Portraits

Portraits are always a fun opportunity to learn more about people you know, and even people you don't know well. There are plenty of locations to take portraits - even in your own yard if you don't feel like venturing too far. These photographs were taken in a variety of locations - Bushnell Park, Lake George, Crandall Park, downtown Glens Falls, Wickham Park, and my self portraits were done in my yard.

Here are my top five tips for portraits-

1 - Make sure your background looks good! You want to try and avoid cars or random people in the background so they don't distract from your main subject. 

2 - For self portraits, I would recommend using a camera that you can see yourself with, This will help you with your facial expressions as well as making sure your hair and whatnot still looks okay. 

3 - This goes along with tip number one. Try to find photogenic locations. This will help make sure that what's in your background looks nice.

4 - Make sure the people you are photographing are comfortable! Let them set the pace and just snap away. Sometimes the candid photos are the best ones!

5 - Use props! This will help translate who the subject is through their portrait. 

Nature Around Us

Nature is all around us, which makes it a great subject for photography. Really all you have to do is step outside, and I can guarantee you that you will find something to take a picture of. Whether it be a ladybug, a flower, or something else - there is always something special to find outside. 

I really only have one tip for nature photography and that is to be aware of your surroundings! Recently I was outside and not paying attention where I was walking and almost stepped on a snake - right in my front yard no less. Just be sure to watch where you are going so you don't accidentally step on any hard to see animals out there.

Bushnell Park

Bushnell Park in Hartford, CT is a truly incredible park. This park is huge and has a lot for you to see. There is the capitol building, a carousel, a pond, and a lot of sculptures. This location is stunning in the spring time when everything is just starting to bloom. This park may be an older one, but age certainly does not define this parks beauty.

My top 5 tips if you plan to visit Bushnell Park –

1)    Be aware of your surroundings! A lot of people in this area, so just be cautious about that.

2)    Like with all my posts, wear walking shoes. This is especially important in this area though, because there is a lot of walking – huge park – and some of the sidewalks are uneven and have chunks missing in them.

3)    Please do not litter, especially in the pond! While taking photographs around the pond, I noticed a large amount of garbage in the water, and some of the poor fish were swimming in and around it. You don’t want to live among trash, and neither do they.

4)    I would recommend going when it is cooler outside, as it is a lot of walking.

5)    Lastly, be prepared to take a lot of gorgeous photographs!

Parking and admittance to the park is free!