5 Reasons Why You Need 1 Hour Plus for Senior Photos
Do you really need to book a one and a half hour session for Senior Photography? I know it seems counterintuitive to spend more time photographing an individual than a family, but I can give you 5 reasons why I like to spend more time with Senior Graduates or tweens than I do with a family. Miranda’s Senior graduation session was about 2 hours long walking around Laguna Beach. I’m happy to report her mother told me she had lots of fun during her session. Could we have gotten a few great photos in a short span? Probably, yes but Senior graduation is an important event and milestone which deserves recognition. That’s why I encourage parents to reserve a couple hours for these special photos. Here are are the 5 reasons why:
It allows them to get comfortable with me and in front of the camera which elicits genuine smiles! I like to chat, ask questions, and goof around while photographing kids and seniors, and I’m not above poking fun at myself to make them laugh. I love discovering which poses and directions they respond to best, and I like to show them photos on the back of the camera as we go so they see the great photos we’re capturing and feel confident.
A variety of light to work with. Shooting over a period of a few hours gives you variety of light which can include: harsh light, back light, open shade, dappled light, Golden Hour soft light before the sun sets and gorgeous Blue Hour light after sunset. We used harsh, direct light in front of the colorful wall for creative effect during this session.
Time for multiple outfits. It’s fun and neat to have a variety of clothing looks such as casual, dressy, colorful or neutral for Senior photos. Plus, it safeguards against regret over an outfit choice. Miranda wore one top for a few minutes before deciding she didn’t care for it then switched to a different one.
Unexpected locations & variety of backgrounds. Miranda and I began this session in a parking lot since I drove past a colorful wall that I thought would be fun to incorporate during her session. We took some photos on the path next to the busy street, in the parking lot, and by the wall. All of these locations were unique and within a few minutes of each other but not a place we would stop if we didn’t have time to explore.
Creativity. With extra time comes the ability to attempt creative shots that would be outside the norm of standard senior photography session photos. Different angles, unique compositions, fun sun flares and silhouettes are just a few of the creative ways to add fun photos to a gallery.
Take a look through Miranda’s gallery to check out the variety of photos I took during her 2 hour Senior Graduation photography session so you can see why we benefited from an ample amount of time shooting together.
