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

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

Winner of the Master Photographers Association's UK Family Portrait Award

This year for the first time I decided to join the MPA (Master Photographers Association). As a qualified member this entitled me to compete amongst other professionals throughout the UK. Last night the awards ceremony was held at the Hinckley Island Hotel (amazingly close to home for a change) where I received the news that my family portrait won its category. I am over the moon that it was a unanimous decision from all judges who felt it stood out against all others in the category making it the clear winner. And to have John Stoddart, a man who has photographed a great number of A list celebrities, present the award telling me this is a fantastic image was the icing on the cake. I'll admit that I have never really regarded family groups as my strong suit. They are hard work and not always the most challenging creatively. Until now that is. This project which I consider to be a joint effort along with my clients involved much planning and creativity. Together we came up...
Post a Comment
Read more

My Associate Panel

As I mentioned in my last blog, I achieved my Associateship in Portraiture with the SWPP (Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers).  I just thought I would share with you the panel I submitted.  Having sat through the assessment I see that there are a couple of images that I wish I hadn't chosen, more so due to not having enough variety rather than the lack of quality.  but overall I am pleased with my submission. I always thought that once I achieved my Associateship I would be done with qualifications.  Working towards a Fellowship just seems so unattainable.  I don't think I can just sit here not striving towards a goal though.  Besides, my husband has already set 5 year plan.  So I guess I've not seen the end of qualifications just yet.  But don't be expecting any news on this front for quite some time though.  A fellowship is on an entirely new level and its going to take a lot of work. 
6 comments
Read more

Family Portraits - With the Entire Family

  I recently had the pleasure of photographing Mum and Dad, their Son and Daughter and their Son and Daughter's families.  It made for a portrait of 10 people altogether which of course comes with its challenges.  But we got their in the end and I'm thrilled with the results.  The hardest part of course is getting everyone looking their best in the same photo.  It rarely works out in such a large group but I managed to get several with only a couple of Photoshopping, head swapping requirements.  But my skills are up to that challenge quite well these days so I'm almost always quite confident that everyone will be happy with themselves in the final family portrait chosen.  And I have to admit I love the challenge of taking a great face from one image and making it fit so no one notices in another image.  As is usually the case, I also photograph the large group in smaller subsections as its a good opportunity, while everyone is d...
Post a Comment
Read more

More Workshops for 2011!!

This year we've decided to launch a schedule of 5 training events.  Our training is designed as an introduction to lighting and workflow or a confidence builder for those who feel they've lost their way or never really got it straight in the first place.  The day is split in two with the first half looking at lighting.  We cover high key, mid key and low key set ups explaining each light required in detail with time allowed for each attendee to have a play with the studio lights themselves.  After lunch we then look at workflow.  We take your through importing and sorting images in Lightroom, making adjustments and enhancements in Lightroom followed by exporting to Photoshop.  We then take a closer look at the imges in Photoshop, going over the ways in which we treat all our images.  This includes the use of Kubota Actions.   These workshops are running on the following dates: Wednesday February 16th Tuesday March 8th Wed...
Post a Comment
Read more