It was another beautiful June morning to be creating senior portraits of the beautiful Hannah. I’ve had the privilege of doing senior shoots with Hannah’s older Sister Sarah in 2007 and her brothers Andrew and Aaron in 2009 and 2012. They all have very different personalities but have been some of my favorite sessions over the years and Hannah’s session was no exception. Hannah is a driven young woman who has attended Baltic High School part-time and has taken college classes so she can start SDSU next fall with almost enough credits to be a sophomore. Her sights are set on law school and I have no doubt that she can accomplish whatever she sets her mind to.
High waisted jeans make a comeback for senior picture outfits
Hannah’s senior portrait wardrobe had a variety of looks but the one that really caught my attention was the outfit with high-waisted jeans. It’s a look that was last popular in the 1980s. Since the look is retro, I decided the perfect background would be both our retro apartment with green trim and a rustic set we call the ballroom. The ballroom a big room on the second floor of the studio with windows facing the north and west. The space was used for storage for many years and we finally took the boards off of the windows and hauled out several loads of garbage. When we were done cleaning, we uncovered a real gem of a set for senior pictures. It has authentic peeling plaster, an old steam radiator, and wall paper that has to be over 50 years old.
Extreme back lighting for halo effect
Photographer’s assistant, Danielle, holds a plexiglass mirror for Hannah’s senior pictures in our retro ballroom set.
I decided to use the windows as a background and let the bright light from the north create a sort of halo effect that’s really popular lately. I only use natural light in the ballroom so to get enough light on Hannah, I had my assistant Danielle hold a plexiglass mirror and reflect window light back at our subject. The flexible mirror works great in this situation for several reasons.
- The mirrored surface is more reflective than a traditional reflector. In this situation, we need all the light we can come up with.
- Because it’s made out of plexiglass, it’s flexible, unbreakable very safe. If you drop this mirror, you won’t have to worry about picking up the pieces. It doesn’t break.
- Since it’s flexible, it’s actually possible to bend the mirror and focus the light even more to put the reflection right where you want it.
- It’s just like a fun house mirror and can keep younger children entertained. Depending on how the mirror is bent, it can make you look really tall or really short.
Stop by and see our studio
If you’re thinking about senior pictures you owe it to yourself to stop by the studio for a tour of all the fun areas we have to create unique and original portraits. It’s as simple as filling out the info on our request a consultation page. One of us would be thrilled to show you around and answer all your questions. Schedule a time today!