Most of the time we look at photos and see the outside beauty of the subject.  But sometimes photos dig deeper and show much, much more than just the outside beauty.  They show the inner beauty as well and remind us that there is a story about the person in the photos.  An inspiring story about a teen who has faced trials but who has overcome these trials.

Kim Nelson of Hand in Hand Photography submitted this inspiring session of Lennox.  Lennox was diagnosed with Alopecia at the end of 2011 and by early 2012 she was bald.

“Lennox is sweet, kind and beautiful,” said Kim.  “Beauty is not just hair.  It’s not just clothes.  It’s not just make up.”

And from Lennox herself, we realize what she expresses, “Being bald reveals a lot about life that I never saw before.”

Check out this amazing photo shoot that was done with a simple studio set up.  Kim wanted simple, powerful, bold images and she definitely accomplished that!  To see more of Kim’s work, click here.  Thanks for sharing Kim!!

Where did this photo shoot take place?  It took place in my living room! This was my first “studio” session so we had about 4 ft of space to shoot once I put the back drop up and even less when my 5 kids decided to help direct.

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

Yes. Lennox had mentioned that she wanted a very simple, very powerful set up. We agreed that we didn’t want the background to distract us from the impact her alopecia made so I grabbed a savage seamless paper and set it up in my living room. This session was all about her: about making her feel comfortable, making her feel lovely, and allowing herself to let go of the insecurities and embrace just how awesome she is. So I told her to bring her most favorite outfits and every accessory she owns. One of the accessories was her homecoming queen tiara. Her style is so unique, it is completely all her own which makes it so fun for me!

 

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

I used a Nikon D700, SB-900, Nikon 85 1.8G and Nikon 24-70 2.8G. I bounced the flash to get very powerful shadows while maintaining her beautiful silhouette. 

 

What time of day were these taken?

These were taken from 3-5p in my home-studio. I have a wall of windows and was using them as a fill light. Once the sun went down we had to stop. 

 

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

I used ‘Jessie’s Girl’ on most of the images from Oh Kaye’s Mixtape Action Set. I am not a huge action person, but I got an AMAZING deal on her actions during a cyber Monday special and I’m hooked. I also had to become best friends with my patch and clone tool to get the many wrinkles out of the paper my children made. Apparently they didn’t get the memo seamless paper is not for jumping on or though.

What is your favorite thing about this session?

I have a lot of fun with my clients, but Lennox just reminded me of an angel. The way she is so compassionate to those around her resonated with me so much. I love how her beautiful personality came out perfectly in the photos.

 

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

I want everyone to be able to see Lennox in these images and see how beauty is so much deeper then hair or clothing or all of the things we make it out to be. Beauty is in the person and Lenny is a beautiful person. My style is out of the box. I love to take chances and do incredibly creative, innovative and different things. The further from reality the better.

 

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

We have an amazing job, photographing seniors. They come to us, some scared, some nervous, some feeling ugly or different. We have the ability to show them how spectacular they are. It isn’t one we should take lightly. We need to be just as about their experience as we are their photos. Doing that not only gives them amazing photos, but also cherished memories.