Photo of the Week

For years, I was terrified of sand, water and anything to do with the beach after I had an unfortunate run-in with a jellyfish. Eventually, I got over this irrational fear and took to the beach like the native Floridian I am. The one thing I wish I could see more of is the beaches that have shells and cliffs.

On Eglin Air Force Base, my craving for sharp objects to step on is abundantly satisfied at a little place called Camp Robbins. This past weekend, I photographed a senior who was fearless in the face of walking across shells and rocks to get to these huge slabs of rocks and concrete. Catie and I share that mentality of anything to get the best.

When this shot was taken, I had already cut my foot up pretty bad(oh yeah bring on the sympathy) on some shells and stepped over a dead jellyfish. To get this photo, I stood on a slab on concrete that was at a 45 degree angle. If you know me, balance is not my forte, but I managed to stay upright long enough for this.

I love how the sun streams through her hair.

If you’d like to see more of Catie’s senior portraits visit my website.

Much love,

Aislinn

Senior Portraits Class of 2011: Lauren

Wow.  It just hit me again that this is the year I and my classmates will graduate. The possibilities and dreams that are ahead of us are vibrant and enticing. Senioritis hasn’t quite set in yet, but you can feel it seeping in around the edges.(i.e homework? What a joke.)

I’ve known Lauren for several years, and I have always admired her tenacity and drive to be the best. She really is a model student and could be a model, to be honest. Lauren is an equestrian, top 10 in her class, and fearless in the face of enemies (in this case, ants. Everywhere. For realz. Luckily, I got over my allergy to them when I was younger!)

We shot at her farm in Niceville–well, to be fair, it was the stables on Eglin Air Force Base. But, she really seemed at home there, so I like to pretend it was her farm. You see that model pose she struck? No direction needed! I wish I was like that in front of a camera.

Wanna know the really fun part of that shoot? The ants. I’m not a masochist, I pinky promise. The reason this was so entertaining to me was that both Lauren and I really wanted to shoot in this grassy field next to the stables, but there were fire-ants (and biting flies) crawling all over the ground. We mutually decided to shoot despite the distraction of the bites. These were actually some of my favorite shots of Lauren. One or both of us were slapping the ants off or jumping up quickly from a bite. The weird thing was that when I got home from the shoot, there were no bites anywhere on me. I have a sneaking suspicion that the ants were all in my head…

Ok. I’ll stop blabbering and give ya’ll what you really want–pictures.

This was one of the funniest ones to me of Lauren because she was flinging ants off her skirt, and it still looks so natural. I edited ants out of several of her shots. I pretended as I erased them on Photoshop that I was erasing their existence in real life. That was my entertainment factor while editing.

If you’d like to see more of Lauren’s senior portraits or would like to set up your own appointment with me for your photoshoot, visit my website.

Until next time,

Aislinn

Senior Portraits: Rachel

This week, I had the great fortune to shoot with Rachel, a friend of mine from Niceville High School. We took Latin together for a few years, and I was honored when she asked me to shoot her senior portraits.

I wanted to address an interesting development I have stumbled upon through my journey as a photographer. Occasionally, I will have a subject who only likes a particular face they make–usually smiling; Rachel was one of those subjects. I accommodated her, but I couldn’t help myself and asked her to do a few serious and artsy photos. They turned out beautifully, but I didn’t post as many of these photos as the smiling ones.

As a photographer, I would have preferred to indulge in editing more of the serious photos(my favorites), but I edited the ones that my client wanted.Of course, now you must be curious as to the difference between Rachel’s favorites and my own.

This is one of Rachel’s favorites.

The picture above is also a favorite of mine for different reasons, but the picture below is one of my favorites because it has the feel of a dreamer watching the clouds on a hot summer afternoon.

To see more of Rachel’s senior photos visit www.aisportraits.com

For your own senior portraits, drop me an email on my website.

Until next time,

Aislinn

Senior Portraits: Girl and Her Dog

Life as a photographer is odd sometimes. I’ll be sitting at a cafe, drinking hot chocolate and staring off into space when I will notice a picture. Photos are everywhere in life; I am almost annoyed that I don’t have a camera in my head substantial enough to remember all of the photo memories. The same goes for me when I am picking out locations for each of my clients. I see the potential pictures in my mind and choose the spot based on who I think this person is.

Last year, I did many senior portraits. I photographed students at Niceville High School, Baker High School, and Collegiate High School. One of the most memorable sessions last year was a senior from Baker High School, Danielle. She requested that we shoot in a grassy, sunny area with trees. This could be anywhere, honestly! After talking to her a bit more, I found out one of the most important things in her life is her dog, Zaida. I knew then that I would be taking her pictures at The Niceville Dog Park.

Danielle was lovely to shoot and her sister, mom and boyfriend tagged along and kept her laughing. One of Zaida’s tricks consisted of jumping up into Danielle’s arms and “hugging” her. I asked Danielle if she would show me what that meant; Danielle is so tiny and was almost completely engulfed by her “Zaida-bug.” I think I could have fainted from the cuteness.

To see more, visit my website: www.aisportraits.com
Until next time,
Aislinn