Having a good time, laughing and really bringing out a senior’s personality makes a photo shoot perfect!  At this photo shoot, photographer Marie Sant of Bloom and Grow Photography really clicked with this senior and they had a blast laughing.  Marie says that this senior thought she was hilarious so that helped the vibe between model and photographer and they even got silly when a group of cute guys walked by!  Sounds like a fun photo shoot and it shows in the photos below!

Check out more of Marie’s work here.  Thanks for sharing Marie!

What was your inspiration for the photo shoot?

My inspiration was really Mallory herself.  She is just bursting with personality and I wanted to capture the beauty and playfulness that she is known for.

Where did this photo shoot take place?

South Jordan, Utah

Did you collaborate with this senior to come up with the clothing and/or concept for this shoot?

I always have my seniors send me cell pictures of their outfits before our session.  This helps me make suggestions, get a vision and make sure the location we chose coordinates with their personality and what they are wearing.

What camera, lens and equipment were used for this shoot?

I used a Nikon D700 and 85mm 1.4 lens

What time of day were these taken?

An hour or so before sunset.

Can you share any post-processing techniques used when editing this session?

I always shoot in RAW and spot expose off their skin.  This helps me get radiant, glowing, perfectly exposed skin tones.  As for post processing, I always start by retouching their skin, then use one of my action sets designed to take core editing steps and typically finish by dodging and burning specific parts of the image.

What is your favorite thing about this session?

My favorite part of this session was Mallory’s hilarious hair mustache.  We had such a good time together. I really feel like she was able to totally relax and just be herself.

What do you want this session to convey about this senior and about your senior photography style?

I really think my favorite subjects to shoot are seniors.  There is just something about that age that draws me.  There is so much pressure to be “perfect”.  Most of them come into our session camera shy and self conscious.  I really enjoy helping them loosen up, feel comfortable and be themselves in front of my camera.   Seeing their eyes light up and go wide when I show them their gorgeous images is just fabulous.

What is one tip you can share with other photographers regarding photographing seniors? 

Be positive with them!  Everything they do is great, beautiful, perfect…make tweaks to their poses positively.  When they feel like they look beautiful and I’m reinforcing that feeling, they come out of their shells and shine.