Summertime is such a great time for taking pictures! The warm weather. The lush foliage (depending on where you live ). The abundance of backyard wildlife. The late sunsets. The family vacations. There are so many things to take pictures of!

As we enjoy taking pictures of the things we love, let’s take some time to expand our experience a bit too. “Commercial photography”, pictures of people doing things that illustrate specific concepts, is not the kind of photography that we naturally find ourselves doing. It takes forethought on our part and cooperation from other people. And yet, it’s experience in this kind of photography that adds value to a resume and will make you stand out from the crowd in the long run. And shooting simple concepts, like “Personal Quiet Time”, is a really good place to start.

I am not an expert at commercial photography. It’s hard for me. But I am amazed. The more I do it, the easier it becomes. Shooting this assignment was easier than shooting the last assignment. Perhaps it’s because Julianna was my main subject. At any rate, just because it was easier didn’t mean we didn’t run into our fair share of hurdles!

The biggest takeaway for me from this assignment was: backlight is simply perfect for this assignment…. get out there earlier if you want to make it easier on yourself!

The first location we shot wasn’t in full sunlight. However, you can see a bit of the backlight feeling in the faintly glowing pages of the Bible.

In that same location, since the light was diffused where Julianna was sitting on the bench, I went ahead and did a pose with the barn in the background. Not every photo has to be back-lit.

The second location we went to was better. More direct sunlight, and more picturesque surroundings. However, the sun was too high in the sky to get backlight at the angle on the Bible I wanted. I do like this shot, though. It has a kinda “quiet time in a quiet place” feeling.

The next location we went to, I seriously wasn’t feeling it. The background was so close and had so many distractions. But Lydia, the backlight expert, was able to get some great shots there! And hey, having some variety in who was the subject was good too.

Location number four was my absolute favorite spot of the day. With the subject standing, I could get down low and get some true glowing light from behind. Look at the illuminated hair against the dark background!

We moved in closer to the trees where I got my favorite shot of the day.

It was also in that same general location that Lydia got some more shots of me. She was shooting with the 70-200mm f/2.8, so was able to get that nice background blur by zooming in. I love how the bright light reflecting off the Bible illuminates my face!

Here are some other variations on that same pose, the last one being my favorite. There’s something more natural, or “relaxing-feeling” about me having my hand down on my leg.

Oops. Not that one. Here we go…

So, now it’s your turn! It’s summertime! Get up early while it’s cool (an hour or two after sunrise) and go find yourself some backlight for this month’s assignment, Personal Quiet Time!