Creating An Awesome Eastside or Seattle Senior Photograph is so much fun for me. While I always enjoy photographing children and in the distant past-weddings, the ability to both conversationalize and not have the pressure of a deadline makes these sessions a treat for me. (Although showing my best super-hero move and making silly faces still keeps me young and impresses the 4 and under group:) What really makes the Senior shoots different is the creativity in the crafting of these images. I’ll use lots of color and bump up my strobe lighting on location to make the images really pop out. Planning and logistics is the key for all my sessions and really understanding what makes each senior unique helps me to craft a unique portrait each time.
In the case of M. (see pics below), her Mom found my name through a coworker. After perusing my portfolio she knew it was a good match for her daughter. After consulting with Mom I set up a phone meeting with M. (Often I’ll meet in person as well if we are far enough out from the shoot date so we can even look at clothing and talk more in depth.) As we spoke on the phone and I found out more about her likes, interests and personality. When I found out she was a kayaker on Green Lake I was really excited as I love to show the seniors special interests/passions, not just a pretty picture (although I love those too). We planned out the best time of day for lighting taking into account the foot traffic at the various locations.
I mentioned urban areas for backdrops and found out she was most comfortable at her alma mater, Roosevelt High School, for her senior portraits. Turns out it was the perfect backdrop for several looks. We decided to use some of her casual clothing as well as her upscale outfits and both worked well in the scenery and the setting. M. was really at ease in this environment , especially because it was summer we didn’t have to worry about having other students around.
After we created these looks, we headed to her favorite haven, Greenlake for some kayaking portraits. M. loves this area as she spends so much time here pushing her self in her sport. We wanted to create some environmental portraits that give us a sense of place and activity to reflect her passion. Love the way all of these images show not only M. and a great Senior Portrait that would work well for any yearbook, but also to create images for her alone that she will cherish forever.
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Senior Portrait of Seattle Kayaker
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