Portraiture

All Photographs ©Shannon Richardson

Shannon Richardson is an editorial/commercial photographer based in Amarillo, Texas. His recently-published book "Route 66 American Icon" is a culmination of a six-year project documenting the iconic roadway. Shannon was generous enough to answer some questions about the project and about his work.

Studio lights are essential for many types of product and fashion shots, and I’ve used them for decades. Sometimes I like to keep things simple, though, and it’s fun to challenge myself to create lighting that evokes a mood and an emotion with just a single portable flash. I recently photographed a beautiful young model, Ellecie White of Hillsboro, Tennessee, and I thought this would be the perfect time to minimize my equipment. I felt it would be less intimidating to a five-year-old, and I was sure I could create the type of lighting I wanted.

Beauty Dishes are light modifiers that take your light source, bounce the output against an internal reflector, and then spread that light out via the inside of a white dish. The result is beautiful soft light that is similar to a softbox. Beauty Dishes are more versatile than that though, depending on how you place them or modify them. But what if you want to use your beauty dish with your existing on-camera strobes? Here are two methods how to do this.

I'm the kind of girl who wears her heart on her sleeve. So much so, sometimes it gets me in trouble. My style of photography, I believe, encompasses who I am as a person and also as a photographer. It's almost a never-ending question—as in life—I'm extremely curious and inquisitive.

I love little babies, but photographing them can be challenging. I also love a challenge. Surmounting this challenge starts with my camera and lighting equipment. I use a Nikon D3s and 24-70mm Nikkor lens. I'm usually hovering right over the baby, so I prefer a shorter lens.