Photographing Seniors is by far my favourite factor to do. I really like their vitality, willingness to attempt new and loopy issues, enjoyable personalities, and their hope for the longer term and what’s to return after Excessive Faculty. Their Senior 12 months is such an thrilling time of their lives, and I like to be part of it.
Most Seniors exude a self esteem that actually shines by means of of their pictures. Some don’t, and it’s my job to assist them look their greatest, really feel snug through the shoot, and to comprehend by means of thoughts blowing photos of themselves, that they’re lovely or good-looking. I’ve seen a disturbing development currently amongst photographers. It’s a development that’s destroying the self-confidence of younger ladies and men alike. I do know that we wish our topics to look flawless, and that we are able to try this in publish processing. Photoshop is a tremendous software, however everyone knows it may be taken too far.
The Backstory
Just lately, I had a younger woman name me in tears. She had her Senior Images taken by a properly know native photographer. You understand, the photographer all of us wish to be once we develop up with the arsenal of apparatus, shiny studio, and hundres of 1000’s of {dollars} in yearly gross sales income. The lady was upset as a result of she didn’t wish to sit for pictures once more as a result of she thought she was fats, and her mom was making her name me and schedule a session. Behind my thoughts, I used to be pondering, “So she’s a bit of heavy. I can disguise that with a little bit of artistic posing and good lighting.” I assured her that I might make her look lovely in her pictures, and scheduled a free session together with her and her mom the subsequent week to get an thought of what she wished from her Senior Session.
After I arrived on the session, I used to be shocked. The lady was BEAUTIFUL! I’m not saying that not each lady is attractive at no matter dimension they’re, however this lady is 5’8”, and he or she couldn’t have weighed over 115lbs. She was tall, skinny, athletic, and beautiful. It didn’t take me lengthy to determine why she was so apprehensive and insecure. She confirmed me the pictures from her earlier Senior Session with the aforementioned photographer. I used to be shocked. The pictures appeared like her, however they had been an excessively excellent Stepford Wives model of her. Not a hair was misplaced. Her pores and skin appeared so excellent that it appeared plastic, and he had thinned her face, narrowed her hips, lowered the dimensions of her nostril, and elevated the dimensions of her breasts. I’m certain he thought he was merely enhancing her pure magnificence. Nonetheless, what he actually did was take each little bit of self-confidence she had, and turned it to insecurity. Was she not adequate simply the way in which she was?
Examples of what to not do.
Right here is an instance of over processing a picture to the purpose of destroying a woman’s self-worth. The primary picture is straight out of digital camera. The second is identical picture. I thinned her face and arm, lowered the dimensions of her nostril, whitened her tooth, liquified her eyes to make them greater, and smoothed her pores and skin to an ideal plastic look. Not horrible, however actually, it seems nothing like her in any respect.
Straight out of Digicam
Insanely Over Processed: Don’t do that!
Right here is an instance of processing the proper approach. I left the whole lot about her alone. I simply barely smoothed her pores and skin, sharpened her eyes, and enhanced the colours a bit. That’s it. Nothing extra, nothing much less. Had she had a small blemish on her brow that might be cloned out, however her skink was fairly flawless. My fundamental rule of thumb is that I appropriate something that may go away within the subsequent 6 weeks (blemishes, scabs, scrapes, and many others.) and I very barely soften these which might be everlasting (scars and start marks are often simply lightened a tiny bit if they’re pink. If not, I simply easy them the tiniest bit.)
Actual Perfection- Magnificence is enhanced, not created!
The purpose of this phase is that this: DO NOT TAKE POST PROCESSING TOO FAR! You could assume that you’re serving to your shopper out by perfecting them. And belief me, there’s nothing improper with blemish removing, slight pores and skin smoothing, and a bit of liquefying right here and there if there’s a bulge in clothes or on an arm. Nonetheless, your shopper needs pictures of themselves or their household, not some insanely excellent model of themselves. Actual individuals, particularly Excessive Faculty Seniors, are superb simply the way in which they’re. It’s our job to reinforce their pure magnificence and assist them see themselves as lovely, regardless of their dimension or form.
Atina is the proprietor of Atina King Images positioned in Fayetteville, Arkansas. She likes to deal with photographing Excessive Faculty Seniors in city environments all through Arkansas. She resides in Fayetteville together with her husband Jonathan and their two young children. Her work might be seen on her web site at Atina King Images.
Trying to pose senior guys and women extra naturally? Try our senior posing guides, stuffed with numerous ideas and tips for working with highschool seniors:
