Senior Portraits | Mountain Boys

Most kids have been in front of a pro camera before.  Everyone remembers those terrible elementary school photos: waiting in line, nervously smoothing your hair & adjusting your shirt, and then sitting awkwardly for your 2 or 3 shots in front of a bad backdrop and intimidating studio lights.  Not that it’s a life-defining, horrifying experience; but it’s definitely not an authentic moment in your childhood.

And, really, authenticity is what I strive for when shooting my portraits.  In this case, I had two teenage boys that didn’t really know what to make of me as I tried to photograph them looking ‘natural.’  But, what’s natural about standing out in the snow wearing ‘nice’ clothes with a stranger waving her lens in your face?!?  Nothing!  Nothing is natural about that!  So, I say, let’s just have some fun with it and see what happens.

Senior portraits are fun.  Really.

With these brothers, I encouraged them to poke & prod & make fun of each other.  I laughed with them about the weirdness of the situation.  And I asked them to bear with me as we leaned over fences, stood in front of aspen, and made the most of the golden hour — not because I wanted the perfect pose but because I sought that moment when I could catch a glimmer of their personality in their expressions.  We also decided to whip out their gear (both are avid skiiers, and one is ranked nationally) as well as get some studio shots so that their mom had plenty of variety when choosing her favorites.  In the end, to me, it’s about documenting these little souls as this very moment, before they race off to the next stage of their lives.  I think that’s the beauty (and authenticity) in senior portraits.