Is this session personal work or client work?
This session with my daughter and her friends was personal work; I have captured she and her four best friends each year since she was born near her birthday with a creative shoot, something that inspires me and also provides me and all these families with amazing keepsakes of their childhood. It is typically my favorite shoot each year, watching these sweet girls grow has been such a gift and capturing it; absolutely priceless and so fun.
Tell us a bit about the magic of summer + the connection to your lens?
Sweet summertime for me is a time for adventure, camping, swimming and being in the great outdoors. As a family we take more family trips, slow down, do less of the ordinary and mundane, find new places to discover and visit some of our special places that bring our family peace. I love to capture my children being who they are; unscripted and true. Some of my most coveted photographs of my own were taken during summer adventures. It is such a beautiful time to practice, explore light and to think outside the box with my creativity in photographs. I also love the fresh perspective new environments and locations brings.
What about this session makes it an Epic summer session?
This session was at our favorite Sonoma Coast beach, on a breezy, mild August night. We styled these darlings in Lacey Lane, one of my favorite girl brands that has such a nostalgic feel to it. We were celebrating my daughter’s 5th birthday and I will forever remember their joy, smiles and laughter. True childhood play and delight and a perfect amount of crazy. It was one of those memorable nights and watching them explore and be together made an imprint on my heart. I can still feel the happiness and hear their giggles.
What else is on your bucket list to photograph this summer?
We are taking a few trips that I am so excited about to capture my own family, we are camping at Lake Almanor and Shasta, two simply beautiful landscapes and places we haven’t been more recently. My children seem to come into their authentic selves when they are away from school, their day to day and technology. I also have a few days trips planned with my children to Santa Cruz, Half Moon Bay and at the end of the summer to Venice Beach, Santa Monica and Los Angeles. I am excited to think outside the box and have some fun capturing this season of their lives in new and exciting places. My children are growing quickly before my eyes and having this personal work means more to me than anything.
What gear was used to achieve these?
This whole session was captured with my Canon 5D Mark III and my 35 mm 1.4 lens, my go to lens. They were moving WAY too fast for me to even consider changing lenses. 😉
Any summer tips or photographer advice?
Keep your camera with you! I feel like in the summer you never know when inspiration may come about and if you are anything like us, are out and about exploring new places, you may be moved to create. Challenge yourself with different lighting situations, particularly midday light; I always love the tones and skies summer creates.
ABOUT THE ARTIST :
Jodi Lynn Buckles is an award-winning and published Natural-Light Lifestyle Photographer in beautiful, Sonoma County, California, just north of San Francisco. She loves to create meaningful and emotive work that captures life as art; true and beautiful. Jodi is a Mother to three beautiful souls, Daughter, Photographer and Teacher and simply adores capturing her own family of five and documenting this season of her life. Jodi has been featured on Lookslikefilm, Lemonade and Lenses, Dear Photographer and Beyond the Wanderlust. She was a Rangefinder Magazine Portrait Contest Winner in 2015, a Lookslikefilm Artist of the Year in 2016 and a finalist in the Shoot + Share Contest over the past three years. She is currently teaching photography through The Narrative Society and is so excited to be blending her passions of teaching and photography.
W E B S I T E | I N S T A G R A M | F A C E B O O K