Micaela just graduated from Spring Hill High School.  She was supposed to have her senior photos taken earlier by a family friend who is a photographer, but unfortunately that photographer suffered from a shoulder injury and was unable to do the session.  So her mom, Julie, searched on Google for photographers in Spring Hill and found me.  She said she was looking for someone whose style was more candid and less posed, so she enjoyed my style.  

When I first started shooting seniors, I was a little hesitant because of the fact that I do prefer more natural looking photos.  My concern was how to do that when photographing one person.  For family sessions, I often put families into place and then sit back and capture them as they interact with each other.  That's definitely harder to do when there is only one person in the photo.  I've learned that the key is to try to get them to interact with ME.  Rather than telling them exactly where to stand, how to hold their hand/chin, etc, I just prefer to put them in the right light and then carry on a conversation with them.  This way, hopefully I can capture a look or a motion that is all them.  I just adore Micaela's s serious, thoughtful looks below but I also love her slight smile she gave as we were chatting about her brothers, or their family's vacation to Italy.  

I also like to understand what kind of interests the seniors have before a session.  Micaela will be starting auto-diesel  college soon and wanted to include her car in some photographs.  I thought that was a fun opportunity to play with the lights from the car headlights, and threw in some sparklers just for fun.