Notes from a Custom Senior Photo Session
Concord, MA, high school senior portrait session at a local castle
Sometimes, you just feel like a princess!
When a senior comes to me with an idea for their portrait, I will go all out to make it come true for them.
For a recent session, this senior wanted to create some princess portraits, so we scouted out a local castle (really!) and worked to create some extraordinary images to match that vision.
During our pre-session consultation, this high school senior shared her vision for the portraits; we worked together to choose a location and discussed her outfit, then pulled it all together for an incredibly fun photo session.
The day of her session, we parked on the road and had to walk a short distance to the castle. We brought our bags with us, I had my extra camera body and lenses, and she had her extra tiaras, accessories, and sparkly shoes. The hill was steep but the path wide and easy to navigate. The senior wore her comfortable shoes on the way up, saving her heels for the actual photoshoot at the castle.
At the castle, I chose my lens and camera body, and we talked about where to begin. A nearby archway called to us. With arches in the background and stonework all around, the setting had depth and interest, and I knew it would be a perfect place to start. So off we went, exploring, finding windows, doors, archways, and wonderful stonework to create her story in. Her dress was lovely, with a dark blue velvet bodice and a shimmery skirt (complete with starry sequins), and she looked elegant amongst the old stonework, her golden tiara adding an extra touch of sparkle.
The afternoon of our session was cool and overcast. While photographers often like to take advantage of a glowing sunset in the late afternoon, overcast days can be just as much fun and often even better for photos since you don’t have to worry about strong, contrasty shadows. No matter what the lighting, professional photographers can handle whatever Mother Nature throws our way to create images that match the client’s vision. On this day, we had cloud cover, and it added to the mood at the castle. The even lighting was fun to work in, and the fall foliage (just beginning to turn to lovely autumn colors) added a hint of color and depth to the background.
There were other visitors to the castle that afternoon, which is a variable we anticipate and are prepared to work with. In addition to some families exploring with their small children, another photographer was there with a wedding couple and their small bridal party, so we amicably worked around each other. There was plenty of room for all of us to move around and create amazing images.
As the session progressed, we discussed the images we were getting, what she wanted in her portraits, and how to capture the remaining photos she desired. She happily climbed some stone walls (carefully, so as not to hurt her dress), perched on windowsills, and stood in various archways and door frames, enjoying the experience and having fun being a princess in a castle for a day.
As the light changed throughout the portrait session, we moved to more open areas to take advantage of the remaining light. Once we had all our images and were happy with what we’d accomplished, we called it a day.
My work was not finished, though, as I needed to download and archive the images, then go through them and prepare them for her to view. Once they were ready, she reviewed them, selected her favorites, and then contributed her Instagram skills to help create a Reel showcasing some of her favorite images from the session, set to the music of an incredible Norwegian artist, Alessandra.
This was a session to remember!