Senior Photos

[Big Mike]

Senior Photography isn't common up here in Canada. It's spreading, but it's still not something that is in high demand. That's why I jumped at the chance to shoot these.
She is graduating high school this month and we are extremely proud of her. She has overcome a genetic disability and some very trying circumstances...and she will be attending college in the fall.

Only one of these is truly finished, as I had it printed up on 16x20 metallic paper for her but they are close enough to show off here.

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8

 

[tirediron]

Very nice work Mike! Not sure I'm especially fond of #5, but that's just a personal thing. I love the lighting and backgrounds you've used in 1, 2, 3. Very dramatic and well shot!

 

[ifi]

She looks great, I liked 1, 3, 7 and 8 more than others.

 

[Rrr3319]

love the lighting on these, very cool and dramatic. although, i'm with tirediron, not a huge fan of #5... and the person in the background of the last one bothers me a little. overall i think they look great, with pictures like those, i think you'll have some more seniors coming your way! :thumbup:

 

[gsgary]

All apart from 5 look great love the lighting ,bit too racy though her dress is above her knees

 

[ghache]

All apart from 5 look great love the lighting ,bit too racy though her dress is above her knees

hahah! love the comment!


great shots mike! i love how dramatic is the background

 

[Christie Photo]

Well looky there... senior portraits DO exist in Canada!

 

[Aayria]

I'm really in love with the lighting on #1, 3, and 7. Could you share what you used? =)

 

[littlesandra]

All apart from 5 look great love the lighting ,bit too racy though her dress is above her knees

hahah! love the comment!


great shots mike! i love how dramatic is the background

Not to mention her dress is showing a bare shoulder

These are extremely 'epic' haha.

 

[Derrel]

All apart from 5 look great love the lighting ,bit too racy though her dress is above her knees

hahah! love the comment!


great shots mike! i love how dramatic is the background

Not to mention her dress is showing a bare shoulder

These are extremely 'epic' haha.

You guys are regular laugh riots!!!! I always find it amusing when people fail to understand what is age-appropriate and non-appropriate. Mike's photos are all tasteful; it's not about a bare shoulder or a skirt that is above the knees, but when 30 to 40 percent of people across North America, in multiple geographic regions actually take the time to question the appropriateness of your photos, you know that you've crossed a boundary that the parents and grandparents of your subject (the people actually PAYING you) for your photos will find objectionable. Most people on forums will let you slide, especially here on TPF, where most people are very positive and unwilling to give honest feedback. See, the thing is, Big Mike has this girl sitting, to use the old expression, "like a young lady". It's not that her dress has a bare shoulder, or that the hemline is above her knees--it is that he is not aiming the camera up her skirt, and she does not look like a slut.

This work will pass muster with parents...the work of some others met with resistance and comments of "inappropriate" for a high school graduation photo set. Some people have an idea of community standards and social decorum, while others want to push the envelope; what happens when you shoot some 17 year old senior's photos, and she looks like a little tramp, and the parents throw a fit? There's a difference between photographing stoned and drunk rock musicians and photographing people's 17- and 18-year-old daughters for their senior photos or graduation photos...being keyed into the idea of age-appropriate posing versus being oblivious to it is one of the marks of a professional photographer--one who understands who actually "pays" for the photos and who the customer actually "is".

 

[vtf]

Big Mike
I like your style. Very classy:thumbup:

 

[littlesandra]

hahah! love the comment!


great shots mike! i love how dramatic is the background

Not to mention her dress is showing a bare shoulder

These are extremely 'epic' haha.

You guys are regular laugh riots!!!! I always find it amusing when people fail to understand what is age-appropriate and non-appropriate. Mike's photos are all tasteful; it's not about a bare shoulder or a skirt that is above the knees, but when 30 to 40 percent of people across North America, in multiple geographic regions actually take the time to question the appropriateness of your photos, you know that you've crossed a boundary that the parents and grandparents of your subject (the people actually PAYING you) for your photos will find objectionable. Most people on forums will let you slide, especially here on TPF, where most people are very positive and unwilling to give honest feedback. See, the thing is, Big Mike has this girl sitting, to use the old expression, "like a young lady". It's not that her dress has a bare shoulder, or that the hemline is above her knees--it is that he is not aiming the camera up her skirt, and she does not look like a slut.

This work will pass muster with parents...the work of some others met with resistance and comments of "inappropriate" for a high school graduation photo set. Some people have an idea of community standards and social decorum, while others want to push the envelope; what happens when you shoot some 17 year old senior's photos, and she looks like a little tramp, and the parents throw a fit? There's a difference between photographing stoned and drunk rock musicians and photographing people's 17- and 18-year-old daughters for their senior photos or graduation photos...being keyed into the idea of age-appropriate posing versus being oblivious to it is one of the marks of a professional photographer--one who understands who actually "pays" for the photos and who the customer actually "is".

Whoah, way to call my clients sluts, drunk and stoned musicians. I tell you what, those slutty drunk stoned people make my life a hell of a lot more interesting than if I sat my ass down and faked walmart portraits

Get out of the thread and stop ruining Mikes awesome post.

 

[Big Mike]

Thanks for all the comments.

Lets not drag out any arguments from previous threads please.

For those who are curious, the lighting I used for the first five was;
a studio light (with portable battery) high on a light stand, as the main light. Standard reflector dish (I would have added an umbrella but didn't have my really sturdy stands & sandbags and was worried it might blow over. Main light was positioned to my left.
A 2nd light (430EX) was on a stand on my right side, behind the model...providing hair/accent lighting.
It was actually kind of funny because I had two different radio trigger systems on the go. I had one Cybersync set, which I put on the Speedlite, and I was hoping that the optical trigger on the studio light would work, but no such luck. I also tried the trigger on the studio light and used a Wein optical slave under the Speedlite, but that didn't work either (the Wein is old and untested).
So what I did was to use a Cactus trigger set for one of the lights while using the Cybersync for the other. I had the Cybersync transmitter on the hotshoe and I connected the other transmitter to the PC socket with a cord. Only I didn't have a short cord, so I had to use a 15' cord....I just kept it rolled up and hung it off the camera. I must have looked very silly, but it got the job done. The next day I ordered a 2nd receiver for my Cybersync.

In the others, I used just the studio light.

 

[mwcfarms]

Excellent pictures Mike. The lighting is great and i think number 2 and three are my favorite. Something about 2 just grabs me. Kudos.

 

[GeneralBenson]

Interesting shots. While they convey a moody and dark look, which is what I can assume you were going for, they don't seem very flattering for the subject to me. a lot of that I feel, is the fact that the shots are mostly a hard light source with no fill. I would have loved to see a modifier of some sort to soften the light and give more shadow definition. The shadow sides of the faces are too dark for me, as well as the photos a a whole. Also, alot of the shadow/highlight transitions look kind of funky, like the editing was too aggressive with trying to pull out shadow detail. There are a lot of blotchy transitions and haloed edges, especially in 2, 5, 6, and 7. I think #4 is by far the best, especially since it's the only one of her looking at the camera. But the pose and expression are also the best IMO. I could still stand to see it a bit brighter. Also, the spare people in #5 and #8 really hurt the photos.