Senior Year Portraits – Always awesome

Kara was very concerned about our upcoming photoshoot. All the kids at her school were getting great photos. But Kara knew she wasn’t photogenic. At least she believed that. Kara’s mother told me she was a tomboy, felt awkward in crowds, and thought photos were BS. But her school did require them. 

So when I first met Kara on the day of the photoshoot, when she removed her baseball per her mom’s request, I was taken aback. I found myself looking at a long-haired brunette, hardly like a tomboy. She was, however extremely shy. Not that it mattered to me. As a longtime professional photographer, I had photographed more shy people than french fries have seen my stomach. And I eat a lot of fries. 

In the beginning of the photoshoot Kara would shrug, reluctantly take direction, more often than not put her palms up and shrug, implying, “what do you mean?” I began to chat away, asking Kara about her life, school, friends, scariest thing that’s ever happened to her, favorite animal, if she had to spend a day as an animal, what would she choose, how would she walk like that animal? Through all of this I kept shooting, sometimes throwing in a directive or two. My finger was on the shutter button, clicking away. Maybe at times I was making a fool out of myself.  Sure and steady, this shy self‑conscious teen began to warm up to my camera. I was soon giving direction and she was following like a pro model, and enjoying it.  By the end of the shoot when I said that’s a wrap, I could tell she was actually disappointed. If I’d have said let’s go another hour, she would’ve been thrilled. 

What I did with Kara to lift her spirits in the photoshoot and allow her to really enjoy it is what I do always. I do it naturally without even thinking about it, without even realizing what I’m doing. It’s just me, a kauai photographer going about his business. What I’m told by my clients is that I’m easygoing and funny. I don’t work at that. It’s simply my personality. What I do work at is craft. I allow my eyes to seek out interesting frames. I’m always observant of where the sun is and where shadows lie. I’m conscious of what lies in the background behind my clients so the tree limbs, for example, don’t appear to be growing out of my subject’s head. I’m always looking for symmetry. I’m always seeking out the unusual so that each photo set is unique and special. 

 See the progression with Kara: shy, less shy, confident, and why Kara and her mom were thrilled with their photo set.  

Ready to Capture Your Senior Portraits in Kauai? 

Don’t settle for hobbyist snapshots. Work with a professional Kauai photographer who knows how to bring out confidence, even in the shyest subjects.  

👉 Book your senior portraits or graduation portrait photography session today with David Marsh at SunsetsAtTheBeach.com and let’s create a photo album you’ll cherish forever.