Asian Art Museum Seattle Portrait Session | Sonia + Ian
The Asian Art Museum in Seattle is a perfect place to a hold a wedding, but it is also the ideal spot for a lovebird portrait session any day of the week. Today, I was fortunate enough to shoot portraits of Sonia and Ian on a glorious sunny winter day. Their chemistry is obvious. A charming pair. The camera loves them. We had a lot of fun trudging through the mud and basking in the winter sunlight in Volunteer Park. Thank you for being such great sports.
Asian Art Museum Wedding Photography Seattle
Asian Art Museum
1247 15th Ave E, Seattle, WA
(206) 322-4112
January 9, 2010 11:52 pm
Comment :
This might be my favorite portrait session. The light is glorious. Mostly, however, you really captured the chemistry between the couple. Lovely!
January 10, 2010 9:58 am
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Lovely photos. The light, dress, and expressions all come together to make the picture in the conservancy special.
January 12, 2010 7:28 pm
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I love these images! My favorite engagement portraits I’ve seen!
S
January 13, 2010 5:29 pm
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Love that first shot! So much style through all of these shots. You certainly captured their coy personalities!
January 14, 2010 6:14 pm
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your photos really are stunning. what a dream to have you at a wedding! are there specific settings you use on your camera [and what type?] to achieve that ethereal feel in the photos, especially the ones in the greenhouse? i’d really love to capture moments like that.
thanks and cheers,
*heather*
January 14, 2010 7:07 pm
Comment :
Thanks Heather!
My favorite way to shoot is with a 50mm lens ‘wide open’ (at F1.4 or F2.0). This gives the photo a very shallow depth of field (or focus) and makes the background dissolve and become dreamlike. I also like to have light coming from behind the subject, especially towards the end of the day when the light is much softer. It gives a nice rim-light around the subject and allows the front of the subject’s face to be evenly lit.
The shot in the conservatory was taken at sunset, so the light is soft and muted. There is a bit of warm sunlight coming through at a low angle. For that shot I used a 50mm lens on a Canon 5D at F1.4. Once I got the photo into photoshop I tweaked the colors a bit and muted everything. I want to keep that soft atmosphere.
I hope that is a good explanation
Thanks so much for checking out my work Heather.
-Kirk
ps I love your blog by the way! I see you are into food too
January 15, 2010 2:45 pm
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Very cute couple!!! Some of the pictures look a bit vintage giving them a great effect… congrats!!!
January 17, 2010 8:50 pm
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FABULOUS WORK!! Love the style of the couple.
January 18, 2010 9:55 am
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I love this couple. They absolutely pop in the shots. This looks as much like a fashion shoot as it does a lovebird session. I lived in Seattle years ago and seeing local landmarks makes me nostalgic. It’s wonderful to see them represented in such a classy way.
January 19, 2010 9:28 pm
Comment :
thanks for the great advice! i’m always hungry for more photo tips. my stepmom’s father was, and still is on the occasion, a professional photographer; however he’s half a country away and not accessible for me to pick his brain and learn firsthand. i did have one other question quick: i recently read an article about shutter speed [http://whiteonricecouple.com/photography-travels/shutter-speed-photography/] and decided to try my hand at the pouring wine shot. with the help of my boyfriend, we set up the glass in the photo box — he poured and i photographed. i shot in shutter priority mode on the camera, and i thought that would automatically compensate for the lighting with a fast shutter speed. the photos turned out really great, aside from the fact that they were really dark. any thoughts?
thanks and cheers,
*Heather*
January 20, 2010 12:40 pm
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If you shot the glass in a white box, the meter may have compensated for the overall whiteness of the photo and underexposed the picture. A camera sees the world in 18% grey. If the overall scene is light, such as a white background, then the camera will underexpose to bring the white DOWN to 18% grey. If the background is black, the camera will overexpose and bring the black background UP to 18% grey.
That is my best guess for what happened. Another possible reason is that the exposure compensation on your camera was set to -2.
Let me know if either of those things was the culprit.
Good luck!
Kirk
January 23, 2010 6:39 pm
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I checked the exposure compensation and it is at 0 for that particular setting, so I assume the issue must’ve been that the meter compensated for the white background. I’ll have to putz with the custom white balance setting. Thanks again! cheers, *heather*
March 5, 2010 1:22 pm
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Very cool… some real fashion shots there! Love it.
March 20, 2010 6:48 pm
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Hi there! I just discovered your site from a link on your wife’s blog and I just have to say I love your photography! You just gained a new fan! Like Heather, I have a million questions. I am just starting out in the photography business and am always excited when I find someone with a style all their own. Thanks for the inspiration!
April 15, 2010 2:22 pm
Comment :
light beauty
flicker
catch
a moment
life is