Season of Seniors

I so love the season of senior portraits. Getting to know these young people on the brink of theirs lives as adults is awesome. Here is just small sampling of the beauty captured this year.

My favorite venues?

I sometimes don't think this is a fair question because my favorite or not favorite can be completely based on the weather conditions that favor photography and nothing to do with the locations. So keeping that in mind, here are my top 10 favorite venues.

#1 - Under any white tent. Can you say "huge diffuser"? Now I know most of you might not know what that is, but photographers will go to a great deal of trouble to get nice diffused light, and if you provide it by using a large white tent, then yeah, we get a huge diffuser and we will use it happily!!

Ok into the actual venues; with no particular order. :-)

Lakeside Event Center, Waterways Cruises in Seattle

Rays Boathouse in Seattle

Countryside Meadows in Arlington

Courtyard Hall in Bothell

Belle Chapel in Snohomish

Olson Mansion in Maple Valley

Shuksan Golf Club in Bellingham

Tibbetts Creek Manor in Issaquah

Forest Park in Everett

Edmonds Yacht Club in (obviously :-) Edmonds

Why no one else can photograph during the formal sessions?

I have a rule, or a very strong request during the photography of the formal poses. No one can shoot, except me.

Very often at weddings while I am making formal portrait photographs of groups of people, their friends or family want to stand next to me to try and get the same photo I am taking. This is not allowed for several reasons.

First, I am usually on a tight schedule as these photos are often taken just before the wedding ceremony is scheduled to begin and it is hard to stop and explain why I do not want them around with their cameras.

Some people have told me they think it is because I am afraid of losing revenue from print sales or that I am feeling jealous. It is not that. However, I did study with masters to be able to pose the groups in a certain way and achieve a brandable look for our company. It would be considered stealing to photograph someone elses work of art and that is what I consider our formals to be.

We often also use studio lights for formals, other flashes will interfere with these lights.

However the number 1 reason is I want everyone in my photo to be looking in the same direction. I illustrate this below.