Towards the end of the trip I started worrying that I might not have at least one good shot including each member. With 35 people it’s tough to keep track of that. So, I decided I would take each person aside on our last day for a quick headshot session.

I think they turned out really well! You can see for yourself in my Flickr slideshow of headshots. A couple of these kids were complete naturals in front of the camera and made it really easy for me. But with a little prodding everyone ended up giving me a good smile. And, I debated whether or not to PhotoShop in their names as graffitti on the wall behind them and ultimately decided not to… primarily for the cheese factor. So, I just organized them in alpha order.

My next project for this trip is to organize and process some more of the New Orleans area photos, including some of my first cracks at HDR photography. Look for those in the next few days…

- dk

You learn something new everyday…

After the marathon headshot session and reviewing the photos I learned that if there is any texture and/or distinctive markings on the background wall it is best to move the subject at least 2-3 feet away from the wall to isolate them in the depth of field. I was shooting wide open at f2.8 on all of these, and I worked the long end of the 17-55mm zoom. Obviously if these factors change, especially the aperture, adjust accordingly.