23/365 First solo portrait photo shoot

Yesterday, on what has to this point been the most gorgeous day of 2008, I did my very first solo portrait "photo shoot"! My friend, Beth, needed some photos of herself for a special event. But she found, as she dug through her options, that in nearly 100% of her photos, she's pictured with a group of people. That's great for filling frames on your desk at work and your wall at home, but it doesn't work so well if you need something a little more professional.

She explained the situation to me one day a few weeks ago as I was telling her about the studio/portrait class I've been taking. And she asked me if I would mind helping her by doing some portraits for her. I was floored and said, "Absolutely!" I was so honored that she even asked.

My mind immediately started turning over ideas -- locations, poses, and that completely unpredictable Indiana spring weather. We decided to try to do the shoot outside, especially since I don't have studio lighting equipment. We picked a few dates, one for our first choice (yesterday afternoon) and a couple this week for backup in case the weather was miserable. We lucked out, it warmed up to 67 degrees, hardly a cloud cluttered the sky and the breeze was manageable.

She was a little nervous about the occasion, I was a little nervous about my first real portrait attempt, but I'm very pleased with the results all around. We both benefited -- she got some solo portraits to use, and I had a willing model to practice with! Here is one of my favorites, converted to black and white:

Camera: Canon Rebel DSLR 1/30s, f/5.6 at ISO 100 between 4:45 and 5:30 in the evening. This photo was taken under a bridge in the shade with natural light.