Craig David Butler
What determines great senior photography?
Many people will say "Hey that's a nice photo". But what makes for a nice photo over what would be considered a great photo of your senior?
To the viewer a great photos could be something totaly different. Some might say it is a nice smile or a beautiful background or that the person looks natural.
In the truest sense of photography a great portrait would be one that captures the image of the person in their most natural state, i.e. looking like themselves. So how would a photographer go about doing this. Many people starting out think it is getting a nice camera and replicating a pose they have seen online, or in a magazine. That might capture a nice photo but is it who that person is?
What separates a great photographer from someone with a nice camera - is quite simple: it is someone that can put a person in their natural state and capture a photo that reveals something very close to who they truly are while bringing out their best features. In that sense a photographer is so much more than just clicking the shutter, they are a person that is a psychologist of sorts. First in figuring out who this person is, and what makes them tick in a fast and efficient manner. Then it is a person that can put people at ease and find that natural state. And finally they are a unique indvidiual that can bring out the essence of who the senior is and what they are all about.
With any profession or trade, experience is paramount. Experience not only with working with seniors but using lighting, finding which features to bring out and which to hide or minimize. Experience in putting the senior at ease is important in capturing natural comfortable poses and expressions. As a
photographer being able to find and use all of these things in every session, in a matter of moments and seeing images, angles and the best options for that particular senior along with being able to know fake from real smiles means so much in senior photography. All of these things truly separates the inexperienced from the experienced senior photographers. Yes I know that was a run on sentence but it was important to show all that go into capturing so much more than just a picture. Its a portrait, a image of the person - it's their history.
People have said I have the unique ability to bring out the beauty in each person. Finding each senior’s unique angles and portraying them like they would love to be seen has been a gift. I have heard so many times from other photographers on how our photos stand out amongst the myriad of photo options. Yes great photography will cost a little more but in the end if you get amazing photos that highlight who you are as a senior wouldn’t it be worth it?