Hannah Gaul has a lot of things happening in her life right now!  A growing photography business, a wedding in a month and a possible move due to her future husband’s career in the army.  But with all of this, she makes time to continue to photograph seniors and do a beautiful job!

Hannah has run Hannah Gaul Photography for the last two and a half years and during that time has honed her talent as a senior portrait photographer.  She describes her photography style as soft with a cinematic flare.  You can check out more of her work here.

Below is a senior photo shoot Hannah shared with us and she gives us a little behind the scenes at how this shoot took place.  Thanks Hannah!!

The inspiration for this session was “Summer Sun”. The way the light comes through the trees, the hot summer evening, and of course big floppy hats!

This photo shoot took place at a local elementary school here in Clovis, CA.

We started the shoot at 6:30pm and it wrapped it up around 8pm.

I literally told Macie that the look I was going for was “Summer evening BBQ” and she showed up with the most adorable sundresses. She’s the best! When trying to figure out how to style a session, I talk to my seniors about the feel of the shoot. How do certain clothes make you feel, and is that what we’re trying to bring to the session. If you feel comfortable, you’ll look comfortable 🙂

I shot this session with my Nikon D7000, 50mm and 35mm.

I try really hard to master the light I want in camera. When I bring the photos into PS, I sharpen, boost the color, and let them speak for themselves 🙂

My favorite thing about these photos would have to be the way they make me feel when I look at them. There’s a warmth about the photos that brings me to a hot Summer night every time!

I try to keep things simple and beautiful. This session reflects my style in that I try to shoot with an “outside looking in” perspective. A camera should never be intrusive, but should be there to capture the moment as it’s unfolding. Macie’s laid back personality really shines through in these photos. She’s gorgeous, calm, and has the sweetest personality!

This is probably the ultimate cliche, but shoot what you love. I struggled for a really long time with other photographers’ work. Too much inspiration can sometimes be overwhelming. I went through a period of time where I did nothing but compare myself to others. When I took a step back (and literally didn’t look at other photographers’ blogs for at least a month) and thought about what it is that I love to shoot, I was happier. And so were my clients. Try to take inspiration from something other than other people’s work 🙂