Title: Senior Portraits
Course: Digital Photography

Senior Portraits

Can you create a portrait this good? John L. took this photo of Alex when she was a freshman.

Every year seniors dole out some hard cash for senior portraits. I think we can save them some money and maybe even earn some cash for photo gear here at RHS by helping these seniors.

Assignment:
Choose one senior and arrange a photo shoot. Your goal is to create an awesome senior portrait, one good enough that the seniors will donate money to the RHS photo program. Upload one photograph with a reflection for this assignment. Here's a reminder with instructions on uploading your photo.

Advice:
Think about your setting. One of my son's best senior photos was taken with him next to his beloved Saab Turbo. Portraits that make a statement about the subject with props and background are called environmental portraits. They can be fun and offer a more personalized option to your client.

Don't write off the traditional portrait though. To get the nice blurred background, step back and use a telephoto lens setting to zoom in. Wide-angle lens settings have a greater depth-of-field and will leave the background sharp and in focus.

USE A TRIPOD - There is nothing worse than a great photo ruined by camera shake.