My First Real Shoot

Location: Gum Tree Grove in Long Beach, CA

Time: 10AM.

This was my first actual shoot, where I threw myself into something new, which was taking pictures of toddlers. Danica in particular needed head shots to send to agencies. Definitely new territory for me but I was determined to get good snaps. I was nervous, and the family was a few minutes late (mostly because find the location was a bit confusing). I got there early to scope the area out, and it was pretty sketch and the green that we saw on Google had died. It was dry and dead, but what else do we expect when we are at the end of summer? It still made for a fun shoot! And I met some amazing humans, and a sassy little toddler who loved the camera.

Thank you Danica for being my first little model.

Looking back at this shoot, and learning from it, the only thing I would change is the way it was edited. I wish I had made it brighter and less dramatic, but at that moment I did love the drama I created with the way I edited. Regardless, I LOVE how they turned out, and its just another shoot in my pocket that will help me become a stronger photographer.

The photo above is my favorite shot from the entire shoot. I just love the pose we put her in and her looking off in the other direction. I have several shots of her looking right at me, but not many of her looking away.

This is one of those shoots where you kinda just have to follow a toddler around and get what you can. You can’t really direct them and tell them what to do. Her parents bribed her with a milk shake, though! That was quite helpful.

I love this shoot and I will always cherish it.