It’s back to school time, and if you are or have a senior, it is also senior portrait time. I just created my first senior portrait of the season last evening. Brittany wanted to have her senior portrait made on her family farm. She wisely chose to do it now rather than waiting until the last minute.

I specialize in location portraiture and I always meet with a senior before we actually go out to shoot. I like to get to know my subject before we are on location. It gives me a chance to learn who they are and help them come up with some creative ideas for what we are going to do and where we will go. It also allows the senior to get to know me so they are comfortable and natural while we a shooting.

I like to create images that are different from the traditional senior portrait that you might get from a Wall Mart studio. I like to make an image that says something about who the senior is and includes locations or elements that help to capture their essence and say something about what they are interested in. For Brittany, it was about the farm where she grew up.

The weather was a bit touch and go. It was super windy, very hazy from the current California wild fires, and overcast. Brittany’s parents were concerned that we should re-schedule the shoot. We looked around at the locations Brittany had in mind, and after seeing them I suggested we go ahead and shoot anyway. The soft diffused quality of light is actually great for portraits, and the stormy sky would add a dramatic quality to the portraits.

In the end I think we created a fantastic set of images for her to choose from. By choosing to have her portrait made now she was able to take advantage of the beautiful location of her farm while it is green and not buried in snow.

View my post on Tips for Senior Portraits if you will be needing your senior portrait made.