Not too long ago, I encouraged the readers to create a concept shoot inspired by Seniorologie’s Birthday! Tricia Toker of Tricia Toker Photography loved this idea and created a photo shoot that illustrates what she thinks of when a Birthday comes to mind!  I love that she used both Seniorologie’s Pinterest Board and the movie Sixteen Candles as her inspiration.  What she came up with is beautiful and makes me want to join the party!  Thanks for sharing Tricia!!

You can use this inspiration and a birthday concept for a senior shoot or even a sweet sixteen photo shoot!  And even if you don’t do a full birthday concept, using some of these props like the balloons, confetti, etc could easily be a perfect prop addition to any photo shoot!

Check out the awesome photos below and also the video Tricia included!  For the video click the link below…

What inspired you to do this photo shoot?   Seniorologie’s One Year Birthday was the main inspiration for this shoot.  When I heard that you were looking for birthday concept shoots, I immediately contacted my makeup artist and an upcoming Class of 2013 Spokesmodel.  The other inspiration was the movie “Sixteen Candles.”  For me, it immediately comes to mind when I think of memorable birthday scenes.

How did you come up with the props to use in this shoot?  Before photography, I was a scrapbooker….I have a room and everything.  Since photography, my poor little room has been neglected.  For times like this though, it’s a life saver.  I made the pennant banner with scrapbook paper and twine.   I went to Party City and purchased yards of ribbon that I cut down to the size that I needed.  I also bought some toy rings and glued Dots candy to them.  I used my shredder and leftover paper from the banner to make the confetti.  I drew the cake topper banner on some cardboard and then printed the “Seniorologie” on some notebook paper.  I purchased a few other items: the mini cameras, mini flags, cake, cupcakes.  Lastly, I made the folded notes and fortune teller.  I’m not going to lie, it’s been years since I have made some of these.  After a few online tutorials, I was a note folding fool!  🙂

Did you collaborate with the senior to come up with the wardrobe for this shoot?  Yes, I did.  When I first contacted Maili to see if she could participate, I asked her if she had any fun party dresses.  She texted me a few homecoming dresses and they were perfect!   I also asked her to pick out specific items for her boyfriend Blake’s version of “Jake” from the movie.

Where did the shoot take place?   Since we were short on time, I realized that I wouldn’t have much time to location scout.    Luckily, I was able to shoot all of the outdoor scenes in my neighborhood and the “Sixteen Candles” scene was shot in my dining room.

What equipment was used during this photo shoot?  Nikon D700, 105mm, 85mm & 24-70 for the still images and Nikon D5000, 50mm & a tripod for the video clips.

Can you share any post-processing techniques used when editing this session?  It started to get dark quickly outside, so I used Lightroom to adjust the exposure.  I adjusted levels slightly in Photoshop and also used the Coffeeshop PowderRoom 3 action for a little extra “pop.”

What was your favorite thing about this concept shoot?  My favorite thing was trying to recreate the “Sixteen Candles” scene.  This scene made the entire shoot for me!

What do you like best about doing a themed or concept shoot?   It might sound silly, but I love everything about concept shoots.  I love the entire process, starting with the vision, planning and finally the excitement of shoot day.  I have been very lucky to work with some wonderful ladies lately.  They have consistently made my concept shoots come to life.  My main “co-conspirator” is Makeup Artist, Laura Briscoe.

Can you share something new you learned from this photo shoot?  I learned that I can pull off a concept shoot in a short amount of time and actually photograph it in a short amount of time as well.  I had about 40 minutes to shoot this before dark, so I was incredibly happy with the end result.

How did seeing Seniorologie’s Pinterest board help you come up with your version of this birthday concept?  The Pinterest board was a tremendous help and definitely was my starting point.  I’m sort of obsessed with Pinterest so I always head there for inspiration!