Skip to main content

Teen Portrait Shoots, Memories to Last a Lifetime

Teen portraits are a big thing in America. And by big I mean huge. Americans call them seniors shoots, because they are sessions that take place to commemorate the completion of their senior year, the year they graduate high school. It's seen as an important milestone and for this they want to create a valuable keepsake before they head off to college.

(This young lady plays the bass and guitar, which provides wonderful elements to a great portrait) 


Now for the record, for anyone who knows I have an American sounding accent and have believed me to be American I am actually Canadian. I don't think all American traditions should make it across the pond. I for one am not a big fan of Halloween, no offense to those who are. I can see the appeal of Halloween, its just not for me. However I don't understand why shoots for teenagers hasn't become popular over here and I'd really like to see that change.

(This young man wanted portraits in is prom suit but didn't want to pose for them at prom)

Finishing school and leaving for either further education or full time employment is a big milestone. Why not mark the occasion? It's probably the last time a parent will have the opportunity to ask their child to sit for a photographer. And sadly the last time they are still properly a child. To be honest I'm kind of dreading getting there with mine. She turned 14 this summer and I know the next 4 years will go by in a blink of an eye just like the last 14 have. But I will definitely want a portrait session for that last time she is still properly my 'child' for I already know she has big plans to move away and be as independent as I've always been.

(This young man came in for a mother and son shoot but we created so much more at the same time)

Like in America, I want to create both a beautiful portrait that's perhaps a little more formal, as well as a portrait that includes something about them, to include perhaps their hobbies or interests so we not only remember what they looked like at this time but also who they were. Sports, dance, horse riding and music all provide great material for being creative in a shoot. Although I'm up for trying just about anything so if you've got interests outside of that please let me know.

(I was so excited for what I could create when his mother told me her son plays American football at university)

I have products and packages to suit a variety of budgets and needs. This includes fine art print boxes of either 5, 10 or 15 images or wall art that comprises of framed fine art prints and canvases. The print boxes are ideal for this type of shoot and prices start at just £295 which isn't a lot when you consider how valuable these portraits are going to become in 10 or so years time. Not much of what we spend our money on these days goes up in value and very little lasts longer than a mobile phone. I honestly cherish my portraits more and more all the time.


This portrait that follows is of my daughter. I can't tell you how much this means to me now and I can't imagine how much it will mean to us both in 20 years time.


Each of the young adults I've had in the studio have really enjoyed their session and loved the images we produced during it. I'm willing to bet it also boosted their confidence a bit too. This is a great opportunity to capture a wonderful and exciting stage of their life.


If you would like to consider a portrait session of this nature I encourage you to get in touch so we can discuss the possibilities. If you decide to book with me we start the process with an in person consultation to go over your requirements. This is where we all get the chance to meet and get to know each other a little and when we will discuss the unique portraits I can create for you that you can cherish for many years to come.

Links to contact details are all below. I look forward to hearing from you.

Instagram
Twitter
Facebook
Website

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Male Nude Masterclass at the Societies Convention in London

Here are the results from my masterclass at the convention just over a week ago. During this talk I set out to show 3 different lighting techniques using just 2 lights and a white background. I sometimes use more than 2 lights but I wanted to show that good photos can be produced with the minimum of kit. For the first we used a beauty dish to light our model with a second light for the background to give us a high key result. Had I been in my studio I would have used 2 lights to light my background but for such a tight crop the one light (centralised) was clearly good enough. For the second I used a softbox (strip light) on one side with barn doors on the second light on the other side. In hindsight I wish I had a grid with me to soften the light coming from the barn doors side. Not being in my studio I didn't have all my kit to hand so had to use what was available on the day. I found the bare bulb a little too strong here. Notice how we managed to get the whi

Fine Art Portraits of a Beautiful Young Girl

So this is really becoming my thing lately. I am having so much fun working with children individually where I can direct and interact in ways that bring the best out of my subject. This has certainly become a process now of creating rather than taking photographs. And its what I have always wanted to be, a portrait artist rather than a photographer. I cannot put into words fully just how rewarding this is. For each of these shoots (as with nearly all of my shoots) we begin with a consultation where we discuss what we would like to achieve in the shoot. Here we will consider the type of clothing and any possible props. We will look at both the clients clothes and my ever growing collection so we can pick what will work best. In all circumstances we are heavily guided by what the child in the portraits wants to wear as I see this as vitally important. If he or she is uncomfortable its going to show and the portraits won't work. But most are happy to play dressups and wear a com

Portraits Even a Teenager Boy Loves

Finally I've had the opportunity to photograph a young man in my studio again. And funnily enough this was the second time that week which is absolutely superb. In both cases these young men were just as enthusiastic to be involved as I was, which is something I don't often get when I'm working with very young children, my usual subjects. With young children I find my energy in their cuteness. But with young adults I get energy from their excitement over how the portraits are working out. I get such a buzz from the experience and that can keep me going for hours, often editing the photos straight after the shoot for hours more. Shoots for teenagers is something I've been wanting to focus on for some time. Its not something that I often get asked for though unfortunately. It tends to be parents of very young children who want to capture moments that are slipping through their fingers at lightening speed. Maybe its teenage moodiness that means these moments don&

Family Portraits with Fine Art Flair

I have a love and hate relationship with family portraits. I love the finished piece and creating something that is truly special to the family. I love that in years to come something I made is going to be a cherished and valueable memento for this family. What I struggle with, is getting all members of the group to look their best at exactly the same moment in time. You would be surprised at how difficult this actually is, particularly when it comes to 6 children. But I always get there in the end, whether it is the luck of a moment or with the aid of Photoshop. I ensure that everyone in the portrait is looking their best, even the dog. Seeing as this family is actually made up now of two families we also did portraits in their respective groups which I chose to do in different style to their main group. I love adding a bit of style for the overall main group and what you see above is something that is proving popular with my clients. I love adding props and giving a sort of Vani

Family Photos with Flair - Vanity Fair Style Family Portraits

This style of portrait continues to be the eye catching success I had always hoped it would be. Once again I created a beautiful family portrait that I am really proud of and I know this family loves too. Over the years I have developed this style through influences such as Vanity Fair and the many photographers I follow, though I hope that there is something in here that is entirely my own. Having my work easily identified as my own was a goal of mine from the start. Getting to the point where people will want not just a portrait but a Christina Lauder portrait is where I've always wanted to be and I'm hoping I'm on way. These portraits were created for the family of two professional photographers who wanted some portraits of their own. Family portraits isn't really something one can do of oneself, at least not easily. So they needed the services of another and I was honoured to be chosen for the job. They chose me not just for my style but also for my ab