Trying something NEW! HS Senior photos.

So a friend of mine, from 3 hours north of here, called me and asked if I knew of anyone near SIU Campus who did High School Senior photos. His daughter wanted to do them someplace none of her friends and peers would likely be doing them. He knows I am a photographer. He also knows I focus on wildlife, nature and landscape. So I told him I could put him in touch with a couple people who do good work. His reaction was less than enthusiastic. So against my better judgement I said “or I could give it a shot” and he said that would be great!!! So I was going to have to learn how to do a this young ladies photos and worry about doing them justice!

First thing I did was look at a lot of Senior Photos, the locations the poses, the lighting etc.… And I do mean a lot. Second, I read and read and read tips and suggestions on how to take them. Third, I contacted “dad” and had his daughter send me photos of poses and locations she liked. Fourth, I scouted locations and asked people who worked on SIU Campus where they thought I could find similar locations.

Then I set the date and started to worry. As we got close to the day, they had something come up and we had to reschedule. So I started the process all over again, leaving out step 3, but all the rest in full measure. Then I prepped my gear, making sure everything was together and all the batteries were charged and spares were available.

The day came. I had good weather, good light, a very lovely model with a beautiful natural smile and a lot of faked confidence! I went at it like I knew what I was doing! I used a lot of the tips on how to get the model comfortable and relaxed. Then we started taking pictures. As I would look at the photos I would always make a positive comment about how good the model looked, such as “ooooh I like that one,” “nice,” “that is a keeper,” etc. The only thing that I would say that was not in that realm was, ‘let me get a couple more of that pose. '“

After the first few photos, the false confidence turned into real confidence. I started showing the young lady and her parents the photos as I took them (always showing what I thought were the best ones). That continued to build the confidence of both myself and the model! Best of all I came away with many great shots in my opinion. Plus the young lady has several she really likes!

So for my first run at Senior Photos it was a good experience. I would do this again because I had fun! If you need any of the info I used to get ready in more detail let me know. I still have a lot to learn but I would be happy to share what I learned if it would help you! For a few more examples of the pretty lady in the photo, head over to my gallery named people,

Until next time

The Redleg Photographer