Apparently it is that time of year, I actually have no idea how the senior portrait schedule works though I think I have it figured out now – the 2017 seniors are having their pictures taken in 2016. 😉  Today was my very first senior session. I have been so thankful for friends referring me to their friends, and for the new clients who have taken a chance on me.

For as nervous as I was initially, I actually had a really fun time today. Seniors are easier to direct and pose (mainly because they’re older than 10-years old) and seniors have attitude that I can totally appreciate. This guy is going places and has many talents!

behind the photos | in traditional Kansas fashion, it was windy. I did my best to find backgrounds out of the wind and to shoot between wind gusts. I used Lightroom presets for the majority of the pictures with a handful of hand edits. The only presets I use are Mastin Labs. They are gorgeous and consistent every time my pictures are spot on SOOC. (straight out of camera) This would be for a longer post, but deciding whether to use hand-edits vs Mastin is a balance between gut feeling and the overall feeling on the session. I never just throw on a preset and call it good. Even presets require additional correcting for color, exposure and temperature. This kid had a great vibe and is totally model material (though he wouldn’t agree with me on that) and Mastin just fit. You’re probably never going to hear a more straight answer from me than that, my post-editing style is 100% gut feeling and that is why I can’t imagine that all of my pictures will ever look exactly the same when I’m done with them. Every moment, every session, every lighting situation, every person are so different and I base my final edits on the energy I feel from that. Shot with Canon 5D III + 35L & 85 1.8