Moving is always scary.  But moving and having to start your business over in a new city is even scarier!  But Melissa Cales of Melissa Cales Photography & Design shares her first senior session since her big move from Ohio to Atlanta and as you can see, she is fitting right in!

Not only did Melissa find some new fun locations in Midtown Atlanta and Atlantic Station, but she found her first senior to be a fashionista and full of the perfect wardrobe for her senior session.

Check out what Melissa had to say about this session below and be sure to check out more of Melissa’s work here.  Thanks for sharing Melissa!!

What was your inspiration for the photo shoot?

Well, I was partly inspired by the J.Crew catalog I’d gotten in the mail a few days before. But mostly, I was just aiming to create some fresh, simple, fashionable portraits. 

Where did this photo shoot take place?

We shot Ayanna’s session near Atlantic Station in Midtown Atlanta. There’s a gorgeous arch and small park called the Millennium Gate and the bridge photos were at the 17th Street Midtown Bridge. We also borrowed a pretty brick stoop across the street. 🙂 All of the images were shot in a very close radius of each other.

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

I knew Ayanna and her mother, and knew how well styled they always are. So I knew that Ayanna was going to knock the wardrobe for her session out of the park, which she did! 

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

This session was shot with a Nikon D7000, a 50mm f1.8 and a 54″ 5-in-1 reflector.

What time of day were these taken?

From about 4-7pm. Since we were in an urban setting, there was plenty of architecture to provide open shade.

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

My goal for every session is to spend as little time in post as possibly by getting it right in camera. For Ayanna’s session, I adjusted my white balance to make the images a little warmer. Most of the images also had adjustments for contrast, fill light. I also always do retouching on eyes, teeth and any skin imperfections that need touchups. 

 

What is your favorite thing about this session?

The series of images by the white pillar. I just LOVE Ayanna’s facial expressions. She has the best smile. And it’s her real, natural, laughing smile. That’s the best part of all.

What do you want this session to convey about this senior and about your senior photography style?  Ayanna’s session is all about the location (Midtown, she’s a city girl!), the clothes and her personality, which is fun and larger than life.

What is one tip you can share with other photographers regarding photographing seniors?
I always encourage my seniors to bring 1-2 people along for their sessions…mom, sister, best friend. Ayanna had her mom, sister AND her best friend. Get them talking and sharing fun memories and funny stories, that will get you the authentic, real smiles and expressions from the senior. Seniors are usually very self-conscious and can be kind of tense at the beginning of the session, so after about 10 min, I show them a few frames on the back of the camera (a benefit of shooting it right in-camera!). This usually reassures them and puts them at ease for the rest of the session 🙂