Faith danced for fifteen years before her senior session, so we built the afternoon around it. A burgundy top, a friend's farm, and the shoes that tell.
Faith is a 2019 Gretna High senior who had been dancing for fifteen years by the time we shot together, starting at three years old. When something has that much of a person's life in it, you build the session around it. So that's what we did.
I photographed her sister first
I've known Faith for years, and I photographed her older sister, Grace, back when Grace was the senior. When their family reached out this year for Faith's turn, I was glad the way you're glad about family.
She also reminds me of my younger sister, Sarah. That is not a neutral fact and I'm not pretending otherwise.
Fifteen years of dance, in one session
Dancers are different in front of a camera. They already know where their weight sits, where a line ends, what their hands are doing. You direct less and watch more.
I'll take a session with a dancer in it every time.
If you want to see what fifteen years of work looks like, don't look at the line. Look at the shoes.
What Faith wore, and why burgundy
Every outfit came from Altar'd State, which is where I send seniors more than anywhere else for session wardrobes. The pieces read well on camera and they don't fight the setting.
The burgundy top was my favorite of the day. Burgundy is my standing recommendation for fall senior sessions:
- It holds its own against fall color instead of disappearing into it
- It's warm against almost every skin tone
- It prints and frames well in a room people actually live in
Where we shot
Partway through the afternoon we changed things up and drove out to a friend's farm. New scenery, different light, and a second half of the gallery that looks nothing like the first.
What Faith's family ordered
Her order is the part I still think about. Faith's session did not end with a folder of files.
- A fine art canvas
- A leather album
- A wall collage
- Proofs
- A crystal USB
The canvas and the collage went on a wall. The album sits on a shelf and gets opened. That is the difference between owning photographs and living with them.
If you have a senior with fifteen years of something behind them, that's the session I want to build. Start here and tell me what they've been doing all this time.
Questions About This Session
Do you photograph Gretna High School seniors?
What should a dancer wear for senior portraits?
What colors work for fall senior portraits?
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Senior portraits, family sessions, or an idea that doesn't fit either box. Tell me what you have in mind.
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