a pre-shoot meeting with one or both parents to deter-
mine what is expected.)
Posing.
Adolescents and high-school seniors will react poorly to
traditional posing, yet some structure is needed. The best
way to proceed is to choose a natural pose.
Relaxed and Natural.With boys, find a pose that
they feel natural in and work out of that pose. Find a
comfortable seat, even if it’s on the floor of the studio,
and then refine the pose to make it a professional por-
trait. A good pose for teenage boys is to have them thrust
their hands in their pockets with the thumbs out. It is a
kind of “cool” pose in which they’ll feel relaxed. Be sure
to keep space between their arms and body. Another
good pose for boys is to have them sit on the floor with
one knee up and wrap their hands around the knee—a
variation on the “tripod pose” described earlier for small
children. It is a casual pose from which many variations
can be achieved.
Girls, like women of all ages, want to be photographed
at their best—looking slim and beautiful. Therefore, it is
imperative to use poses that flatter their figures and make
them look attractive.
Active.Seniors and teens like activity and bright col-
ors in their portraits. They also like their music playing in
the background as they pose, so ask them to bring along
a few CDs when they come to have their portrait made.
Work quickly to keep the energy level high.
Try to photograph several different settings with at
least one outfit change. Show them the backgrounds and
props that you have available and ask them to choose
from among them. You should have a wide variety of
backgrounds and props to choose from. You will be sur-
prised at what they select.OLDER CHILDREN,TEENS,AND SENIORS 95FACING PAGE—Tim Schooler’s seniors love his work and seem to re-
ally admire him as a person and a photographer. His website is
loaded with unedited comments from seniors, many of whom call
him “Mr. Tim.” Mostly they thank him because the session was a
“really a blast” and they had a great time.
ABOVE—Chris Nelson loves to take his senior subjects to an auto
graveyard in a rural setting—and the kids he photographs seem to
like it, too.