So that's it, the end of yet another summer that didn't seem to begin. All we have to look forward to now is Christmas and maybe a skiing holiday if we are lucky!

But all is not lost, this time of year can be a photographer's dream with all the stunning colours that the autumn months bring us. If you can find a few dry hours on the weekend to get out and about with the camera a plethora of photographic opportunities can be found and if your really lucky you can really capture the moment

I took a client for some portrait photography yesterday to Pontypool Park. With acres and acres of open fields and every conceivable tree to be found we were spoiled for choice for where to start taking photos.
We settled on some large horse chestnuts that had shed all but the last of their leaves and the low winter sun was creating brilliant contrast between the dark roots and the multi-colour foliage. I got out my Canon 5d mkII and got Imogen to run round in the leaves, trying to get her to forget the camera and enjoy herself. From a photographic point of view I find that a studio shoot can be a lot easier than a location shoot. In a studio we control the light, poses, props, etc. but on location the light is constantly changing. Imogen was running in and out of the shade and it was challenging getting the camera's metering working correctly whilst trying to keep up with a three year old.
The main advantage a location shoot has over a studio session is that when working with children they are in a familiar environment and relax a lot quicker. It makes my job as a photographer that much easier and I can concentrate on taking photographs.

30 seconds into the shoot Imogen fell over and slid for a few feet in the mud messing up her nice clean 'photo shoot' clothes. Then, as I asked her to peek from behind a large tree trunk, she fell over again, this time head first into the tree. As I was trying to console her my mind couldn't help but wonder if our Public Liabilities insurance was up to date. Thankfully Imogen was OK and within another 30 seconds was running (and falling) about again.
We then left the dangers of the trees and headed for the dangers of the children's play area. Here arose another photographic challenge. Because Imogen was on the see-saw it became very difficult for the camera to focus. Portrait photographers always make sure the focus is on the eyes. If the subject's face is at an angle, we focus on the leading eye. Get this right and the rest is easy.
I decided to switch the focus mode on my Canon 5D mkII to AI Servo. This means that the camera will detect the movement of the subject and continually autofocus as they move towards you and away from you (and towards you and away from you and towards you and.....)
This proved just what modern DSLRs are capable of and I came away with some really nice images and Imogen had a nice day out!

No children were hurt in the making of this blog!!