Blending two popular shooting styles for High School Senior Guy Portraits | SAINT Michael, MN

Your senior year moves quickly, between Friday night games, college applications, leadership roles and the quiet realization that this chapter of your life is coming to an end.

Thankfully, your senior photo session is one of those rare moments built to slow you down and reflect on what you have achieved thus far. 

This blog highlights how blending two photographic styles can help in creating an eclectic mix of images to savour for years to come.

1. Sports/hobbies: For Captain Andrew, this meant stepping onto his hallowed home turf surrounded by familiar bleachers and open spaces at the STMA Knights high school soccer stadium. While I focused on capturing Andrew's athletic identity, some motion and fun, for Andrew it was an opportunity to express genuine joy and emotion on a field where he has spent endless hours practising and experiencing dramatic wins and losses, resulting in a powerful visual conclusion to his childhood journey.

2. Golden Hour Sunset Portraits: After the soccer photos, our session shifted to sunset portraits at the Fox Hollow Golf Club in St Michael. 

Golden hour isn't just about light; it's about creating a session that feels warm and moody. Focusing on facial expressions with the changing light allows a different side of your senior's personality to shine through. Added to the soft soothing warm glow, Golden hour also creates two of my favourite things: backlighting (hair/shoulders) and sun flares!

Sadly, the most glorious photographic time of the day is also the shortest. Taking advantage of the Golden Hour requires research and precise timing, so scoping out your venue beforehand is crucial.

I hope you enjoy the contrast between these two photographic styles: the sports photos highlight commitment, energy and light-hearted fun, whilst the Golden hour portraits emphasise a more timeless feel, with an emphasis on the with a growing maturity as your teen transitions towards adulthood.

Golden Hour Portrait session at Fox Hole Golf Club in St Michael

“It's one thing to make a picture of what a person looks like, it's another thing to make a portrait of who they are.” — Paul Caponigro

A mix of wardrobe changes/colors not only affect your look, but keep your galleries fresh and interesting too.

“In a portrait, I’m looking for the silence in somebody.” - Henri Cartier Bresson

“It is more important to click with people than to click the shutter.” - Alfred Eisenstaedt