KJ Photography look

[Jennifer Casalegno]

I'm really drawn to this look lately. Would one of these shots be one to try it with?

http://katelynjamesblog.com/

[Damien Symonds]

Could you narrow it down to a particular post, rather than the entire blog?

[Jennifer Casalegno]

LoL!  Light and airy.

http://katelynjamesblog.com/georgetown-engagement-pictures-dc-wedding-photographer/

[Damien Symonds]

No, you DEFINITELY can't use backlit photos for this look.

[Jennifer Casalegno]

She suggests placing your subject in front of the sun, facing their shadow, so the light wraps around them. That's what I tried to do with these shots.

[Damien Symonds]

She's pulling your leg.  Most of those photos have a wall behind the subjects, or at least trees.  The ones that don't, look at the angle of the shadows - the sun is partially off to one side.

More importantly, look at the catchlights in their eyes - there's definitely a light source in front of them.  Reflector or flash, I don't know.

@Brian and @Kim will have more wisdom about this.

[Brian]

15 hours ago, Jennifer Casalegno said:

She suggests placing your subject in front of the sun, facing their shadow, so the light wraps around them.

Well, yes...that is the base of those type of sun-lit shots. The trick is something has to reflect the strong sunlight BACK into your subjects, otherwise it's all shadow. This could be light-colored dirt (Used for the Girl kissing the Horse,) a white wall (Engagement shoot) or a reflector. Damien is correct, it is all about the angle of the Sun. Depending on your geographical location, your results will vary. Places further North of the Equator (or South for you Southern Hemisphere Peeps) will produce a different look than those closer to the equator.

As for the engagement set, she is surrounded by white walls and is over-exposing. This Technique is called "ETTR" or Exposing to the Right, meaning she is at least one or two "ticks" overexposed. Combine that with her Canon 50mm f/1.2L prime to get things sharp and heavy usage of Photoshop Actions pushing things further for that "Airy" look. I'm sorry, those colors in that Engagement Set are NOT natural. Porcelain Skin Tones / loss of detail (no skin blemishes and loss of detail on white shirt) are a dead give-away. They are Photoshoped Colors.

Make note of the time of day when she shot that session. It's not during the golden hour, probably about two-three hours before sunset, which will allow the strong sunlight to wrap around her subjects. She chose a spot to have the sun diffused / blocked, or to put her subjects in shadow and then let the background be over-exposed. This technique needs practice. You can't expect to casually pick it up. The skill-set for things like clouds, location, time of day, the actual date that the photos are taken all take practice to learn and are applied before you put the camera up to your eye; there isn't a set recipe. I deal with this type of lighting all the time with my Wedding Gigs. Lots of crappy shots with a sprinkling of "Chorus of Angels Singing" shots. Remember that.

[Jennifer Casalegno]

Thank you Brian! Love the detailed response!