A beautiful smile, outgoing personality and spunky style make this senior the perfect subject for any photographer!  Tina of T. Flo Photography shared this session with us and said that she and this senior had an absolute blast!  They spent time before the session chatting about what this senior brought to wear, got to know each other and really hit it off immediately.  The shoot took place within walking distance from this seniors home and what a great place to capture these memories!  Because there really is…No Place Like Home!!

Check out these images below and be sure to check out more of Tina’s work here.  Thanks for sharing Tina!

What was your inspiration for the photo shoot? I knew that Sam was a really fun girl with a ton of spunky attitude and I really wanted her photos to portray that.  Our inspiration was just that.  Gorgeous light, cool clothes and lots of smiles and laughter…and boy did we have a LOT of laughs.

Where did this photo shoot take place?  This session took place at a barn near Sam’s home.  We obtained permission to use the property (of course) and just walked around finding “hot” spots.  That’s typically how I shoot, walking and looking until I find the “it” spot.  We stop, shoot and move on.  While on location, I like to keep moving to find lots of cool little nuggets of light and inspiration. 

Did you collaborate with this senior to come up with the clothing and/or concept for this shoot? I did.  I spoke with her mom and we talked about clothes and when we arrived at her home for hair and makeup, we narrowed down “must have” outfits and accessories. I like my seniors to send me texts/pictures of their outfits, it helps me to narrow down location ideas.  Even if we are going to a popular location, I can arrange outfit choices (first to last) by the way the sun is positioned in the sky.  I know the sun will be more orange and dreamy, we’ll work with a pretty dress.  If it’s higher and brighter, we’ll go with a casual fun outfit. 

What camera, lens and equipment were used for this shoot? I shot this session with my canon 50d, 85mm, 50mm and 70-200mm.  Extra equipment were just props for the session, a big purple chair, blankets…that kind of thing.

What time of day were these taken?  We started hair and makeup around 4:30 and shooting started around 5:30 pm.  We wrapped up the session around 7:00 pm.  

Can you share any post-processing techniques used when editing this session? Sure!  First, I weed out images in lightroom and adjust any coloring if need be and pop the the black levels…I feel like that helps pop the eyes a bit.  I then open my images in photoshop and do a clean up on her face, lighten under eye circles and any blemishes.  I then run a light color pop action and a vignette.  I always lower my vignette, I don’t like my images too dark around the edges, but I do feel it helps keep the focus on her face.  She is incredibly beautiful and her eyes are amazing, so I didn’t want to do too much to distract from that.  My black and whites are a cocktail mix of actions and my own tweaks…starts with a basic black and white and then I’ll darken where I feel it needs it and run a highlight action over top.  

What is your favorite thing about this session?  I feel like this session is Sam.  I think it portrays her personality to a “T”.  She is beautiful and we captured that.  She’s got great style…caught that.  She is so funny and spunky and we were able to showcase that.  I love this session, because it is exactly what a senior session should be.  A reflection of who your senior is during his/her senior year.  

What do you want this session to convey about this senior and about your senior photography style?  I wanted this session to convey Sam as she is, and I want seniors to look at my senior work and say, “WOW!  That’s my friend Sam, and that is exactly how she is when we are hanging out!”  I want my clients to trust that I will make them comfortable enough that they can trust me and know that I will capture them for who they are.  I love working with seniors, talking with them, picking out outfits, laughing…I forget that I’m not 18 and just hang out with them.  I think they like that.  I’m not a stuffy photographer posing and forcing them into a picture; we are just hanging out and capturing that moment.

What is one tip you can share with other photographers regarding photographing seniors?  Talk to your seniors and their parents.  Seniors typically have one vision in their head and their moms have another 😉  I ALWAYS want my senior ladies to dress appropriately for their age, but still hold onto their style.  Girls dress so differently from when I was growing up and I want the parents to know that all of their images will be tasteful.  I want to showcase their style, but in a classic way.  Make sure you open that door of communication with your seniors and their parents!  The parents will be happy you did and your senior will feel like they had control over their session without their parents “ya’ing or nay’ing” their outfits/style.