• Thank you for stopping by Seniorologie! Learning, taking notes and studying are all things we have in common with high school seniors. As photographers, we are as much students as any senior!

    We are constantly learning new things about our business, and we love to share any knowledge to help others in the business!

    That is where Seniorologie comes in...an inspirational blog dedicated to the study of senior portrait photography.

  • The goal is to share inspiration and information from many of the awesome senior photographers out there! We will post unique sessions, behind the scenes, marketing, business tips and more!

    And if you are a senior, we have posts for you too! Whether you are looking for a photographer in your area, fashion tips to help you get ready for your session or inspiration for your upcoming shoot, we have it! So sit back, take notes, learn and be inspired!

Senior Inspiration – {Kody Diane Photography}

Even though this was shot on a chilly December day, you wouldn’t really know it because this senior and the photographer, Kody Diane of Kody Diane Photography, hid the cold pretty well!  Adding the swing and the balloons to this shoot really made it look springy!   I think it is always a great idea to incorporate more than one look into a shoot and this sessions has a bit of fall and winter with a touch of spring!  Great job Kody!!  Check out the session below and read what Kody had to say about this shoot!!

What was your inspiration for the photo shoot?  I spend quite a bit of time getting to know each senior individually, I learn this through a questionaire I send each of them, as well as if we have a consultation ect.. Erika’s style was very classy and elegant, I wanted to make sure this came out in her photos. Since I’m not a teenager anymore, I use their inspirations to inspire me, the senior’s favorite magazines, clothing brands, and musicians all serve as a great source of inspiration for that senior’s shoot.

Did you collaborate with this senior to come up with the clothing and/or concept for this shoot? I learned a great way to help senior’s with clothing and concepts for their shoots from Amanda Holloway’s Evolve workshop. The method she teaches is brilliant to help guide seniors into a style that is their’s but at the same time is yours. The balloons and swing were completely Erika’s idea, I asked is there anything special you want to coordinate in this shoot, and a tree swing and balloons were her exact answer. If the client asks for something in particular I make sure to try my hardest to deliver!

What camera, lens and equipment were used for this shoot? I shoot with a Nikon D7000, and 50mm 1.8 lens.

What time of day were these taken? We shot this in early December on a very overcast and chilly day from 1-4 in the afternoon.

Can you share any post-processing techniques used when editing this session? I always try to keep my images natural and clean looking. I tend to be loud and bold at times, and I feel the colors in my images reflect this. I use a mix of adjustment levels, blending modes and Michelle Kane actions in my post processing.

What is your favorite thing about this session? I love how elegant yet youthful Erika is at the exact same time. I enjoyed how we were able to capture the elegance within her at the urban shots and how her youthful girliness came out in the country locations.

What do you want this session to convey about this senior and about your senior photography style? I like to think my style is classic, that I create timeless captures that aren’t trendy and will still be considered beautiful art twenty years from now when these seniors show their images to their granchildren. Erika’s style definately fits that to a tee. I really try to document them, to show off who they are right now in their life. Show off their fashion choices, show off their beautiful complexions, and the carefree exuberance that is all about being 17.

What is one tip you can share with other photographers regarding photographing seniors? Hmm, aim for variety in each gallery. Each senior has a casual style, a dressy style, and edgy style that all fits within their overall style, show each of these off in your photos. Give them many different backgrounds, poses, expressions. Seniors more than anyone else are coming into their own and figuring out who they are, try to document that in their senior gallery.

Senior Card Templates – {LCH Design}

Finding the perfect graduation card or rep card can sometimes be hard.  But with LCH Design’s new Senior Edge 4 Collection you get a ton of different designs with both senior guy and senior girl designs!  In this collection, you get rep card designs, facebook timeline designs and graduation card designs!  There are a variety of styles to choose from so you are sure to receive one for a variety of senior personalities!

Leah, the creator of LCH Designs, includes helpful instructions and provides you with the font names that you can download for free!

Today, Leah is giving away one of these Senior Edge 4 Collections to one lucky Seniorologie Reader!!  To enter, please post a comment below and let us know what you think of these awesome designs!  A random number comment will be chosen as the winner.  Comments must be in by Sunday, May 13 at 11:59 p.m.  The winner will receive an email with the link for this download!

Be sure to check out Leah’s other designs here.

 

Senior Inspiration – {Kim Ortiz Photography}

I have often heard of the importance of professional makeup for seniors from many senior portrait photographers.  I have to agree with them!  It makes a big difference!  And Kim Ortiz of Kim Ortiz Photography realizes that changing her business strategy to include professional hair and makeup, allows her seniors to feel pampered before her senior photo session.

Kim shares her first shoot after including hair and makeup in her session below and shares with us the behind the scenes information about this shoot!  Thanks for sharing Kim!!

What was your inspiration for the photo shoot? My inspiration for this session was the senior herself. She has been in pageants and modeling so I knew she would be a natural in front of the camera. Not only is she beautiful, but she is so sweet and easy to work with. She was a natural in front of the lens. I knew she wanted her photos to be less like a model fashion shoot and more like a senior photo session, so I made sure to have her be herself and allow her beautiful personality to come out. She has this amazing natural smile and I wanted to capture that sweetness in her portraits.
Where did this photo shoot take place? The session was done at an urban shopping location and a natural creek location in the back of a church in Plano, Texas. She wanted to include an urban feel but also wanted a natural environment.
Did you collaborate with this senior to come up with the clothing and/or concept for this shoot? This senior has great fashion style. She came up with her outfits and she has amazing tastes. I provided her some ideas on what outfits to bring. We went through the 4-5 outfits she brought and decided which would work at each location.
What camera, lens and equipment were used for this shoot?  I use a Canon 5D Mark II with the Canon 85mm 1.2L II and the Canon 70-200mm 2.8L II lens. I also used the Canon 580EX II flash and a 42″ silver reflector.
What time of day were these taken? This was taken at 3pm in the afternoon. Because of the sun, I found open shade and used a round silver reflector to bounce light to her face.
Can you share any post-processing techniques used when editing this session? I do basic color and contrast editing in Lightroom 3 and then I edit the skin in Photoshop CS5 using Portraiture. I like to keep my editing simple and natural as I want the senior to look like she does in real life.
What is your favorite thing about this session? I really love how comfortable the senior was in front of the camera. She has such great fashion sense and also was very natural. I love her beautiful smile and she was so fun and easy to photograph.
What do you want this session to convey about this senior and about your senior photography style? I want people to look at this session and see how much fun the senior had and how natural my style of photography is. I like to have some posed shots but overall, I like the photos to reflect the senior’s natural personality and beautiful smiles. I know moms love their daughters smiling and not so much serious posed photos.

What is one tip you can share with other photographers regarding photographing seniors? Talk to them about what they like to do, their interests, and current tv shows, etc. Keep a conversation going while you are photographing them so they feel relax and comfortable. Have an assistant come along to help hold the reflector or lighting equipment.

Senior Inspiration – {Stacy Larsen Photography}

Stacy Larsen of Stacy Larsen Photography in Tampa, Florida remembers what it is like to be best friends.  This allowed her to really connect with the two best friends she photographed for their senior sessions.
“Elizabeth and Zoe are the best of friends. The kind of friends who stay at each others house for days on end and share their deepest darkest secrets. I still hold my high school bff near and dear in my heart and I think that is why this session was so fun for me. The reminded me of a couple of girls I used to know:)” said Stacy.
Stacy created a fun backdrop using a vintage quilt, old milking stool, twine and clothes pins to create a beautiful backdrop for this session.
Read what Stacy had to say about this shoot and check out the photos below.  Also, check out Stacy’s work on her blog here.  Thanks for sharing Stacy!!
What was your inspiration for the photo shoot?

I am often asked what inspires me for a shoot. It’s such a tough question for me because I don’t think I could say it’s any one thing. I may find a specific element that I would like to incorporate, like the 1920′s vintage quilt and then I allow my subjects to inspire me. I never plan a shoot other than location because I find that it stifles my creativity. i find the best moments and capture happen when you least expect them.

This is a best friend shoot.  What is it like shooting two seniors?  How do you incorporate them together in the shoot and separately?

I LOVED shooting the girls together. They are the best of friends and their close relationship lent to a really unique energy. When it comes time for their individual shoots, I prefer to go off just the two of us. I am able to really connect better when their friend isn’t there watching. I also engage with a lot of conversation which is easier when it’s just the two of us.

Where did this photo shoot take place?

I did this photo shoot in a little town center which has a lot of interesting architecture. There was also a field nearby which made for a really great backdrop for the friends shots.

Did you collaborate with this senior to come up with the clothing and/or concept for this shoot?

I offer a consultation before hand and discuss the different option/locations for their shoot. It usually becomes very clear to both of us where the shoot will take place. As far as clothing, I offer general guidelines and ask them to bring several outfits to choose from. Styling is one of my favorite things about shooting seniors!

What camera, lens and equipment were used for this shoot?

I shot this session with the Nikon D700 and 50mm 1.4G lens. I have a 24-70 2.8 but find it sits in my camera bag 90% of the time. You just can’t beat the sharpness of the 50mm.

What time of day were these taken?

I prefer to shoot seniors in the evening because the light, especially here in Florida is magical that time of day.

Can you share any post-processing techniques used when editing this session?

I am a pretty clean editor. I aim to get exposure dead on in camera and then do a little color saturation, remove any blemishes or skin imperfections (which these girls had none of) and sharpen. I am not a fan of heavy processing as my goal is to create timeless photographs for my clients.

What is your favorite thing about this session?

As with any session, I would have to say the relationship building. I am a total people person and love the energy that teenagers bring to a shoot. I find we end up feeding off each other and it makes for a really fun session! It doesn’t hurt that I have two teenagers myself so I can connect very easily.

What do you want this session to convey about this senior and about your senior photography style?

I think I would like to it to convey their personalities both individually and together. My goal with every session is to capture my subject as they are. I would hate to take a quiet, shy person and have them jumping in the air. If the photograph doesn’t convey who they are then I have not done my job.

What is one tip you can share with other photographers regarding photographing seniors?

Get to know your subject and find connectors. And most importantly create an environment where your subject feels as beautiful and special as they really are. Anyone can take a pretty picture but when you take it a step further and connect with your subject, beautiful things happen.

Senior Rep Shoot – {Coco.Laine Photography}

There are tons and tons of different ways to take your senior reps’ photos.  Some photographers give each rep a full photo shoot, some give each rep mini photo shoots and some do one big rep shoot per season.  Kalyn Yeager of Coco.Laine Photography does one big shoot of her senior reps and shares this season’s session with us below.

How much of your photography business is seniors?  I would say 70% of my business is the senior market.

How many reps do you have per year?  This year I have 13 senior reps.

How do you find your reps?  Basically word of mouth, facebook and twitter
What was your inspiration for this rep shoot?  My boys’ babysitter is a senior this year and I was talking to her about how sad it was that they would all be leaving for college and separating soon.  We brainstormed a bit and I thought it would be nice to have a shoot with your best friends before you leave.  One last memory with your best gals to send you on your way.  Chelsea loved the idea, and the fact that she was included!  The whole idea was created and played out in two days.
Where did it take place? The shoot took place on a farm in Kinsman, Ohio.  An amazing client of mine donated a little piece of land so we could shoot.
What time of day?  Right at sunset.  We started about an hour before.  I believe sunset that night was at 7:15 and we were shooting in direct sun until 7.
What camera, lens and equipment were used during this shoot? Nikon D3s, 50 mm 1.4 and my favorite reflector
Did you work with a stylist, makeup artist, etc for this shoot?  I have the most amazing hair/makeup artist but this shoot was so quickly put together we had to do it all on our own.  The girls went shopping together and sent me pictures of clothing options!  They did a great job coordinating!
How did you pull together the props used in this shoot?  It was super easy because the main props were made out of newspaper!  Once I had the paper airplanes and the newspaper popcorn cones, I just needed some baskets and fabric.  My husband got a little muddy finding the sticks for the teepee but he didn’t complain!:) What a guy!
What is your favorite thing about these photos?  How can I pick one?:) Probably the chemistry between the girls.  It wouldn’t have worked if they didn’t have fun and feel comfortable with each other.  They truly had an awesome time and were sad when we were finished.  As was I!
What do you feel is the most important thing to consider when dealing with senior reps?  It is very important to find reps who are passionate about the position.  Be picky.  Get to know your applicants and find the senior who best fits your business.