Brittani's senior photo shoot was done early one Saturday morning at a local park. We wanted to provide plenty of opportunity for clothing and hair styling, so Brittani's mother came along as groomer and chaperone.
We began about 8 a.m. so we could take advantage of soft morning light for the background, knowing that the studio lights would be used to illuminate facial features. I used long lenses to blur the background and allow highlights in Brittani's hair to "pop".
You can do a similar shoot with a little planning and a lot of flexibility. Outdoor photo shoots are necessarily dependent on good weather, though clear skies are not the most important thing.... avoiding rain is the most important thing to provide for the safety and comfort of the subject, the photographer and the equipment. If you want to plan and book an outdoor photo shoot, be sure you have the patience to withstand some bugs and heat, some humidity and lots of standing around waiting for the lighting equipment to be moved. This style photo shoot isn't for the weak of heart, but is one of my favorite ways to work (no props to get in the way of YOUR beauty.)
Back in the day, schools required all senior photos to be shot on the same set by the same photographer, who typically contorted everybody's body, neckline and face into the rhythmic grace of robots (for the guys) and girls who looked like they lived in the Valley of the Dolls. But today, almost all school yearbooks provide the opportunity for individuals to create individual looks... so long as the photos meet standards of good taste. Typically, a few portrait studios in most towns do most of the senior portrait work, so while there is variety, you're likely to see just a few styles of photos repeated quite often. YOU have a choice to book a photographer in a place YOU will find the most comfort and poise.