Senior Guys And Their Cars
Unique Senior Photo Session
Two Brothers, Two Cars
This senior session was a little bit unique, and made for some of my favorite pictures of 2023.
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I photographed two brothers at the same time.
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It was in a new (and challenging!) location I had never been to.
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The brothers had matching black Dodge Chargers.
Carson had just graduated from Bellarmine College Prep and his brother, Christian, didn't get senior pictures since it was deep into Covid when he graduated. Mom decided to get both boys photographed at the same time. So smart!
Both boys have the sweetest Chargers and wanted pics with their cars. Mom suggested the Alviso marshlands in San Jose, right on the tip of San Francisco Bay. I had not photographed there but was willing to check it out to see if it would work. I never photograph at a location without scouting it first.
Scouting the Location-Tough Spot-No Trespassing
No Shade, Very Windy
The first thing I noticed, there was no shade and it was windy. Darn! Both can be challenging. It is a nice setting but the actual location is basically a boat launch and a parking lot. No buildings to lean against, no trees, no benches or stairs to sit on. Just a parking lot. I noticed a few railings and an unusual yellow wall that looks like one side of a house. OK, I can work with that.
When I was leaving, I saw some abandoned buildings 3 blocks away-one wood, one brick. Ooohhh, my favorite! AND there were no trespassing signs and a chain link fence around them. Darn! I called and asked if they would be ok hopping the fence and they said sure. Alviso is a pretty sleepy and small part of town so I wasn't too worried.
The Photo Session
Did we get caught? Maybe...
The day of the session we started at the brick building. I told everyone that we had to work fast. I photographed both boys, then headed over to the wooden building (had to hop another fence) and got the boys together. They were just starting to relax and have some genuine smiles, and...a truck pulls up. "Hey, what are you doing?" someone yells. A man in a ranger uniform gets out of his car. Busted! I am like a deer in the headlights. "How did you get in there?!"
"Uh, over the fence," I say. He opens the locked gate and escorts us out. Darn! But, I did get a fantastic shot of both boys that ended up being the album cover. See it below.
Thank goodness for my flash!
We head to the marsh and it's windier than heck. Mom's hair is flying around, as is Carson's. It's VERY sunny and I'm trying my best to balance my settings so I can get natural skin tones without blowing out the scenery behind them. Thank goodness I have my off-camera flash that helps with all of that.
What to Wear?
Sports gear is always a good idea.
The boys are big baseball fans so they changed into jerseys and we got pics by the wooden railing I had seen at the scouting session. You can see how the sky and the lighting is changing in this series of pictures. We started with them together and it is still a very bright, white sky. Then I took pics of Carson (in the blue jersey). One shot is towards the sun, then I switched positions and faced north. Notice how the sky is more blue? When I took Christian's pictures, the sun is starting to set. It is golden hour. Conditions are perfect. The sky is turning beautiful colors and I can control the shadows and skin tones easily (unlike all the other shots prior to this point.) When he put his glove on his demeanor changed. He is a pitcher and he knew exactly what to do. It all came naturally. I wanted to keep photographing him here because he finally was relaxed, BUT, it was golden hour and we needed to set up the cars. I quickly wrapped up and told the boys to change and get the cars FAST! That series of pics takes 9 minutes.
Senior Car Pics
There is something about senior guys and their cars.
I'm winging it because I have never shot 2 kids and 2 cars before. I have about 20 minutes until it gets really dark. Darn! The boys have changed and they look great. Mom did a good job of coordinating clothing. The cars were shiny and looked so cool. My mind was racing. I had to work quickly to get 2 sets of individual shots AND pics of them together. I did my best to get a variety of sitting standing, smiling, serious. The clock was ticking.
It's a wrap!
Who else wants pictures with their car??
Before we know it, the ranger (a different one) was telling us to pack it up. Blue hour is now over and it's completely dark. I snap a few more hoping my camera and flash are set correctly and we are done.
This session really challenged me but was also very satisfying and I would love to photograph here again. Anyone??
7 Comments
Jul 12, 2024, 9:41:35 AM
Jodi Major - Great Alviso senior session with guys and cars. Such a great variety and options for these seniors
Jun 27, 2024, 12:19:57 PM
Christy Wright - Hi Susan, I don't think most people understand why it's tough photographing at a new location. There are so many variables, like where the sun and shade are, wind conditions, etc. This spot had the shortest golden hour. It went from bright sun to sunset so fast. That was a surprise to me. Thanks for the comment!
Jun 27, 2024, 10:07:38 AM
susan - I love the behind the scenes and how you explained your choices!
Jun 26, 2024, 3:38:34 PM
Christy Wright - So many kids lost out on senior photos during Covid, or just didn't do them for whatever reason. Getting pics a year or two later works so well! Thanks for the comment Brandi!
Jun 26, 2024, 2:41:57 PM
Brandi - What an awesome idea to add big brother so that mom has photos of both boys! These images are beautiful and I am sure their album is perfect!
Jun 26, 2024, 2:30:54 PM
Christy Wright - Thanks Michelle! The family loves the pictures, album and wall art.
Jun 25, 2024, 6:36:49 PM
Michelle Robertson - You've done a beautiful job creating senior photos for these guys! I always love car sessions!