First, I wanted to share Morgans Seattle senior session because I LOVE the images and we had so much fun. Second, as I uploaded these I realized it would be the perfect time to share some tips other senior girls or really women in general on how to approach their shoot, posing, interaction, and how to make the most of your session time! There’s also a lot of great things we can share for photographers on how to interact with your client. So, we did this entire shoot in about an hour and fifteen minutes. We didn’t spend more than 5 minutes at each spot. Below are about half of the images we shot in that time. For Photographers, I shot with a Canon 5D Mark III, lenses were Sigma 35mm 1.4 Art, Sigma 50mm 1.4 Art, Canon 24mm 1.4L, and Canon 70-200L IS II. I also frequently use different prisms and glass to shoot through.
I’ll start with the interaction info. If you look at each of the images it is easy to see that Morgan is comfortable with a camera aimed at her. Not everybody is as comfortable as she is, but you can be! Part of the reason Morgan comes across so relaxed and confident in her images is because she actually tends to ignore where my camera is. She interacts with ME. She talks as we shoot, she moves, she looks at me while I am shooting, not into my lens unless I direct her to. Not only are her reactions more authentic, but the self aware anxiety that a lot of people have where a camera is involved is relieved and we are able to simply interact as if the camera isn’t there. Photographers! One of the BEST things you can do for your clients is put your camera down. Don’t hide your face behind it when you’re not taking a photo. Make as much eye contact as possible. Talk to your model/client continuously. whether it be small talk, directing them, or just keeping a flow of conversation. Let them talk back! Your camera shutter is plenty fast enough to catch moments between words and sentences or brief pauses when they look up at you. These are those golden moments. When you get an authentic look or emotion!
Posing: One of the most important things anyone can take away from this image set is subtle motions and changes. I constantly remind my models/clients to never stop moving unless I tell them to. Morgan is a master of the subtle head tilt, or hand shift. She changes something just enough between each frame to give it its only unique feel without going crazy with it. She shifts the weight on her legs from one to the other, she walks side to side or back and forth in front of me as she moves around. She turns her head side to side or lifts one shoulder higher than the other. She plays with her hair, her scarf, or other accessories. By moving constantly, not only is she getting a fluid chic look to her posing, she is also keeping her muscles from looking stuff and awkward. Most of her movements are very subtle, but highly effective. So ladies! Don’t be afraid to move, dance, relax! Hands are incredibly important. I watch peoples hands more than anything. Why? Because people display more stress in their hands than they realize. I can immediately tell if someone is comfortable and happy or not by how they hold their hands. So remember to move your fingers, grab into things, bend them, use them! Don’t let them just sit there or you will have the urge to clench them or feel stiff.
For Photographers: One of the things I see asked about or taught most in this industry is actually posing. Some people will tell you there are “rules” to follow. We all know I’m not one for rules 😉 and I’m not a fan of extreme structured posing. However, there are little things you can do consistently at each session to make things easier for everyone. For example you can start the session by giving them a few ground rules to focus on. Like: “If facing a camera, try to bend the leg that is closest to the lens a little more than the other, never lock your arms or legs (this will make your muscle look larger), try to talk or relax the lips, remember to move around, and for heavens sake if something doesn’t feel right or comfortable then don’t be scared to say so!” This will generally relieve some of their anxiety about certain things and by giving them something to think about or focus on they are thinking less about other things. I’m a people watcher. A student of body language and interaction. I have to be able to read people to be good at my job and bring the best out in my clients as well as capture them authentically. There’s lots of great books and resources out there on body language studies! I recommend doing some reading on the subject!
Ultimately the point of a Senior Session, or any session really, is to celebrate all of those things about you that make you unique! You are beautiful. You are special. You are a force to be reckoned with! Don’t ever let someone let you believe that not being “photogenic” is actually a thing. Everyone is photogenic when they are being authentic to who they are! Focus on what makes you feel happy and confident and the images will reflect all of the things that you love about yourself!
