Adding video, hair and makeup, or even styling to your senior photography experience are all things you can do to stand out from the crowd, especially in senior portrait photography.  How does Mike Fiechtner stand out?  With his “moving picture!”

Mike Fiechtner of Mike Fiechtner Photography in Seattle gets requests for his “moving picture” and most seniors ask him when is it time for theirs!  Mike even shares tips on how you can do your own version of the “moving picture.”

Check out this awesome guy session of an aspiring photographer and read how Mike helped create a session that was unique!  And be sure to check out Mike’s other work here.  Thanks for sharing Mike!!

What was your inspiration for the photo shoot?  Because the senior has grown up in the Seattle area we thought shooting in the city would provide a good backdrop as well as have emotional significance.  I also thought the city/urban feel would provide us with lots of interesting textures and compositions.

Where did this photo shoot take place? In downtown Seattle near Pioneer Square as well as the Olympic Sculpture Garden along the water.  I always leave the location up to the senior so it will best represent who they are.  If they don’t have any ideas I have a few secret places around Seattle I like to suggest for shooting, and between the two of us we always come up with a great place. 

Did you collaborate with this senior to come up with the clothing and/or concept for this shoot?  Clothing I always leave up to the senior as I want the photos to represent who they are.  Even if they have wild clothes with crazy prints I’ll make it look good.  As for the concept I did talk quite extensively with the senior about the general feel he wanted.  He wanted a more urban shoot in the middle of downtown Seattle and it only seemed fitting that we spent some time in the oldest part of Seattle, Pioneer Square.  

What are some posing tips you could share when it comes to posing senior guys?  The most important part of posing a guy is probably the hands and where they put them.  I try not to come up with complicated posing.  Most guys are pretty comfortable with their hands in their pockets, crossed arms or leaning against a wall.  I’m also not afraid to have the senior keep their hands straight down at their side.  But it is important to “model” the pose for them.  Show them some ideas and then let them choose a pose that they feel comfortable doing.  

What camera, lens and equipment were used for this shoot? I used a Canon 7D with 3 lenses, 35L, 24-70L and 70-200 f2.8 IS II.  I also did a few Strobist shots with a Photoflex 60″ umbrella and a 580EXII triggered by Cybersyncs.

What time of day were these taken? Generally my senior shoots are about 2 hours so I like to start about an hour and 1/2 before sunset.  This allows for good light plus it provides me with an opportunity to get some sweet skies for strobist shots.  For this shoot we started around 5:00pm and we were done at about 8:30pm.  This one lasted a little bit longer because I knew this senior personally and we had fun until the last light was gone.

Can you share any post-processing techniques used when editing this session?  I’ve developed a few different presets that I like to use in Lightroom.  I don’t like to do anything too complicated but I do like the more vintage film look. As for sharpening I always use the action “A Better Web Sharpen” from TRA.

What is your favorite thing about this session?  It really portrays who this senior is while also sticking to my own personal photography style.  I always look at the background when composing a photo and try to figure out how best to pose the senior with the specific background.  I love all the different patterns and textures in Pioneer Square and the sculpture park.  I also have started creating an animated GIF for most of my shoots and he was super excited to help me come up with a fun one.  If you’re not familiar with GIFs check out my blog posts with a GIF in them: http://www.mikefiechtner.com/blog/tag/gif

What do you want this session to convey about this senior and about your senior photography style?  This senior who is an aspiring photographer wanted to incorporate that love into his session.  The camera in this session was his grandfathers and definitely held some sentimental value.  The final photos show that in my style I try to create a unique feel outside the normal senior session.  I include negative space in a lot of shots as they work well when paired with more traditional close up portraits.  I also like to use strobes in some of my shoots to create a fun and dramatic photo, which the seniors always love.

What is one tip you can share with other photographers regarding photographing seniors?  Have fun with them!  I probably spend more time talking to them than I do taking photos.  I read Dale Carnegie’s book “How to Win Friends and Influence People” a while back and one thing I took from that book is that people like to talk about themselves.  I ask them lots of questions and get them talking.  The more comfortable they are with you the more genuine the photos will be and the more they’ll let their guard down.  Oh and a bonus tip….have the senior bring a friend as they can also help them feel more comfortable and tell awkward stories that will make the senior laugh.