Archives

off comments

I just finished teaching a Family Beach Photography photo session for The Palm Beach Photographic Center FotoFusion 2014. It was a wonderful opportunity to share with my students much of the information I have gleaned from thousands of hours photographing families at the beach.

Family Beach Photography

I thought about titling this blog: All Dressed Up With No Place To Go,  What Can Go Wrong, Will or Three Strikes And You Are Out.. At the location secured three weeks before the class, we had permission to photograph but had to pay for parking. It turned out the day of, we received free parking passes but were not allowed to photograph. My two families with their young children were incredibly patient as we moved to a second location. Since we were not going to be able to photograph at the beach, I figured we could create the same type of portraits, with similar lighting techniques and students could learn from the experience.

Family Beach Photography

After going through two very useful lighting setups, again we were asked to leave the location. The gate was going to be locked and we needed to be on the other side of it. No worries, next to that site was a place I thought I could finish up with more candid family photographs and give the students the final part of the workshop. Mom and Dad are in position, the background is good, the light is perfect. About to shoot, once again we are asked to leave. No worries. I resorted to begging. It worked with the promise of being quiet.

Family Beach Photography

The students appreciated the experience. Lesson learned, you can make plans but when reality takes over, go with the flow and do the best you can!!
off comments

As a portrait photographer in the Hamptons, I have spent year after year surrounded by breathtaking seascapes; the bay, the ocean, beaches, and ponds of the Hamptons. My familiarity with this scenery has allowed me to become more adventurous over the years with my portraiture and explore secret places of the Hamptons.

My earliest boating memories were as a child in Margate, New Jersey, sailing with my Dad. I think we spent more time bailing water out of the leaky wooden boat and getting towed off sandbars than actually sailing. As a child, all of this was exceedingly embarrassing but not completely discouraging. In fact, over the years I have acquired a fleet of wooden boats, none of which need bailing or towing.  I incorporate the entire fleet into my portrait sessions in the Hamptons. These unique portrait photography props add depth and character to the magic moments that can be captured on camera.

The tiniest of our boat props, also known as our baby boat, is perfect for infants up to about 9 months.  The white and navy color scheme of the boat allows my subjects to stand out brilliantly against beach dunes, ocean settings, and other favorite Hamptons’ locales. Don’t forget – our tiny boat is also great for pet portraits of your family’s favorite animals.

Boating Photography in the Hamptons

 

“Fairweather” – the second in our series of boat portrait props – is best suited for the little guys and girls who are fast becoming toddlers. One year olds who still need to hang onto a sturdy object and toddlers who like getting in and out of the boat over and over or filling the boat with sand or seashells will find themselves at home for their beach portraits in “Fairweather.”

 

“Buttercup” is a serious sailing dingy that can really enhance a photo-session for your “big kids” or kids about 4 years and older. Since “Buttercup” is a sailable vessel, new options for beach portraits in the Hamptons arise: on and in the water.  Check out below how a family pet, Applejack, has used “Buttercup” to make quite the splash!

 

Pet Photography in the Hamptons

Our final and most exquisite boat prop for beach portraits in the Hamptons is the “Eastern Star,” a classic 18-foot Marshall catboat. This fully operating sailboat helps me voyage families to the most remote and pristine locations in and around the Hamptons, of which, some of my favorites are Three Mile Harbor and Gardner’s Bay.


Whether you are looking to have portraits taken of your newborn, a family pet, or take your family portrait out to sea – at Deborah Kalas Studios we have the perfect boat for any type of portrait!

To learn more about my portrait photography in the Hamptons click the links below:

Secret Places For Portraits In The Hamptons
Unique Hamptons Photography Sessions On The Water 
off comments

In my next life I would like to be a photographer AND a weather God. If I had it my way, sunny and clear blue-sky days would happen all summer long between 5 and 8 pm. For now, I just have to do the best with what I am given. So far that’s searching at least three weather channels every few hours, utilizing the Ultimate Weather App on my Ipad, and visiting the beaches I plan on shooting at, if necessary, to come up with the optimum start time for portrait sessions.

That being said, beautiful images can be captured at almost any time of the day even with less than desirable weather conditions. Below you’ll find portraits illustrating what can happen in variety of light settings.

no images were found

Click here to find out what time of day is the best for beach photography.