Photo Walk with Tracey Clark
Monday, January 30, 2012 at 6:01AM 
Another highlight of ALT Summit for me was the photo walk on Saturday with Tracey Clark, pictured above. Tracey is the founder of the Shutter Sisters, a popular blog and also a book for photographers about shooting from their heart. I am a huge fan of both the website and the book and I was so excited to meet Tracey and spend time shooting with her. It was such a pleasure. Tracey is approachable and down to earth and I felt almost instantly comfortable with her and the group that had gathered for the walk. Just check these people out below. Every one of them was awesome and beautiful. (I did not get a picture of Kamille. Sorry Kamille!)
Gabriel, the curator at The Artful Desparado, was so charming and easy to talk to. He's an awesome guy who I met while he was admiring the fabulous colorful glass chandelier at the Grand America hotel. The next day his blog was featured in the "Up and Coming" panel, so I like to think that I befriended him before he was famous.
Patina had a quiet but bold presence, if you can possibly imagine what that might be like. She's from Australia and wore a fantastic necklace that said "I Like You", pictured below. I like you too Patina.
Ania writes a blog called The New Diplomat's Wife and the greatest thing is that her husband is actually a diplomat. She also dresses just like you would expect a diplomat's wife to dress. That's a real fur. She's based in Vienna. Hello!
Lindsey, who blogs at The Mod Chick, is always smiling. Her umbrella blew inside out and she was STILL smiling. Scroll down and see for yourself, she has the BIGGEST smile while trying to wrangle her umbrella in the rain and the wind while the rest of us were taking her picture instead of trying to help.
I did not talk to Dariela enough, but look how adorable she is in that knit hat and scarf. We had a great photo geek moment where we both tried to take a picture of each other at the same time. Awkward! And hilarious!
Jill is so calm and stoic. I met her at Camp Mighty and it was there that she decided she wanted to go to Africa. When she got home, she was given an opportunity to do just that. She's proof that you can live your dreams.
Tracey asked us to choose a random card before we left for the walk to guide us in our pictures for the day. My card was DETAILS, so while walking around I tried to find some interesting details. I'm so pleased with how they are all the photos I captured share a similar color palette. When looking for details to shoot, it's helpful to get close to things, underneath things and to isolate objects. Texture also becomes very important when shooting details. There was a thick cloud cover, but it actual worked to my advantage, like a giant soft box, smoothing out all the shadows and giving everything a beautiful even tone.
I had such a great time walking around shooting pictures with these people! It was cold and rainy and kind of miserable outside, but there are gorgeous pictures to capture anywhere you go and in any weather. Tracey also shared with us ten tips for taking better pictures:
- Use the whole frame
- Be deliberate
- Look for the light
- Learn as you go
- Tell a unique story
- Capture the unexpected
- Shoot from the heart
- If YOU like it, that's enough
- Celebrate your successes
- Connect and share.
Her philosophy is focused on composition and she believes that any tools that you have available to make photographs are legitimate, including your iPhone. Tracey and Lindsey are huge Instragram users and if you are on Instagram you can find them at @traceyclark and @modchik. Check out the #umbrellaclub hashtag to see the Instagram pictures from our walk.
For more information about Photowalks check out Wikipedia: Photowalking and the following links:
Tracey Clark in ALT Summit, Inspiration, Photo Walk, Photography
Reader Comments (6)
Oh so lovely....I'm so glad you had a great session with her. Tracey was definitely approachable and very down to earth.
xo
aw! this is the sweetest post! and your pictures are gorgeous! I love all the umbrellas - inside out and rightside in!
Beautiful beautiful pics Leslie! You captures almost all of us with your point of view. A Photowalk is the best even if it's short and raining! I also learned and I met new friends :) The picture I took of you at that moment didn't end up as nice as yours did!
I love love love your photos!
Lovely photos, Leslie. I especially enjoy when details become almost abstract. Alt sounds like a great time.
fun fun fun!! thank you for sharing these!! : ) It was a wonderful day spent among very inspiring people. I just loved it.