Last weekend I had the pleasure of covering the Winter Formal at Portland Lutheran School. PLS is an independent prep school with students who are highly motivated to learn. This is the second time they asked me to cover an event for them and some of the students remembered me from my first visit. This always makes a shoot easier, because common ground lets everyone relax and be themselves. On a typical shoot I spend a great deal of time conversing so my clients end up feeling more relaxed. Having a relaxed and comfortable subject turns into a much better portrait.
Because of the familiarity I shared with the kids I asked them if they wanted me to take photos with the same poses as last time, or if they wanted to try something different. Several of them wanted to know what “different” meant and I explained that a static photo is fine, but some movement or action would add character to the finished print. There were several of them that were very excited about this idea and we had a great time creating a number of fun poses together.
My photo of the week spotlights a young couple who had mixed opinions about the idea of creating a portrait that was “different.” She was all over the idea, while he was less than enthusiastic about “acting out” some emotion in front of me and his classmates. What can I say; I understand what he was trying to tell me. We’re guys right? We like keeping our emotions close-in. So, I told her to hold on to his shoulder and jump as high as she could while kicking her legs in the air. She just smiled as if to say, “You read my mind.” I told him to stand there with his arms crossed and produce an expression on his face that would let the world know how he was feeling about the entire process. As you can see, the shot worked perfectly. I tweaked it just a bit in Photoshop to bring out the edginess of the moment but the portrait says it all. A wonderful visual statement of how guys and girls handle emotion, “differently.”
What emotion would you “not” like to have recorded on film? Or, what emotion would you be willing to have recorded for posterity?
I really enjoyed your photos. I saw another one this week from McKenzie and Emily – a 007 pose. I am the Executive Director and believe that one of the strengths of PLS is its relational atmosphere. These photos really bring that out. Thanks for working with the kids on this.
Thanks Don for you kind words. The relational atmosphere that you mentioned is one of the main reasons I enjoy coming back to PLS so much. Your work shows through the demeanor of each of your students.