Years ago when I was first approached by a title holder, my initial thought was, “I don’t shoot studio or headshots”.  Honestly I had tried being a part of a studio and I kind of hated it.  The overhead, the props, and the maintenance…and lets not forget the artificial light!  Let’s face it, I was an outdoor photographer all the way.  I enjoyed the rush of finding the right light and waiting until just the right moment for the sun to be exactly where I wanted it. 

So after talking to the client more,  I decided I would classify this type of photography right between informal wedding and senior photography.  And honestly, that is what it turned out to be….minus the groom of course!

The first session included flannel shirts and an evening gown!  The trick to this type of session was definitely finding the right location. I wanted to find a bit of nature and also a bit of urban just to give my client multiple options.  The first location we ended up at was a local college. It offered so much including a pond, numerous brick buildings, a bridge, stone and metal steps, and beautiful trees!  As this client continued to compete, she needed new photos for each title.  I think my all time favorite session was at a green house full of beautiful green foliage, just what we all needed at the end of winter! 

For those of you looking for a photographer, my advice would be this, start your initial search by finding senior photographers.  From there start to check out their website, Instagram, etc.  As photographers, we want to be open to our clients request; but honestly, we all have a style of photography. Although we may shoot several types of clients at many different types of locations, it all comes down to the photographer’s “style”. What I mean by that is some photographers love to edit their photos while others prefer natural lighting and soft photos.

And always ask around!  One thing I hear from my clients often is “wow, that was actually fun”.  As much as I don’t want my clients to dread a shoot or be nervous, they will be.  Part of my job is to help them overcome that by doing things like showing them a photo on the back of my camera to ensure them they are doing a great job or talking to them about other things that bring them joy in their life.

As photographers, we want you to be happy. Always feel free to approach us with your ideas or ask us about outfits, poses and locations. That is part of our job and trust me when I say… you will not be our most challenging client (we’ve all had one!)