Senior Session: Bailey

I had a great time working with Bailey for her senior/graduation portraits. The shoot was actually spread across two dates, due to unexpected complications: Halfway during the original shoot, my Nikon D80 + VG + 85mm f/1.8 slipped from a creek-side rock and fell into a foot of rushing creek water. I pulled the kit out within seconds but the damage was done; all the equipment was waterlogged and certainly unusable.

We met up again a couple weeks later to finish the shoot – this time I had a shiny new D700 in tow, with a Tamron 24-75mm f/2.8 (in addition to my Nikkor 60mm f/2.8 micro). We got to splend plenty of time in the late afternoon and as the sun began to set, and I’m really pleased with how the shots  turned out.

As a side note, I’m blown away by the sheer quality difference between the output of the D80 vs the D700. Even under controlled conditions with off-camera lighting and sharp lenses, the D80 can’t hold a candle to the D700. The noise handling is the primary improvement, of course, but I was shocked to see just what a difference it makes. I had to rely on ISO 800 on some of my D80 shots, and it looks downright pathetic in comparison to the D700 at that level (or even 1600!). I’m so pleased to have the increased flexibility at my disposal now!

Gallery samples below, or view the full photoshoot.