As a business practice I occasionally visit other photographers’ websites, blogs, and facebook pages. One recurring theme I encounter is clients talking about how much fun they had at their session. That’s important. I wouldn’t want anything less from my clients, but sometimes with all the fun and excitement, I wonder if they’re really taking a close look at their photos. I’m often surprised at what I see. I’ve actually seen shots taken in the street with parked cars in the background or subjects standing looking out a window with no real meaning to the composition. I’ve seen a lot of automated special effects filters creating that hard edge look we all know only too well in the digital age. As a portrait photographer I’m really looking for natural beauty in my images that I know will have lasting value. I also see a lot of shots taken with large light sources that are very forgiving, but create flat one-dimensional images. It’s easy to spot them, just look for faces or entire bodies well lit with no shadows on them. The subject will standout from the background even in broad daylight.

Yes, who doesn’t want to have fun and feel famous even if only for a short while, but remember, fun is only temporary; a beautiful portrait is forever….