Senior Photos Don't Need To Be Cheesy
Why stick with traditional Senior portraits?
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.
BTS of Out of the Fog: Shiloh Leath (Part 2)
Part 2 of the behind the scenes look at the final shoot with Shiloh Leath for Out of the Fog, focusing on the specific styling, use of fog, editing techniques, and symbolism in final images.
As mentioned last week, this week I would like to share my thought process behind the specific look shared through the tones, use of fog, and other editing techniques in Shiloh's Out of the Fog shoot, along with the symbolism and poetry in her portraits.
Why did I choose specific lighting set ups and editing techniques through tones? For this project, I was highly inspired by the works of Michael Bader, Laurie Bartley, and Jade Mai. Each of these artists' works has a feel of cinematic quality through lighting and editing techniques Their technical skills are combined with symbolism, that is presented through their models and scenes, making them appear significant. By editing in a cinematic type style, it shows that the model is part of a story, and have their own story.
Why is there fog? Fog causes confusion and a loss of sense of direction, which can mean either physically or mentally. Fog can also represent danger as it hides things from us, like truth. So, in this series, the fog is presented as a symbol that represents all the cloudiness and confusion of who the model is, as they are literally coming out of the fog and revealing who he or she is.
So why does her nose appear to be broken or cut? As mentioned last week, through the final images, I wanted to get across every essence of the pain that she has faced, and how she has risen from it. I wanted to present her in a beautiful way as though she has literally healed and risen up to where she is now, although the mark is left behind in a subtle way that may be noticed at first or second glance.
Why did I choose the outfit? Shiloh is a photographer as well, and works with mostly female models in the fashion and fine art categories. I wanted to portray her how she would portray one of her own models, as this art form of photography is so much a part of who she is.
What does the poem mean? The poem reads: "Buried alive/The flesh will fail./Into the fray,/Battle the veil." This poem follows the idea of Shiloh rising from the pain that she has suffered from, and that physically we weaken. For the second portrait of her, I wanted to have her picking up her dress and walking with such intensity as though she were literally about to go into battle ("Into the fray). Shiloh shared with me that she feels very strongly about feminism, therefore "Battle the veil", a veil as it represents female power.
Here are the before and after shots of each image.
Before
After
Before
After
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