The golden rule of photography is to shoot during the “golden hours” of the day- the two hours after sunrise, and the two hours prior to sunset. Shadows are long, light is soft and warm, and there is a beautiful glow that permeates the photos.

Yet, this is still just a guideline… Even with all the best planning and intentions, we are at the mercy of Mother Nature to actually produce.

Though most of my shoots recently have technically been in the golden hours of the morning, it wasn’t until my last session that Mother Nature truly cooperated. An early morning stroll through a small Twin Cities park in these great conditions let me capture some of best outdoor session-work yet!

 

It didn’t hurt that they were a really cute family either!

 

You learn something new every day…

I’ve realized lately that I really must have been on to something when I posted back in February my thoughts on The Future of ISO (including comments). No less than 3 times in the last week have I referred someone to that post to either learn more about the basics of light capture by a camera, or to help them begin to think about their exposures differently (which was my main intent). And it is, by far, my most frequently visited post.

We’re starting to see the camera manufacturers introducing an “Auto ISO” mode in their high-end cameras, presumably to help nudge us along the requisite paradigm shift in how we think about exposures. Not that I’m suggesting they’re taking advice from me- I’m sure their R&D had been on this track for years- but I like to think that I’m at least helping a few people see the amazing advantages to shifting their approach to photography. Personally, I’m really excited to upgrade my camera soon and begin my own journey down this new path…