Growing up, Maya, of Such Great Heights Studio in Westfield, Indiana, never intended to be a wedding photographer. Her mom was a wedding photographer and she spent many nights helping her mom and being her assistant. So she really didn’t want to spend her nights once she started her own career as a wedding photographer. But once photography is in your blood, it somehow finds a way to creep back in.
“I went full time into photography focusing mainly on weddings but soon found out my passion was with high school students. It took awhile to switch my focus but now I mainly photograph seniors, high school students and their families,” said Maya.
Once she found her passion, she knew she had chosen the right path.
Maya said, “It’s hard to pick a favorite thing about photographing seniors. I just love them! They are so often seen as “just teenagers” but I believe they are the future and we need to invest in them and encourage their passions and creativity. They are in a world that is constantly telling them they have to do this or that to be better instead of just being themselves. I want them to know that God sees them and knows the amazing things they are capable of. I see my gift as a photographer as an opportunity to do just that…to serve God and use my photos as a chance to help teenage girls and guys embrace who they are and take that into the world to do powerful things.”
I would say that Maya is doing an excellent job showing the true beauty of the seniors she photographs. Check out this beautiful session below that not only shows these beautiful seniors but also the beautiful surroundings in which she photographed them.
To see more of Maya’s beautiful work, click here. Thanks for sharing this with us Maya!!
What was your inspiration for this photo shoot?
I had a senior session with Jessie (http://www.suchgreatblog.com/such-great-senior-jessie/) and while we were talking she said she’d love to do a session as a princess in an orchard. I think she was joking a bit but I totally loved the idea. I went home and thought out some ideas and decided we should go for it. I found these huge adult tutus on Etsy, contacted the seller (http://www.etsy.com/shop/Baby2BNashville), and asked her if I could use some for a photo shoot. She mailed them to me and a high school student did the hair and makeup shoot. Rachel, the high school student, is interested in pursuing a career in makeup/hair for theatre and I wanted to give her a chance to test out a photo shoot. She did a great job!
I had a senior session with Jessie (http://www.suchgreatblog.com/such-great-senior-jessie/) and while we were talking she said she’d love to do a session as a princess in an orchard. I think she was joking a bit but I totally loved the idea. I went home and thought out some ideas and decided we should go for it. I found these huge adult tutus on Etsy, contacted the seller (http://www.etsy.com/shop/Baby2BNashville), and asked her if I could use some for a photo shoot. She mailed them to me and a high school student did the hair and makeup shoot. Rachel, the high school student, is interested in pursuing a career in makeup/hair for theatre and I wanted to give her a chance to test out a photo shoot. She did a great job!
Where did this photo shoot take place?
An orchard in Sheridan, Indiana called Stucky Farms. It ended up pouring down rain on our way to the orchard. It slowed down a bit for us to get under a canopy and when it stopped raining we ran out into the orchard to grab the photos. It ended being a lot faster than I intended because we could see more rain coming our way. But that made it super fun for all of us as we laughed and ran through the orchard.
An orchard in Sheridan, Indiana called Stucky Farms. It ended up pouring down rain on our way to the orchard. It slowed down a bit for us to get under a canopy and when it stopped raining we ran out into the orchard to grab the photos. It ended being a lot faster than I intended because we could see more rain coming our way. But that made it super fun for all of us as we laughed and ran through the orchard.
Was this a stylized session for a client or was it “just for you”?
It was just to play, have fun and make the high school girls feel special and beautiful. Stylized shoots help me stretch my creativity.
It was just to play, have fun and make the high school girls feel special and beautiful. Stylized shoots help me stretch my creativity.
What do you think is important when planning a stylized shoot?
I think it’s important to take into account all the things that could go wrong. For instance, on this one we had everyone finally scheduled (these high school girls are busy) and it rained that whole day. We decided to just go for it and were going to use umbrellas if the rain didn’t die down.If you are doing hair and makeup it’s important to allot enough time to complete those two things. It sometimes can take longer than you had planned and if you’re working against a sunset time it’s important to take timing into account.I think the most important thing with planning a stylized shoot is just to have fun. Get ideas from all sorts of places, not just other photography. Find one object and then start to plan the shoot around that object or central idea.
I think it’s important to take into account all the things that could go wrong. For instance, on this one we had everyone finally scheduled (these high school girls are busy) and it rained that whole day. We decided to just go for it and were going to use umbrellas if the rain didn’t die down.If you are doing hair and makeup it’s important to allot enough time to complete those two things. It sometimes can take longer than you had planned and if you’re working against a sunset time it’s important to take timing into account.I think the most important thing with planning a stylized shoot is just to have fun. Get ideas from all sorts of places, not just other photography. Find one object and then start to plan the shoot around that object or central idea.
Did you collaborate with this senior on the wardrobe for the session?
The senior came up with the idea and then I found the tutus. I sent the seniors photos of some ideas of what they could bring to go with the tutus and they brought a selection of clothing and shoes that we were able to choose from.
The senior came up with the idea and then I found the tutus. I sent the seniors photos of some ideas of what they could bring to go with the tutus and they brought a selection of clothing and shoes that we were able to choose from.
What camera, lens and equipment was used in this photo shoot?
Nikon D700 with a 50mm 1.4 and 24-70mm 2.8
Nikon D700 with a 50mm 1.4 and 24-70mm 2.8
What time of day was this shot?
Around 5:30pm, evening
Around 5:30pm, evening
Can you share any post-processing techniques used when editing these photos?
I actually have someone else edit my photos so I can stay sane and focused on my client relationships (www.thecolorwell.com). He edited this session a bit different than my other sessions to give it a fun feel that went with the photos. I had him take a stab at answering this question since he edited the photos.”The biggest thing that has to happen in editing is that all the images are brought to a certain standard from their RAW state. There are so many presets out there and people often jump on those before actually taking the time to develop the initial RAW file. The process I use is first developing the RAW files in Aperture, render out JPEGs and then process those JPEG with a certain look. The great things about bringing everything to a standard first is that when applying one set of actions to one file, you know that it will work with the next file just the same. It’s important for your session to a have a consistency in tone, color and saturation, this really helps solidify the images as a single idea, instead of just a bunch of cool looking images.
I actually have someone else edit my photos so I can stay sane and focused on my client relationships (www.thecolorwell.com). He edited this session a bit different than my other sessions to give it a fun feel that went with the photos. I had him take a stab at answering this question since he edited the photos.”The biggest thing that has to happen in editing is that all the images are brought to a certain standard from their RAW state. There are so many presets out there and people often jump on those before actually taking the time to develop the initial RAW file. The process I use is first developing the RAW files in Aperture, render out JPEGs and then process those JPEG with a certain look. The great things about bringing everything to a standard first is that when applying one set of actions to one file, you know that it will work with the next file just the same. It’s important for your session to a have a consistency in tone, color and saturation, this really helps solidify the images as a single idea, instead of just a bunch of cool looking images.
What is your favorite thing about these photos?
How fun the girls look. I love that they felt confident and had a ball on the shoot. It gave me a chance to be more creative and play but for me it’s more about how the subject feels in the end.
What do you want these photos to convey about this senior and about your photography business?
Both of the girls in the photo shoot are fun, creative, outgoing girls. This was not their senior session, however, as a stylized shoot I hope that other high school girls see that a “normal” girl is gorgeous. I didn’t want to use trained models for these stylized shoots because I want the chance to make the girls feel like a model.
Both of the girls in the photo shoot are fun, creative, outgoing girls. This was not their senior session, however, as a stylized shoot I hope that other high school girls see that a “normal” girl is gorgeous. I didn’t want to use trained models for these stylized shoots because I want the chance to make the girls feel like a model.
What is one tip about senior portrait photography that you can share with other photographers?
Focus on the senior. This is such a fun time in their life but at the same time they usually are self conscious about something. Bring out their best qualities, find out their strengths and tailor the session to those. I think talking constantly during the session is important too because it makes them less nervous and gets true, genuine laughs out of them. Or just trip on something like I always do and that will get them to laugh too!
Focus on the senior. This is such a fun time in their life but at the same time they usually are self conscious about something. Bring out their best qualities, find out their strengths and tailor the session to those. I think talking constantly during the session is important too because it makes them less nervous and gets true, genuine laughs out of them. Or just trip on something like I always do and that will get them to laugh too!
Senior Inspiration – {Such Great Heights Studio}
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Thanks for featuring this session!!!
1&2 – done! Been admiring your website for a while now, glad to have found you on Facebook!
[…] Seniorologie featured the Orchard Princess stylized shoot. Thank you Leslie for the feature and making Kelly and Jessie feel special! They were wonderful models! […]