Chasing the Light

Went shooting with my daughter Lissy last week and found out the hard way how fast the sun goes down. In an effort to catch the light, we drove west, and chased the light for miles. We gave up as the sun disappeared over the hill, knowing rush hour would prevent us from getting to any of the city architecture we were after.

Bad Light, Good Girl © Karen Orr All rights reserved

I stopped the car and looked around. There seemed to be nothing to shoot until we noticed a parked firetruck. This made for a nice background color, but as you can see it's not the best shot. Using the available late afternoon light and my auto mode, this is the best shot I could get. Lissy is a beautiful, photogenic girl, but I know I can make a better image.

With shorter days ahead, and even less available light, I need to get out of auto mode. I am eager to learn how I could improve a moment like this especially when gas prices are making "chasing the light" an expensive outing. I will take my questions to class next week as I start Ibarionex Perello's Available Light Portraiture class.