Michael Knowlton Photography: Prom Pictures. With a twist.

What a busy couple of days it has been. Luckily, part of the reason why I've been so busy is due in-part to having to take some photos. . . of something I said I would never do.

Prom Photos. There, I said it. Yes, I took prom photos. I broke one of my laws I said I would never break. But, 6 months ago, I also said I would never shoot a wedding. And after my first wedding, I'm hooked. I've done a lot of soul-searching over the past few weeks. Trying to really get a firm grasp on what my 5 year, and 10 year plans look like. Graduating from college is definitely the first on that list, but thats where it got blurry. Debating whether to pursue photography full time, or get a "real" job and do photography as a side gig. I knew that in some way, shape, or form, photography was going to be an essential way that I live my life. I just wasn't sure how the puzzle pieces were going to fit together. I still don't honestly, but I do have a pretty good idea as of what I would like to do, and accomplish. At this point in time, I want to look to devote myself to photography as much as possible while still in school, with the end goal of one day being a full-time, self employed, freelance photographer. Specializing in wedding and engagement photos.

Crazy, I know. Especially because when I first started out, I thought I wanted to shoot the high glamour world of fashion photography. And while I still do, I just love the fact that I can shoot primarily natural light with some manipulation and really focus on the emotions of the subjects, rather than extremely expensive lighting setups. I love that wedding and engagement photos really capture a person's personality and emotions so eloquently. I would still love to shoot commercial fashion, but at this point in my career, it looks as if I am going to devote myself to capturing emotion in my photographs. All while still utilizing amazing light. The natural kind. Atleast, for this week. Haha.

Anywho, onto the photos. I had the wonderful opportunity to photograph Lauren and Dylan's senior prom this past week. AND, I shot at THE coolest location I've ever shot at, without a doubt. An airport. To make it even more exciting, the owner of quite a fancy jet (think "fly like a G6") told us we had free reign to take photographs with his one of many jets. Unfortunately, it was parked in a spot that wasn't quite conducive to the style I was shooting for. I typically love shooting INTO the sun and getting blown out images with some interesting flare. But for this shoot, I wanted to shoot very soft, diffused light on the subjects. So for that, I went in search of the perfect spot(s). And I found them! My favorite of the day was probably one of the hangars that were left open. It had beautifully diffused light, and a dark background. Giving the effect that I lit them with strobes.

These first photos were shot in open shade given to us from the hangars. I loved the white background and the soft light.

Some of the photos taken in the hangar/light setup

After that, we walked around to the other side and there was a beautiful breeze-way. That much like the hangar, had beautiful light as it was in full shade, as well as a dark(er) background. The light was magnificent a Lauren absolutely killed it here. Killed. It.