Truth: I hate the phone. I used to completely ignore it when it rang, but I’m trying to be better about answering it! Although, with the telemarketers getting more clever and using local area codes I’m starting to rethink my commitment to answering. But when this grandmother of 8 called wanting NH Beach Family Photos for her 3 grown sons with their 3 beautiful wives and brood of cousins I was very glad I’d answered the call!
A common theme last summer (let’s face it -most summers) was the battle between golden hour light and late afternoon thunderstorm. The beach is tricky for a shoot. With no shade to be had you want to make sure you plan for super early in the morning (with 15 people? probably not going to happen), or late in the afternoon, just before sunset. I always try and plan the session for 45 minutes before sunset. I keep an eye on the forecast and the dopplers. (Did I mention meteorologist was part of my job description?) If the clouds are building I try and decide if I should push up the time or push back the time. It’s definitely not an exact science, but a little research mixed with some gut feeling and anti-rain dance usually treats me well.
You can see the clouds in the images are foreboding. And you could hear the thunder rumbling in the distance, but we got it done!. We met at their house and then, cocktails in hand (not my hands or the kids’ hands) we walked down to the beach. I’m not really a ‘beach-goer’ but I was definitely jealous of their proximity to the water. And the view from their porch!
Thanks for the call, Margie! And to those of you who do call – leave a message! I will call you back! Unless you’re a telemarketer. Then I add your number to the “do not answer” entry in my contacts list. 😉
