Favorite Photo of 2016 - nominee

Here’s one of my picks for my “photo of the year”.  I’m doing these posts to be self-critical and also motivate myself.  

Photos that have a back story attached to them are obviously going to mean more and have a better chance of being a top pick.  David and Kate are super close friends of ours.  We don’t get to see them all that often because they live up north a bit and David is going to be an incredible Doctor one day so he’s putting in the time now.  They still do an incredible job staying connected with us and we appreciate them so much.

Most people are really unsure if they want maternity photos.  Honestly, my wife and I even talk about it.  We don’t have kids yet but we ask ourselves if we will do one, with an unclear answer.  We might hike to the top of a hill with just the two of us and my camera gear, then snap away.  

Maybe that’s why Maternity Photo Sessions aren’t always popular - because they feel very private.  

So this was shot with my Canon 5D Mark ii and my Canon 50mm f/1.4.

Settings were at 1/640 sec at f/1.6, ISO 200.  I think the tones kill it and make the image what it is.  With the golden hour light, a bit of cloud cover and the green in the background, the image has a nice, balanced feel to it.  We hiked up a hill by Lake Hodges, in Escondido, CA, a few days after it rained which helped with the colors behind them.