With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, we have received lots of AMAZING Valentine’s Inspired Photo Shoots!  The first one comes from Gina Petersen of Gina Petersen Photography.

Gina said she was inspired by all things LOVE!  Using the color Red and mixing in some vintage accents, Gina created a beautiful shoot that tells the story of young love.  Check out the photos below and read what Gina had to say about this session.  And be sure to check out more of Gina’s work here.  Thanks for sharing  this with Seniorologie, Gina!!

What was your inspiration for this photo shoot?   LOVE. YOUNG LOVE…and more LOVE.  Valentine’s Day is approaching, and with RED being one of my favorite colors to photograph, I wanted to take full advantage.  When Kat, a Montgomery High School student, asked me about what colors her lips and nails should be, my answer was easy… RED, RED and more RED!  Kat is a drama kid, and I’ve seen her in action adorning red, vintage lips in character, and so I knew she could pull off exactly what I had in mind for this shoot!  I wanted a Vintage, fun shoot with…yep, RED, and Valentine’s Day was the excuse to go RED, RED, RED.

Was this a photo shoot for a client or for yourself?  Definitely for myself.  As I was entering the world of Senior Photography, I had a mentor tell me how important it was to try to shoot at least one shoot a month for yourself ~ just for you, where there are no expectations, which gives you the ability to push past the comfort zone and create!  I’ve taken this advice to heart, and although I sometimes fall short of a monthly personal shoot, I try to calendar it every month.

If for yourself, did you want to try something different than what you normally do? Yes.  I am a natural-light photographer because I love the golden warmth that it brings to my images.  I decided it would be fun to take a few shots indoors, and we have a FABULOUS ~ did I say “Fabulous”? ~ FABULOUS ice cream parlor in downtown, Lala’s Creamery.  They were so kind about letting us in to snap a few images.  Of course, while we were there, we couldn’t resist a sundae and and old-fashion Coke!  What kind of sundae?  Bubble Gum, of course ~ Yes, not the typical sundae, but the best choice when it came to the color in my images.

What did you learn from this shoot?  I shy away from asking business owners to use their business as shooting locations; I never want to get in anyone’s way, but on this shoot, I asked, and everyone was so very welcoming and loved the idea.  It doesn’t hurt to ask is what I remind myself now.

Where did you get your props and the clothing for this shoot?  Kat, my model and senior rep, is a vintage girl, herself.  So between her closet and my daughter’s closet (Kennedy, another vintage-junkie), we had it all covered!  I consult with all my seniors before their shoots, and on our Skype consult, when she asked what she should look for in her closet, I said, “Anything RED.”  “Red” was also the answer for the color of lipstick and nail polish.  Props were purchased at a local craft store.  I head there for inspiration when I’m planning a shoot.  I get tons of inspiration as I walk the aisles dreaming up future shoots.

Did you work with a stylist or style this on your own?  Just me.

Where did this shoot take place? Downtown Petaluma, which was the perfect place to shoot a vintage-sytle shoot.  American Graffiti & Peggy Sue Got Married was filmed here many years ago, and that vintage feel still exists today.  I love the cobblestone streets that line our riverfront along with rich colors and diverse textures.

What time of day? We started shooting around 1:00, which isn’t necessarily the “golden hour,” but that wasn’t the feeling I was trying to achieve here.  When shooting in alleyways and next to buildings, I prefer to shoot midday.  I’d never shoot at this time in an open field, but the buildings block the harsh sunlight, and the shade that the buildings create midday is still light enough to highlight my subject!

Can you share any post processing tips?  Push, push, push yourself to get it right in camera, so your SOOC isn’t too far from the finished product.  I know that’s not a post-processing tip, but it sure helps on the processing end.  I tend to darken my shadows a bit on most of my work that I want vibrant and bold.

What is your favorite thing about this session?  Honestly, I think I would say my model ~ She was so incredible in front of the camera and her laugh was infectious.  She’s a drama girl, so that shouldn’t surprise me, but beyond the crazy amount of fun we had that day, I would say I love the images because it shows the vibrancy & color of my hometown.  The Metro Hotel, gahhhhh!  LOVE IT!  It’s bright red with  bold cornflower blue color bistro tables…a photographer’s dream…. an old theatre marquee sign as a backdrop and LaLa’s Creamery, what more could I ask for on a red, vintage shoot!

What tips could you give to other photographers who may want to set up a Valentine’s inspired photo shoot?  The same advice that I’d give for any themed shoot…try new things, bring a variety of ideas and props with you.  Most of all, think about the feeling you want your viewers to have when they see your images, and be sure to convey that to your model.  Models can’t see what’s in your creative mind’s eye, so be sure to fill them in.  On the other hand, there is a point in my creative shoots where I tell my models to give me what they have ~ go “free style,” if you will.  I get some fabulous images that way!

What is your favorite thing about senior portrait photography?  The relationships with “my girls.”  I honestly feel that every senior girl that walks in a client, walks away my friend.  I LOVE seeing my senior girls on the street and receiving hugs and shout-outs from moving vehicles as they drive by.  I love seeing their faces when they see their images and their beauty in a different way than they ever have before!  This year I was so humbled when I was asked to photograph the wedding of my VERY FIRST senior girl.  I was, like, really?  Yes. Yes. Yes.  That was an incredible heart-warming day for me.  That’s the kind of relationships that form, and THAT is what I love about senior photography!