Behind the Scenes of a Senior Picture Shoot with DFW photographer Lisa McNiel

 Off-Camera Flash and lens choices for Senior Pictures - Behind the Scenes

What looks are you drawn to? Do you like back light that wraps around the subject giving them shape and life? Do you love unposed photos? Do you like the unexpected?

Whatever it is, you know it when you see it. Find a photographer who knows how to bring it to life!

Jackson and his mom, Donna, were ready to have fun, throw down some poses with attitude, and were up for anything.

Since Donna took some Behind the Scenes shots of me shooting I decided to do a blog on how these shots were accomplished.

In the shot above, I was taking advantage of the leading lines of a side street. Mom was watching for cars, but there were very few. I loved the backlight on his hair from the sun. He nailed the "bad boy" look in all black. 

For more ideas and locations, or for Senior Pictures for boys or girls, check out my website: Dallas Photographer or follow me on Pinterest Dallas Senior Pictures

 In the shot above I have the light onto his face which is balancing the light on the buildings in the distance. By being down low where he is, I can avoid the distracting red lines and boring street.

The example below shows how you can light up the hair from behind if the exposure without lighting is balanced and the face is well-lit. You can see in the BTS that the light is out of frame down on the back of his head.

What often surprises people is how far away I get from the subject. If I have my lens extended to 200 mm and opened wide at 2.8, I can get great separation of the subject from the background as well as compressing the background.

I like to shoot down low for a number of reasons: 

1. The background is more interesting. See how the beautiful green and yellow leaves are out of focus and making dreamy bokeh? It's so much more interesting than the brown dirt.

2. It's special. We all like special, right? When you can't do it with a phone unless the light in front is brighter than the light behind, this sets the photos apart.

3. It gives the subject strength in the image. I like to get photos straight on and looking down to the senior boy or girl, but this is another tool to show how big they've become and what the future could hold.

Sunset Shots!

We all stop and stare at a sunset. We grab our phones and try to get pictures from the car. We stop and recognize something beautiful, rhythmic and so very much bigger than any of us. I love getting a good sunset shot and this genuine smile at his mom by Jackson is one of my favorites. 

To accomplish this shot you have to get there before the sun is actually set, there has to be a little gold from the sun still, then you underexpose in camera and add off-camera flash to the subject. For this shot I had to darken the flash spill on the log.

I hope you enjoyed this and were able to learn something. Please send me a note if you have any questions or are interested in Senior Pictures in the Dallas Fort Worth area!