Taya A Teen

Top picture is Taya two years ago..... just starting her pageant work.  Now she is the ripe old age of 13 :)

 Now she is a pageant winner.  Missouri Perfect Junior Teen.  We did another series of portfolio shots as she gets ready for Nationals.

 Great fun to work with her... she has a great personality and loves taking picture.

 Some application of digital powder. Slight lightening of eyes and teeth.  Removal of fly-aways... and that's about it for post processing.

 Studio shots with the Nikon D800 and 105mm macro lens.  ISO 100, F16-18, 1/200th shutter.  Two lights to four lights depending.

 Kauffman Gardens.  Nikon D800, 70-200mm lens for all shots, F56 mostly, ISO 400.

 These two above and below used fill-flash... most others available light.

 Above is Taya's favorite.  I can't pick a favorite.

 Although I really like the one above and the next two.

Amber

One of my favorite subjects is Amber who is getting ready for the Miss United States Missouri Pageant at the beginning of April. Like all really good models she is able to go from sultry to pixyish in a moment... offering me a variety of looks... lighting and shutter release is almost all I have to do.
The black dress and the blue dress shots were all done with one light in a pan reflector covered with translucent white, rip-stop nylon and a silver reflector below her position bouncing light upward. Background was medium gray paper roll. F-stop varied between F16 and F22 throughout the shoot. Nikon D3 with 105mm lens throughout.

Sometimes called "glamour lighting" this light is fired point-blank at the face at a little less than a 45 degree angle and the reflected light fills in from below.
One of these or the many others we took will be her headshot for the competition and an entry in the Miss Photogenic contest.
Three lights were used in the last set-up. The pan reflector, a light overhead bounced from a silvered umbrella and a direct flash on the background which was changes to white. The above shot I did not use the background light as I wanted a more monochromatic image to highlight her eyes an lips.
Amber was called "Barbie" in high school.... but I think she's more like a porcelain ballerina.... she's also got moxie.... which helps in this endeavor :)