Endure

It has been challenging but rewarding being able to work with many sweet clients and on many personal projects during the same time period recently. I'm thankful for all of you, to be able to spend a short time together reflecting each other's passions and sharing them through portraits. 

Endure is a short series portraying my cousin, Karli, a caring and humble physical therapist, CrossFit coach, and an inspiration. This series is shown as it would in a magazine spread, and quotes from Karli herself and 9:24 CrossFit coach, Pete Doan. 

Thank you all who were a part of this shoot, whether in pre-production, production, or the post-production, everyone who gave feedback and simply supports these big ideas I have. 

Behind the Scenes

Live by faith & share through fotos.

Senior Photos Don't Need To Be Cheesy

Senior photos. I remember the days when everyone passed around their wallet-sized prints and wrote a note on the back for each of their classmates.

I also remember at least half of the images were taken by a "quantity over quality" type studio, where they put the Senior in the same sitting position that they have for the last 340/340 Seniors. Each portrait is the same type of shot, the same tilt of the head, and about 20 variations of the same pose.

Now stop. If you're a photographer reading this, you're already frustrated, and if you're a Senior or the parent of a Senior, please pause and answer this question... Why in the world would you like to remember your/your child's last year of high school- this huge milestone of your/their lives- by these cheesy portraits that look like everyone else?

As an artist, I get bored of the same old work, whether I am the one creating the work or watching others create the same old work, I just get plain tired. And so I'm tired of Senior Portraits for what the majority of people find them to be, just another checkmark on their list before graduation; I'm tired of the redundancy and the traditional posing, lighting, the godforsaken same backgrounds that just are not natural in any world (please search "cheesy photo backdrops" for plenty of examples), and for the lack of better words- I'm tired of the lameness and the artificial, insincere personalities that Seniors are offered in these "quantity over quality" studios. Senior portraits are about YOU, the Senior, and should be personalized to your style and your interests.

Senior photos don't need to be cheesy. Senior photos should be a memorable experience and a fun way to show and record for your children, your children's children, and even for you to remember who you are here and now.

And for the record, I believe in the "QUALITY over quantity" argument of photography.

Behind the scenes

Live by faith & share through fotos.

YPA's Where Are They Now: Leah Schonauer

Extremely honored and humbled are the only ways I can describe seeing my name on the Young Photographers Alliance News page. These past two years since the YPA Mentorship Program has been a whirlwind, with lots of different directions in my photographic career and life in general. Find out my recent adventures in my self-written article on the YPA website! 

Read my YPA Where Are They Now: Leah Schonauer article by clicking the link or the photo below.

Live by faith & share through fotos.