Since weddings keep me SO busy (yeah cubicle avoidance!),I don’t shoot many senior portraits, but I always have a lot of fun when I have the privilege of shooting with a high school student. I don’t ever want to be the photographer who "everyone" goes to for their portrait. Rather, I like being an alternative for the student who wants a portrait that doesn’t look like everyone else’s. The opportunity to be creative is what I enjoy so much about my job. If I had to ask everyone to take the same pose in front of the same generic background, I would probably die. But I digress…

My most recent Senior Portrait session was with the talented and beautiful Jessie. I knew from the start she wanted something different, so I worked hard ahead of time (and the day of) to make sure she did. She plays the piano and plays it well. This had to be a part of the session. And because fall is so beautiful in New England, she also wanted some pictures outdoors.

My first thought was to put a grand piano in the woods. I actually found a guy that would do it for me, but it was rather cost prohibitive for a single session. Fortunately, Jessie found a piano in a library that would be available for us to use. Yeah! Still, for the outdoor session, I wanted something unique. A piece of furniture maybe? I scoured the local antique and thrift shops in search of the perfect piece. I found them…two of them…but I only needed one. A pair of antique "gossip" chairs with a beautiful red floral upholstery. Again, the price tag was a bit out of range for one session, so I got creative. I asked the owner if he would rent me one chair for two days. He obliged and I had my prop and a fun surprise for Jessie.

The day of, I did a jog around the Norris Reservation in Norwell to scout out the location. I then met Jessie, her mom Debbie and sister Grace up the street at the library with the piano. After a little rearranging of furniture (that’s my second job – do it ALL the time!), I asked Jessie to sit at the piano and just start playing. She did. I almost couldn’t take pictures because I just wanted to sit and absorb the notes floating around the room. It was magical. "Bella’s Lullaby" (made popular by "Twilight") filled the room and my mind. I didn’t want her to stop playing.

How was I going to capture Jessie’s love for the piano? I kept shooting and thinking. That’s multi-tasking in my book. Right as we were preparing to head outside, the idea hit me. I had Jessie rest her head on her hand on the keyboard. Finally – the shot I had been looking for!

Jessie had a few different dresses with her, so as I packed up my gear, I gave her my truck key and told her to check out the chair and decide which dress she thought went best with it. She kept the red one on. It was a perfect match! I took the chair into the woods out back and we captured the images you’ll see below.

After one more wardrobe change, we headed to the Norris Reservation for some more casual shots. We even snuck Grace in for a couple of shots.

Thanks Jessie (and Debbie) for giving me the opportunity to be creative and share a morning with you!  And Jessie – please don’t ever stop playing the piano.  You have a gift.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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