Ali had the first senior session for our class of ‘08 season today, and we’ll do a beach safari in July.  I was lucky enough to have her sister Sade as a client 2 years ago, and am thrilled at how well Ali’s session came out.

At Focus, we offer 14 different photo sessions so that every senior we work with gets a unique session that they choose.  From sports themes such as our superjock session, to fashion portfolios, to our rockstar session, we offer unique photo sessions for unique people.  You can learn more about them here.

These images are from a mother/daughter session we shot at the end of May.  While we often do these relationship studies in dark clothing and low key backgrounds, I think the blue frilly dresses is perfect in these, and emphasizes Caroline’s eyes.

Emily told me that what she loved most about seeing these pictures of Caroline was that they captured her personality, and I’m overjoyed.    Our children’s sessions are completely unstructured and freeform, because I hate the fake smiles that are typically associated with kids photography.  I’ve been trying to find the words to describe it in marketing materials, but I’m visual, and words have never been my strong point. I can describe what I don’t like, and that tells how we got to freeform, but I could really use some help describing what our sessions are. 

Okay, here’s what I don’t like: sit still, say cheese, look at the whatever, don’t move, I’m watching you, don’t move, smile for mommy,  stay right there, smile big, put your hands like this, don’t move.  If you’re looking for pictures of your child with that say cheese smile, hair perfect, upright posture, I’m not your guy.  This is what I know how to say.

What I’m looking for is a playfulness in the eyes, a devious smile, a sense of wonder, joy, and love.  I want to see what parents see in their own minds when they think of their children.  And I want to be able to show you as many sides and natural expressions of your children as I can.  So when Emily told me that this was the real Caroline, it made my week. 

Thanks for letting me share.

Will

So we offer this photo session called the Hollywood Experience, which is focused on getting the glamour and fashion of a 1940s movie studio promo shoot.  Our makeup artist Christine adds a few dramatic touches, and our clients usually enjoy the preening.  Last night we met Briana, a typical 14 year old girl, who came in with sneakers and t shirts, a karate outfit (she’s a black belt at 14!), and the knockout dress you see below. 

Briana just had her braces taken off, and to celebrate the years of wearing them (and the benefits), her parents gave her this photo session.

Briana before the dress and hair….

My mother tells me she hates seeing young women photographed any way but as sweet and innocent, and I think a lot of us understand that.  It seems that adulthood is forced on kids at a constantly younger age, and we offer a lot of other options for photo sessions other than The Hollywood Experience.  But I remember my early teens as a time of enormous self-doubt, wondering what I would turn out like, and desperately wanting a stronger self image (no luck - it turns out I was truly a geek who would keep his acne for twenty more years). We’ve had a lot of people asking us for beautiful portraits of their girls who are in this 12 to 15 bracket, for that very reason.  Reviving Ophelia has raised the awareness that without a positive self image, adolescent girls are far more likely to develop eating disorders, depression, and lower expectations for themselves.  We all deserve to feel good about ourselves, except for meter maids and IRS agents.

Anyway, congratulations Briana, the teeth look terrific, and so do you.

As a photographer, it often seems that stages of most children’s lives that we see are infancy and adulthood, with few visits in between.  Between the first birthday and senior graduation portraits, many families only have school pictures to document their children’s lives.  Jewish families are fortunate enough to Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, and can really celebrate the transition from child to adulthood that happens in the early teens.

We’d like to see more families able to record this special time in their children’s lives.  These girls are all graduating from eighth grade this year, and these are their graduation portraits:

Christina:

Rachel

Vanessa:

Learn more at www.focusphotography.info