Hannah's Grad Shoot

Hannah contacted me for a graduation photoshoot and we were able to connect on Friday at the Arboretum for a session. Hannah came prepared with a couple of outfit changes and we were able to get many photos in both her outfits. My sessions last for up to an hour and a half and I always tell my clients that they can change as many times as they want within our session time. Hannah’s grad package included as many photos as she wanted to take during our time together as well as a 60-second highlight video of the shoot.

We began with Hannah’s red outfit. It looked great on her and went really well with the Arboretum’s natural aesthetic. The red helped to to really stand out amongst the natural look of green and brown. As with my style, I’m always trying to build layers into my photos so that images aren’t just flat. The photo above has three main layers to it - the tree in the foreground, Hannah in focus, and the background blurred out beautifully.

Achieving gorgeous background blur requires the right equipment and the knowledge of how to use it. One of my favorite lenses to shoot with is the Sony 85mm 1.4 G-Master lens. This beast of a lens doesn’t come cheap, but creates spectacular results for me. The lens is incredibly sharp and helps me get buttery smooth backgrounds as well. It’s my go-to lens when it comes to portraiture.

Taking the photo is just one aspect of my photography. The second part comes after the session is concluded and when I’m back in front of the computer. When I edit photos, I adjust color, contrast, as well as take care of any distracting elements from a shot. If you’re worried about stray hairs or pimples showing up… don’t… I’ve got your back! I employ editing techniques in photoshop to make a few minor tweaks so you look your best. I generally try to make the edits look as natural as possible. One of my pet-peeves are the filters you find in apps like Instagram and Snapchat. The skin smoothing algorithms on them are horrible!

I absolutely love being creative with the camera, but It’s equally important to get photos that are tried and true. When you shoot with me, you will get photographs that will look amazing for framing in the house or putting on a desk. Often times my clients will ask for tons of unique looks, but are thankful when they receive photos that have different styles. The classic poses are classic for a good reason!

I find that the more creative angles are great for usage on social media platforms. With such a crowded space, it’s important to have photos that don’t look like everyone else’s. And that’s where I come in… to help you capture those looks that stand out. Of course, these images would also look great framed up in the house too!

Grad photo season this year has been wild as I’ve had many cancellations and reschedules due to the COVID-19 crisis. In my opinion, it’s never too late to get grad photos done - especially this year. If you know of anyone who needs or wants grad photos, send them my way!

Check out Hannah’s 60-second graduation highlight video above.

If you’d like to get a little bit more insight on some of the photos from my session with Hannah, watch this video on Youtube!