Backyard Adventures
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1380896
PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY Southern Indiana offers portrait photographers farms, hills, plains, creeks, barns and urban areas as back- grounds, but Terri Adams' photography doesn't take her away from people, she said if anything, it brings her closer to them. "No two photographers have the same vision for the same spots," she said. "Being able to see more than what's in front of you is important. A field full of golden- rod weeds is just beautiful. Or having abandoned barns in the background, or leaning on old barnwood. I've knocked on an endless amount of doors." She said that when she uses a person's goldenrods or barn or other scener y, she tries to always get contact information so that after her session, she can send them the photos and help them see the beauty she sees in their backdrops. For someone just starting out though, picking a place like downtown Princeton's pocket parks or uptown Fort Branch is a way to start because you've got a setting with greener y and flowers, but also the older brick, which gives a ver y different feel. Another good beginner location is the Azalea Path. Straddling Pike and Gibson County, the Azalea Path is beautifully maintained year round, and many are just now becoming aware of the variety it offers between water features, rustic statuar y and greener y. For beginners, she said she can't stress lighting enough. A cloudy day is ideal for a photo session, and when working with models, a beginner's instinct can be to put them up against the backdrop — the tree, bricks, barn or flora. "The farther away from the background you bring them, the more blurred it's going to be and that's a desir- able look for portrait photographers," she said. Also, help models pose well by directing them to make angles with their bodies, to do a bent knee, or tilted shoulders rather than hands folded in front, for example. The more a photographer practices, the better she gets and the more opportunities she'll see for beautiful, unique lighting and backgrounds. Indiana has the benefit of experiencing all four sea- sons, from colorful falls to bright green springs, to snowy winters with trees blanketed in white. Adams said over her 13 years, she's noticed ever y session is different, but the common denominator is that portrait photographers love showing people the beauty within themselves. "So many families come in, where the men don't like having their picture taken. The women like having the memor y, and capturing that moment in time, but they come in ner vous and uncomfortable. The more we talk, the better the photos. I don't set a session time limit because it takes longer for them to warm up to me than it takes for me to take the photos." "No two photographers have the same vision for the same spots." —Terri Adams BARNIAK TERRI ADAMS appearance) CONTINUED ON PAGE 10 > Backyard Adventures 2021 9