings of f/11 ISO 200 and at least 1/250th shutter speed. I use a light stand rather than a tripod for several reasons, but the major one is that my light stand can reach a hight of 9 feet, whereas a tripod cannot even come close to that. For shots like the lifeguard stand, having all that height is necessary.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor AF ED 80-200mm f/2.8D lens @ f/8 ISO 200 1/1000th Strobist: NIkon SB-800 Speedlight on light stand to frame left triggered by Yongnuo radio triggersThis shot up on the Clearwater Beach Pier itself would just not be possible in the evening as it is packed with artisans selling their crafts. I would not have even of been able to set down my light stand. So again we were lucky in a way to have to wait until Tuesday morning for our portrait session. The Odum family naturally took to this defiant stance at the entrance to the paid section of the pier. I am very glad we were ultimately able to produce some photographic memories of their 4th of July trip to Florida.
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