Senior & High School Student Portraits
My high school student portrait process is designed to create a personalized photo shoot and unique pictures for high school students to create portraits that are unique, artistic and bring out your personality to celebrate what makes you special. Occasionally, I create exceptional portraits because we happened to be at the right place, at the right time with the right outfit. However, most of my best work is the result of getting to know you and carefully planning every detail to ensure we are consistently in the right locations with the right clothing and accessories in order to achieve the desired look. In doing so, it is important I get to know you so we can use our combined creativity to craft and execute a plan that will lead to captivating, inspired portraits tailored specifically for you.
The Planning Session. Before your session, I prefer to meet with you and at least one of your parents to get to know you and plan your photo shoot. I prefer to meet my clients in person, however, if that is not practical, I can “meet” with you over the phone. During our talk, we’ll explore your ideas, interests, activities, accomplishments and other things that make you special. I’ll work with you to translate them into a plan that will create the photographs you expect.. We'll cover everything from locations, clothing, timing and any special concerns or requests. It's not unusual for my clients to want to make changes before the photo shoot so don't hesitate to give to call or email with your ideas or changes. Changes can have consequences you might not be aware of, so be sure to stay in touch so I can help advise about possible tradeoffs and make sure you get the images you are expecting.
Your Photo Sessions. Most of my portrait shoots are 2-4 hours total and usually take place in the late afternoon and early evening when the sun provides the most flattering light. I carefully plan your shoot to make the best use of natural light and locations, minimize travel and keep you in front of the camera as much as possible.
I try hard to make your photo shoot unique, particularly with regard to your classmates. I will do my best to avoid photographing you at the same location as your classmates and if we do, we try to use the location differently.
Clothing. I have a few general rules for clothing: Wear what you love! Bring extra outfits! Accessorize as much as you are comfortable! Dress for the weather. The rest really depends on the location and look we are trying to achieve. I do not don't put arbitrary limits on outfit changes because every person and every situation is different. In the rare case where the number of outfits you are thinking of seems too few for the variety you are looking for or too many for the time we have planned for, we'll advise you about the tradeoffs and help you make the appropriate changes to the plan.
Locations: I prefer to go the extra mile and photograph you at locations that are special to you so your pictures have more meaning (e.g. your home, places where you have grown up or spend a lot of time, places you have always loved.) I have my own favorite locations as well so we can make recommendations to suit what you are looking for and in close proximity to keep travel between locations to a minimum.
Choosing and Ordering: Unlike a simple snapshot, my photography is a two part process resulting in a level of excellence my clients expect from a professional. The process starts with taking the images followed by making them into finished products. The time invested on site at the photo session posing and taking pictures is only a portion of the total process. Each raw image is individually edited and fine tuned using Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom among others to ensure the end result meets the needs of my clients, All clients get product recommendations and an online private gallery for image review.
Prints/Media/Flash Drive: Each client may have a different set of requirements for the final delivered product, therefore instead of offering predefined packages, I prefer to give my clients the flexibility to define a package that meets their needs. This way everyone ends up paying for exactly what they want.
Optional Services: These include: major retouching/artistic effects, photo collages, graphic design, expedited service, etc.
A week or two after your photo shoot I plan to meet with you to show you your proofs and what most do, you can review them all in a private, password protected gallery. I’ll also help you pick your favorites and to place your order. You’ll get about 30 proofs per hour in front of the camera. So, if we did a two-hour session you’ll have about 60 images to review,
Prints: Print orders are placed directly from my website either from your private gallery or from your public gallery.& will be mailed directly to you.
Cost and scheduling: See my Blog titled Rates. If you are trying to figure out how much you can expect to invest in portraits with me, I encourage you to call me at 859-473-2107 and I’ll do my best provide an estimate based on what you want from these portrait sessions.
Testimonials: Many of my clients have been nice enough to share their thoughts about their experiences with me. For example: “I have to share with all sincerity, that you are hands down the most talented photographer of any that I have known or worked with” and another “Jon you made the day live forever and took the moments so perfectly!!!!! I can't say thank you enough!”
Availability and waiting list: I typically schedule only one photo shoot per day and prefer 2-3 weeks lead time. I’ll do my best to schedule those who prefer to have a photo shoot earlier or have a deadline to meet, but preparation is a major key to a successful shoot.