The last thing teenage boys want to do is take pictures, especially my youngest son. As a mom and a photographer, I wanted nice graduation pictures of him and knew he wasn’t going to be cooperative. Their senior pictures were taken a year ago during the summer between their junior and senior year and they’ve changed since then. I had to think outside the box and make it something he would have fun with instead of dread.
They usually have a reception two hours before graduation where everyone has the chance to get together with their friends and take pictures. Due to Covid restrictions, they aren’t doing that this year. I rounded up his core group of lifelong friends and invited them to a graduation session in the park instead.
This was a great idea! We weren’t rushed, I could bring all the right lighting equipment, I could find a nice spot to take the pictures and there weren’t a million other parents trying to accomplish the same thing. Dare I say, they even had fun.
We did individual shots of all the boys and then buddy shots and group shots. Hopefully, they will enjoy having some professional photos of their accomplishment, at least I know their moms are appreciative.
After the “formal” poses I let them chat and have fun and get a little silly. Their personalities really came out then. Plus, all four of them are theater kids in some capacity, so that always makes for a more animated session.
Check out some highlights from this session below.
