Archives For senior portraits

Fall and winter are beautiful seasons to photograph senior portraits. The weather reminds me of my days in Seattle with crisp winters and cool breezes. It gets me thinking about being outside and enjoying the beauty that nature holds, and reminds me of the importance of stepping outside the photo studio. Early in my photography career, I spent more time in natural light, but the more popular my studio photography became, the less I ventured outdoors.

When Rachael came to me with her love of cowboy boots and horses, I knew we had to take the photo shoot outside, but with a contemporary flair. She’s a country girl at heart, but has an urban look. So we went with it… big prom dress, gorgeous dangling earrings, sparkly jewelry. The weather cooperated and we got sun flair to die for and warm glowing images that highlight the true beauty of this multi-faceted NGHS senior.

Next time you’re feeling stuck in a rut, consider changing your environment.

Look for contrast between two elements… city and country, contemporary and vintage, dark and light. It’ll add a layer of texture and dimension to your images that might surprise and delight both you and your clients.

Even if you don’t have a client ready to try something new, storyboard and plan your own photo shoot. Personal work has been touted as one of the primary ways to develop your photography skill set, stand out in the crowd and get seen. Plus it’s fun!

teen identity senior portrait rachael cowboy boots image Late Fall Urban Country Girl Senior Portait Session: Outside the Photo Studio

teen identity senior portrait rachael prom dress barn image 600x447 Late Fall Urban Country Girl Senior Portait Session: Outside the Photo Studio

teen identity senior portrait rachael model image 600x480 Late Fall Urban Country Girl Senior Portait Session: Outside the Photo Studio

teen identity senior portrait rachael image outside 600x447 Late Fall Urban Country Girl Senior Portait Session: Outside the Photo Studio

I’m not quite sure how it happened, but we went from a hot summer without too busy of a shooting schedule, to an immediate rush in the last four weeks of photo shoot after photo shoot. It’s been astonishing just how busy we’ve really been. I dare say the busiest season we’ve seen so far… and that’s a mighty good thing. A blessing for sure.

Not only is it exciting to see so many teens and seniors have a chance to strut their stuff in studio or on location, but it’s such an honor to be able to capture who these beautiful young woman are at this special time in their lives. These are moments to treasure forever. I’m so thrilled parents aren’t just waiting until senior year of high school to have professional portraits done. There are so many changes every single year, especially once they hit those junior high years. It’ll be a treasure when their kids have graduated and are jet-setting across the world to look back and see those images that bring back such sweet memories.

One thing that is fantastic about such a packed schedule is that I am always ready to shoot… no chance for skills to get rusty or feel like I need to get back in the swing of things… if the clients keep coming, then my skills just keep getting better (if I do say so myself.)

Thought it’d be fun to post a few images that we’ve captured of teen and senior portraits to show a slice of what we’ve been up to at the studio lately! How has the season been shaping up for you lately?

teen identity teen senior photoshoot images 600x600 Teen & Senior Portrait Photography Season Rushes In

Starting Fresh in 2011

Tasra Dawson —  January 1, 2011 — 8 Comments

Summing up an entire year is quite a task, so I won’t try to cover everything. Even Chris Brogran kept his summary minimalist and encouraged others to do the same.

Planning for a new year is an equally large task, so I’ll focus on the highlights.

Doing a bit of both is inspiring, powerful and will engage the best parts of you, so I highly recommend creating your own year-end successes and year-ahead plans.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS (in no particular order)

  • Lost 20 pounds
  • Completed tasra365 photography challenge
  • Spoke at SPA (Senior Portrait Artists), POSH, WPPI Pictage booth, MTPPA
  • Launched Teen Identity Photographers Network
  • Launched Teen Identity Model Program and shot most portrait sessions in a year
  • Featured in PPA Magazine for Teen Identity Portraits and Magazine
  • Partnered with C28 and Christa Taylor clothing lines
  • Designed/selected new logos for The Femme Fotog and Teen Identity
  • Created and shot photo series, “Voices of the Victims
  • First gallery showing of images
  • Guest blog on Scott Bourne’s PhotoFocus blog, including selection as Top 100 WordPress blog post
  • Teen Identity Models selected as SPA Model Finalists
  • Won Ronzoni + Mom Central, Snap Suwanee, and POSH Inspiration photo contests
  • Emerging Photographer of the Year Finalist
  • Images selected for display in COLOR gallery
  • Selected for CreativeLIVE David DuChemin Vision Driven Photography Event
  • Planned and created Suwanee Festival of Books + Teen Identity Fashion Show and Event
  • Attended Spread the Love and Fast Track Photographer

2011 PLANNING (initial ideas for who I want to be and what I want to do… still working out the details)

  • Healthy
  • Maintain weight loss
  • Relaxed, peaceful
  • Take trip to Europe
  • Increase and enhance Teen Identity Model Program
  • Shoot 100 or more teen/senior photos
  • Edit and publish teen novel (two drafts already complete)
  • Consistent blogging on The Femme Fotog and Teen Identity
  • Launch The Femme Fotog Coaching Program
  • Write and publish tasra365 book or ebook on improving your images 300% in one year
  • Attend photo workshops and conferences

So, what’s on your plate for 2011? Have you taken a moment to celebrate your 2o11 successes? I’d love to hear about them and celebrate with you!

We were originally scheduled to shoot Whitney’s senior portraits at 1 pm… after a brief stint in the sun for Kaitlyn’s senior session yesterday, we decided 5 pm was a better starting time. We are in Atlanta after all, the South, with all that heat and humidity that makes a girl look less than fresh for her images. That meant filming the “Meet the Team” video for Teen Identity, then heading straight into Whitney’s photo shoot.

Despite that, we ended up out and about for one of our longest single senior sessions. Locations, outfits, poses, all unlimited. It was an absolute pleasure working with Whitney again… she was our model of the year last year. Her dress was unbelievable and screamed for a fan so it could swirl and twirl around her. We accommodated with two fans on either side, along with lights, camera and action.

It was a senior portrait shoot fit for a queen (technically Whitney was junior homecoming princess last year, so we’re thinking queen her senior year is a pretty safe bet).

Enjoy the sneak peek…

whitney teen identity senior portrait Senior Portrait Shoot Fit For a Queen (D356)

When Kaitlin pulled out the ivory white, ultra cool, electric guitar, I wasn’t sure we had the right girl. A self-admitted prissy girl, who would’ve thought behind that feminine and dainty exterior was a rock star waiting to get out.

The senior portrait session with her today really exemplified the “unleash” part of “unleash your true beauty.”

Let the rocker-girl come out!

kaitlyn rocker teen identity Can You Say Rockstar (D355)

Many thanks to my good friend and colleague Katrina Wheeler for loaning me some extra lenses and Alien Bee lights. Having all that extra gear made a world of difference.

Rock on!

I thought it was about time to upgrade some product shots of our latest Teen Identity custom album. Although we offer traditional photo products like framed prints and enlargements, we love the storytelling aspect of albums so we made them the centerpiece of our Teen Identity senior portrait collections.

Today we had the pleasure of delivering 2 albums to 2009 Teen Identity model Sarah Cunningham. Her mom was thrilled that she got to take the album on her trip and brag about her beautiful daughter (one of them at least!).

Let me know what you think!

teen identity senior album Senior Portrait Product Shot Upgrade (D357)

teen identity senior album 3 Senior Portrait Product Shot Upgrade (D357)

teen identity senior album 5 Senior Portrait Product Shot Upgrade (D357)

You may have heard the news and speculation that Barnes & Noble will be taken over. Its stock soared last week over the news. Well, today it actually happened. But not in the way you might think. The B&N cafe at the Mall of GA was taken over by girls, Teen Identity girls.

Today I met with the Teen Identity team of girls. I think they were a little giddy from finishing their first full week back in school. We took over 4 tables and thirteen chairs as the 11 girls, me, and my ever patient hubby met for about two hours to plan out the semester’s activities. As you can see, they had a blast. And so did I. (I even think Ron had a lot of fun, although he may never admit it.)

We talked about and scheduled their summer and fall themed senior portraits, creating fun YouTube videos, Senior Portrait Artists Model fashion shoots, and more. As we roll out the Teen Identity Photographers Network next month (read about it here), I’m looking forward to helping other photographers across the nation start their own Teen Identity teams to do amazing projects in their community like the ones we’ve been able to do with our girls.

tasra365 teen identity team meeting Barnes & Noble Was Taken Over Today   By Girls (D349)

Cheesin’ for the camera. Can you tell who’s giving me their fake smile?

tasra365 teen identity team meeting 6 Barnes & Noble Was Taken Over Today   By Girls (D349)

Get a group of teen girls together and you never know what to expect, especially when Taylor’s in the house.

tasra365 teen identity team meeting 4 Barnes & Noble Was Taken Over Today   By Girls (D349)

Budding photographer Sarah brought her film camera for photography class. I may need to recruit her!

tasra365 teen identity team meeting 5 Barnes & Noble Was Taken Over Today   By Girls (D349)Gotta love Niki cheesin’ in the background compared to Sarah looking confused in the foreground. Classic.

It’s senior portrait season in Atlanta. The hot and humid weather is letting up a bit, teens are back in school, and senior year has officially begun. As our schedule gets booked, I get to do more of what I love … using my photography to unleash the true beauty in every teen girl that walks through our doors!

Today was the first of many senior portrait sessions coming up in August and September, but each one is always such a unique experience and reflection of the girls I’m photographing. Beautiful Katelyn LOVES music … it’s her life … so we captured that passion in her images.

We also had a little fun with one very unique necklace she wore … a little peace, a little love, and a little teaser image from today’s shoot …

tasra365 katelyn NGHS senior portrait Just a Little Peace of Katelyns Senior Portrait Session (D348)

To see more images from the senior session when they go live, check out the Teen Identity Facebook fan page for the latest images, magazine articles, and updates.

One of the greatest joys of my job as a photographer for teen girls is to make their dreams come true. An incredibly high number of girls dream of being models. My belief is not that they really want to model, but they want the feeling of acceptance, worth and esteem that they believe might come from being chosen as a model. If that’s the case, then giving them a chance to “try out” being a model, embracing that identity for a time in a safe, healthy way is a chance for them to live a dream and most likely move on to bigger dreams.

So when teen girls, especially high school seniors hire us to do their senior portraits, we make it a model experience. For those who join our model program, we even use their images in our ads, books, videos and marketing. Seeing the look on their face the first time they see they are in a “real” magazine is priceless.

The latest Rangefinder issue arrived on our doorstep today so I’m thrilled to be able to share this new ad with some of our new models and team… they’re almost famous!

tasra365 teen identity models rangefinder magazine What it Takes to Be a Model (D315)

Creating an unforgettable experience for a group of junior (soon to be senior) girls is a joy and a challenge. We want everything to be flawless, but certainly nothing is ever perfect. The key is doing enough right that the experience will linger long in their memories as one that gave them a new vision of themselves. In our eyes, their senior model photo shoot should be one that makes them feel powerful, capable, strong, and of course, beautiful.

tasra365 photo set Senior Model Photo Shoot: The Morning After (D224)EQUIPMENT, EXPERIENCE, ENVIRONMENT
That vision has less to do with equipment and output and more to do with the time we spend preparing the environment and connecting during the time we spend with them. For us, we did this shoot on a Sunday afternoon when the teen girls could’ve been working, hanging out with friends, shopping at the mall or a myriad of other options. But they chose to spend the time with us.

Although we didn’t put an end time on the photo shoot, each girl said they set aside the entire day so we could go as long as we wanted. That’s an honor… giving us their time, their attention, their trust. They are believing that we’ll honor, respect and value what they say, who they are, and capture it all in images that reflect back the value we see hidden deep inside each one of them. And that’s exactly what we strive to do.

CONNECTING IN THE CHAOS
You wouldn’t know it from the morning after picture, but the set was not this clean during the photo shoot. Clothing, jewelry, hats, purses, vintage props, and magazines were coming out of every nook and cranny. Seriously. My filmmaker partner and husband captured it all on video, so I can’t wait to see what it looks like. Needless to say, the studio requires a bit of clean up the morning after.

One question you might ask is: Is it worth it?

If you’ve followed my blog for any amount of time you’ll already know the answer: without question… YES.

THE REVOLUTION BEGINS
We’re starting a teen revolution and every teen girl that trusts us with her images is a treasure. Here’s to many more “mornings after” in the near and distant future.

YOUR PERSONAL REVOLUTION

What is something you do that may momentarily create work or chaos, but ultimately gives you great joy? If the answer is nothing… time to do some soul searching and find that thing that’ll stir your heart to action!

Manual: Page 23
Images: Better Photo Basics by Jim Miotke