Skip to main content

8 Unique Portrait Ideas for your Teenager


Teen portraits are becoming a thing. Much like Prom has reached this side of the water, the ever popular teenage portrait industry that has swept across North America is coming to the UK too. And why not? This is an important milestone in our children's lives. I for one want to capture this time in my child's life and I suspect I'm not alone here. They have strong personalities, they have hobbies and interests worth documenting and they might not be living at home for much longer.

In this blog post I am sharing some of the teen portraits I've created in recent years to hopefully inspire families with kids of this age to come in and have some done for themselves. The possibilities with this age group are so vast I can't help get a little excited for each shoot I do.

1. Dance

Lots of people are involved in dance or performing arts of some sort and for those involved, creating something that relates to their interests will provide a lasting memory and valuable keepsake for later in life.  And with something such as dance or performing arts, there is so much scope to truly creative. 





2. Musical Instrument

Musical instruments make for great props in a portrait and often the teen posing with their instrument is more comfortable than if simply asked to smile for the camera. Here they can be preoccupied with something they feel at home with making a great chance for some truly natural expressions and again a wonderful memory of who they are at this stage of their lives. What a great memory to be able to look back on and share with their own children one day.




3. Sports

Any sport is a great thing to include.. Again, much like dance and a musical instrument, these are portraits about them rather than just of them which to me makes them so much more valuable. And just like dance and music, this gives them something to do making them less self conscious and helps them to enjoy their session.  


4. Prom

Prom is becoming quite the thing in this country now. Where it was once something only the American's participated in it is now something we see getting bigger and bigger over here too. Whether they are 14, 16 or 18, teens are participating in an end of year party that is becoming quite an elaborate affair. With hair, makeup, expensive dresses and suits it makes the perfect opportunity for some special portraits. And you'd be surprised how excited these teens are to have another opportunity to wear their special outfits. For the girls, if they have arranged a hair or makeup trial prior to the event its a great idea to book their session on the same day to make use of being all done up.


5. Classic Portraits

During each session I also always create a few classic portraits so we can capture a more simple image. 


6. A Fashion Portrait

When working with teens its really quite easy to create something like looks quite fashion like. With such young and fresh faces and often a strong interest in makeup and clothes they love the opportunity to play model for the day. And this isn't limited to just girls either. Boys have been loving the chance to wear their suit and have quite sophisticated portraits created. I've used Vanity Fair for my inspiration in some and its proving quite popular. 


7. Editorial

In some cases teens aren't into anything specific that would make for a great portrait. This is when I can be a little creative to come up with something that suits them. I personally love the idea of including a phone in shots like these since I hardly ever see my daughter without hers and I know I'm not the only one with a child like this. In years to come I'll enjoy reminding her of this. 




8. Outdoor

I have recently started using my garden for shoots, still incorporating my studio lights so the quality and overall feel remains the same. However this does give a whole new look and style to my portraits. This is proving popular which is giving me great incentive to cultivate our garden with shoots in mind. This year already I've planted camillias, roses and hydranga. It will of course take a a little while for these plants to become useful backdrops. I'm really looking forward to that though. 


In America these shoots are called Seniors sessions and they are called that because they take place in the senior year of a student's life. Its the year the graduate and the year before they head off to college or university. I'd like to see that happen here, which typically happens either at 16 or 18.

If this is of interest to you please get in touch. We can arrange a consultation so we can meet in person and discuss ideas. There is no obligation to book at this point but its a good opportunity to see the products I offer and come up with some possible ideas of what we can create.

If you wish to get in touch please do so using any of the following contact details:

Email: christina@christinalauderportraits.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/christinalauderportraits
Instagram: www.instagram.com/christinalauderportraits
Website: www.christinalauderportraits.com
Phone: 01455 233247

I am so looking forward to the wonderful portraits I will create.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

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...
1 comment
Read more

My Work Experience by Zak Millard

My name is Zak Millard and I am 15 years old. For my two weeks work experience I chose to incorporate a passion of mine, photography. Christina is a very competent photographer and a easy person to get on with, she is also patient which was good for me because I often forgot something or had to ask twice about an instruction. My two weeks with Christina have been very helpful. Though I am a aspiring photographer there is much I have learnt, including: Different lights and there uses. Different light set ups. Key photoshop skills. Exposure compensation. AV/TV settings. Composition. How to keep children's interest! One of the most useful things Christina has taught me is that of photo editing. Photography isn't all about taking the pictures though obviously this is important. The little tweaks made here and there make a lot of difference and in all honesty before Christina showed me these tweaks I would never have made them myself, so thank you Christina for opening ...
1 comment
Read more

More Newborn Baby Portraits

This time we worked with a more alert baby, even though she was within the 2 weeks we recommend for newborn sessions.  But to be honest, I do like getting a selection of both.  Its nice to get the chance to see their eyes as well as those beautifully peaceful sleeping portraits.  Making eye contact is just difficult and smiles are nearly impossible, which are only wind related if we managed them at all anyway.    I always try to get a few detail shots in order to capture their tiny little fingers and toes.  These can be quite difficult with an awake baby as they move so much and I need to rely on autofocus to make sure these details are in focus and with such a narrow depth of field this can be difficult.  And rather than just a hand or a foot I like to get some of baby's face in the shot as well which poses another problem with an awake baby, they just don't stay still for very long so their hands and feet aren't always in the right place....
1 comment
Read more

I Shot My First Wedding

I finally did it, my first wedding. After years of saying I would never do a wedding I finally decided to have a go. I don't know what convinced me. Maybe it was the thought that if I did one I could say with authority that I don't do weddings. My husband had been on my back for ages trying to get me to give one a go. For me I would have to say that the most difficult aspect of wedding photography is the pressure and stress caused by the importance of the day. I worried about this since the day Dawn emailed me to say they had decided they wanted to book me. I hadn't expected to get this wedding given that I had no samples to show them. And I certainly didn't give them a hard sell as I still wasn't convinced that this was something I wanted to do. I kind of figured that if I got this wedding, with no samples and no experience then it was meant to be. Well I have samples now. In the weeks prior to the wedding I read and I read and I read. I read books, magazines and ...
1 comment
Read more

I am Still Me: A Story about a Transgender Boy

  Meet Leo. Leo is 15 and currently going through an epic transformation that has momentarily turned the lives of himself and those around him upside down. A mum who once had the daughter she always longed for is now coping with the realisation that she will be living the rest of her life with a son instead. When your child is born you have certain expectations of the typical life they will lead but most of us know and accept that it won't necessarily end up the way we imagine. Not every person wants to marry, have kids or be involved with the opposite sex. Most of us have come to accept this and can adjust to whatever comes our way relatively easily. But few of us have expected to have to deal with a change in sex. Its not that we've hoped it won't happen, but just that it never occurred to us that it might. This is a new adjustment that we as a society are being presented with today, just like so many others that have come before. When I first heard that Phoebe ...
11 comments
Read more