Let Your Light Shine

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16.

While we were on our family vacation to Utah, I knew I wanted to find a red rock background to photograph Sarah Beth in this dress we purchased from SHEIN. The Double Arch at Arches National Park at sunset turned out to be the perfect backdrop!

Each year we challenge our Spoiled Rotten Photography photographers to find inspiration in a work of art, or work of another photographer that speaks to them and experiment with different lighting, setting, clothing, etc. to produce their own work of photographic art.

I have been a fan of LJ Holloway’s soft environmental portraits for a while. I recently came across this senior session she did with a red rock environment, and it got my wheels turning for what I wanted to capture in Utah with Sarah Beth.

The reality of taking portraits at a popular National Park is the image on the left. There were a good many people crossing our path while trying to take sunset portraits. Never underestimate Photoshop to save the day.

After working with several angles, using the sun and the arches to our advantage I just happen to catch an unexpected magical glow of the sun through a tiny hole in big rock to the left of the Double Arch. I adjusted my camera settings to freeze the sun’s rays as it burst through the hole at the perfect angle and we photographed a couple images adding a touch of light from an external flash Savannah held off to the left.

I love the effect in the following image with the natural light source, the sun, and the artificial light source bursting in unison.

The look and determination on this image owns me! Only Sarah Beth would climb the Double Arch barefoot and in a dress as a reward for letting me take portraits in front of the arches.