Natalie Gibbs Photography - Christiansburg, Virginia » Headshots

Best of Portraits, 2010 – Christiansburg, Virginia Photography

Natalie — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 16:56:51 +0000

When all is said and done, I think I love doing portraits best of all, whether it's for an engagement, a bridal shoot, or a high school senior. CLICK to see my favorites from 2010!

This is kind of a big slew of pictures from all over the place, and I tried really, really hard to limit the collection to just one or two per session. I won't interrupt the flow with comments and description, other than to say up front that I think I have the most beautiful, adventurous clients in the world, and I thank all of you for working with me this year!

To see more of these sessions, check out my preview albums over on the Facebook page. Stay tuned for my favorites from my 2010 engagement pictures - some of my favorite pictures overall, and definitely some of the most fun to shoot!

Laura’s Headshots – Blacksburg, Virginia Photography

Natalie — Fri, 28 May 2010 00:52:56 +0000

Click the photo for the full post.

I'm back! May has been a crazy month... just looking at my Google calendar stresses me out. I've had a ton of portrait sessions, two big field trips at school, two concerts, and two graduations. I'm exhausted. Fortunately, summer is coming, and that means WEDDING SEASON! I can't wait to get going on this year's events. It'll be interesting to see how it feels to shoot such a fast-paced event on my near gear (p.s. I got a 5DmarkII!) as opposed to last year's d80s. I'm curious and excited and ready to go. I even have The Best Camera Bag Ever Made... pix coming soon. I am PSYCHED about this bag. Seriously. It's all I can think about. But back to the portraits at hand. I contacted Laura Matney back in January to see if she'd be interested in sharing her contact info on a list of local wedding photographers, just in case one of us ever needs an emergency sub. She did, and since then we've been in contact via Facebook. I've really enjoyed looking at all her new work and was very flattered when she asked me to take some headshots for her website. Shooting another photographer is fun because they already know what looks good! Laura brought an assortment of outfits to try, along with her camera and a cool vintage bike. She was super relaxed and laughed a lot, which made her EASY to photograph. Plus, she's gorgeous. I mean honestly, look at how her hair even blows so perfectly in the wind in these shots! Without further ado....

I love this next one because I think she looks daydreamy. (In reality, she was smiling up at my most excellent assistant Jenn, who is so bubbly and funny on these shoots.)

A few classic black and whites....

Okay, maybe not so "classic" - I'm a sucker for funny facial expressions, though. This was Laura attempting to "work it" on our city park runway.

This next shot is probably my favorite of the session. I love her smile here, and the way her hair is falling just so around her shoulders, and the beautiful teal wall behind her.

Also love these next few! Does she look like a model, or what?

Time for some fun with Laura's camera. We got so tickled taking pictures of each other taking pictures. (Corny, I know.)

Thanks to the most excellent Kat Braman for this idea! I saw a shot like it on her blog when she was doing another photographer's headshots last year and was inspired by it... I've been dying to try it ever since. It turned out to be WAY trickier than I expected. For photographers who might be wondering... we tried this with my 85/1.2 (too close), my 35/1.4 (too wide), and my 50/1.8 (too small). The 35 worked okay, but I think a 50/1.2 would be ideal.

And here you see what I mean about the hair. NOBODY'S hair looks this good in the wind. This is one of my favorite shots. The wind and the sun on her face just makes the whole thing feel so happy and carefree, if I do say so myself.

Okay, I guess sometimes the wind doesn't blow EXACTLY the way we want...

... but when it does, WOW. Windswept hair + 85L lens + soft evening light = MAGIC.

Thank you, Laura! I hope you love the photos!

Blacksburg, Va Photography – Lesley’s Headshots

Natalie — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 00:11:57 +0000

Spring has sprung, and you know what that means? People all over the place are in the mood to go out and have their picture taken, including the lovely Lesley (click for more).

I usually sleep in a bit on Saturdays and then hit up the Farmer's Market, Target, etc before settling down with a Dexter DVD or maybe a folder of photos to edit. This week, I got to welcome in the gorgeous spring sunshine with one of my favorite portrait shoots yet: a cute blonde with green eyes and an infectious smile, who can laugh and cry on cue (but mostly just laughs without cue). Meet Lesley, a theatre major at Virginia Tech and my latest headshot client. These were all done on my new (used) Canon 5D classic and 85mm/1.2 L II lens *swoon*. I feel like going full frame is already making SUCH a difference, and the lens isn't too shabby either! The only drawback is that MAN my arms and back and shoulders hurt afterwards. This setup far outweighs my old d80 with 50mm/1.8. But enough about me... here's Lesley!

Lesley brought four outfits, so we did a few quick changes for variety. I loved the boldness of the blue and how it brought out her eyes, but I'm also really crazy for how romantic and pretty the next two are.

We went downtown for the second part of our shoot. Photographer's trick: position the model in front of an air conditioner... instant windswept hair!

Lesley also happens to look fabulous in black and white (right?).

The next shots were taken on campus, by the bookstore and Eggleston Hall. I thought Lesley's bright pink shirt would look great against the gray Hokie stone buildings.

Lesley, it was so much fun working with you! I hope you love your photos and that one of them will land you a spot on stage someday soon!