The Importance of Accessories in Senior Sessions
Accessories can take can easily take a good image to a stylish image!
Let’s talk about the
Importance of Accessories
in Senior Sessions.
Adding accessories to an outfit for a Senior Session can make the difference between a good photo and a refined photo. Simple things like a hat, chain, or sunglasses add just that finishing detail to images. In addition, accessories give the Senior’s hands something to do. All of DJH’s Senior Sessions come with wardrobe and styling consultation to provide information on how to get the most of your Senior Session!
A simple hat gives her hand something to do.
Chains give a bit of a flair and style to a casual outfit.
Sunglasses are always stylish and give options for posing.
Sunglasses also allow me to shoot in direct sunlight for an edgy look.
Men’s watches (or bracelets) always add a finishing detail of style to an image.
Again, a watch adds that bit of sophistication.
A hat and a long necklace provide for a casual chic look, and gives the hands something to do in posing.
Hats on guys, a cool belt and boots are always in style.
Learning, Laughter and Rediscovering Purpose
“I’ve never seen a potato chip look so GOOD!” Eric ( or is it Mark?) exclaimed as Course 4 of our 5 course meal arrived to the table. We roared with laughter at our closing meal together at the inaugural LUXE Workshop hosted by Annie Marie, Annie’s son, Nelson, a professional Chef had been delivering one gorgeous, delicious dish after another, and Eric ( Mark?) was right! A potato chip HAD never looked so damn sexy!!
Sexy potato chips on braised beef
I spent 3.5 days with photographers from around the country this past weekend, in Minneapolis at a fine art workshop hosted by Annie Marie. Annie Marie is one of 14 Photographers in the world to earn the title of Fellow. She is ranked 11th in the Country and 62nd in the world by WPE International Photography Awards. In addition, she is hands down the most humble, kind and caring individual I think I have ever met. Her willingness to teach and give of her time is SO incredible in an industry that can, at times, seem very cut-throat.
The crew by Annie’s super cool truck!
To be honest, I knew I should be excited to be going to this workshop, that I purchased back in January, but I wasn’t feeling it as I made the drive to Minneapolis. The world has been in a bit of a hiccup the last couple years, this past spring was trying and tough for a variety of reasons, and I was feeling emotionally, professionally, and creatively drained. I had not had any kind of professional workshopping/training/ or fellowship in over 2 years and it was taking its toll.
Owning your own business is HARD. So many days feel like pulling a plow uphill. In an industry that doesn’t have criteria, certification, or really any guidelines as to what makes one a “Professional Photographer” it can feel like whack a mole trying to stay ahead of the continuous influx of “photographers.” This isn’t just in our industry though… It’s in is so many where the lines between Professional and want-to-be are greatly blurred and consumers don’t have the knowledge to know the difference.
I drove to Minneapolis listening to podcasts by Jena Golden, another industry leader, just trying to find some inspiration. Through the hours of listening, I definitely heard some golden nuggets in them, and I was feeling a little more like what I do actually has a purpose, by the time I rolled into Minneapolis.
Meeting the gang! From front left, Alba, Carrie, Eric, Annie, Karen, Regina and myself!
Flower Crowns
We spent the first evening eating and then building flower crowns. It was so fun to see everyone’s creativity come to life as we picked our colors and burned our fingers and made these gorgeous crowns!
Day 2 consisted of learning Annie’s lighting tips and techniques using both Natural and Strobe light. She had 4 models scheduled to come through the day. She would be in charge of styling and lighting two, and then we had the opportunity to completely style our own model.
First up was Annie’s beautiful niece Jenna. She styled her in two different looks and photographed her, and then we had our own opportunity to photograph Jenna.
Edit 1 of Jenna’s look
Edit 2 of Jenna’s look
Edit 1 of her flower look
Edit 2 of this look. I was getting “Mad Hatter” vibes and went with it.
Next up was Ethan, who was incredibly adorable and patient with all of us!
Fart jokes always make little boys laugh!
Those eyes!!
Our amazing Models, CeCe and Ali arrived and we went to work styling them. I had picked a long green dress for CeCe that reminded me of a twist on a 1920’s dress, so I went with that vibe.
What you see
a behind the scenes look…
Final edit
Another BTS…
Adjusting lights and posing…
Final image
Using the flower crown I had created
To have this opportunity to play with everything Annie has, from her style closet to accessories was such a blast. On day three we learned valuable editing techniques that I utilized on the above images. Her wealth of knowledge, from being in the industry 28 years is incredible and her willingness to share goes beyond anything!
Annie surprised us by saying we, ourselves, would have an opportunity to be photographed by her. I will be honest and this terrified me. Noone tells you how much your body will change in your late 40s, while trudging through a pandemic, while owning a business. To say I’ve had some major body image issues lately, is an understatement. Usually I don’t recognize the person in the mirror. But I trusted her, and placed myself in her hands.
Image by the incredible Annie Marie
There she is… I can finally see her…. she has changed, but she is older and wiser. She is full of conviction and knows who she is, more than any other time in her life. Thank you Annie, for allowing me to see myself with eyes that are not full of shame and, honestly, disgust. Thank you for reminding me to show myself grace, and that I need to be real, not perfect.
I feel like I have made relationships for life with these people. We came together in a “Real World” show kind of way and bonded incredibly. From potty breaks to learning lyrics to songs I don’t ever need to listen to again and boy did we laugh!. We renamed each other, learned about lefse, Quatemala, El Salvadore and heard a lot of excited Spanish! We all needed to bottle some of Alba’s energy for ourselves, and it was absolutely an experience I needed more than I realized.
Whatever your passion is, take time to connect with others who care as much about your passion, as you do. To sit with these people and swap ideas, links, horror stories, fears and laughs filled something in my soul that was definitely lacking.. Owning your own business can get really damn lonely. No one will ever care about it as much as you do. Take time to connect, to learn and grow, to re-ignite your passion. Connect with others and you will remember what you do, really is important and valuable, and you will remember that you have gifts to give, gifts that the world needs you to share.
Senior Session Locations: Think Outside the Norm
I love Senior Sessions. They truly are my jam! They are my favorite. They are the sessions I think prep for and get excited about! All my seniors have a pre-consultation to discuss their visions for their session. I always tell them, and their parents “These are not senior pictures of our day. Anything goes. You want to eat buffalo wings for your senior pics? I can make them look amazing!” I really encourage them to think outside the box.
I love Senior Sessions. They truly are my jam! They are my favorite. They are the sessions I overly prep for and get excited about. All my seniors have a pre-consultation to discuss their visions for their session. I always tell them, and their parents, “These are not senior pictures of our day. Anything goes. You want to eat buffalo wings for your senior pics? I can make them look amazing!” I really encourage them to think outside the box.
Outdoor setting produce gorgeous images. I love the big fat white clouds against the blue of North Dakota summer skies. I love a headed-out wheat field and I love LOVE our sunsets.
However.
I don’t like mosquitoes.
And flies and fire ants and snakes.
And rain (my camera especially doesn’t like rain.)
And I really loathe wind. Wind makes me so crabby…. (ask my husband how I feel about wind…)
So this is why I encourage to (in addition to outdoor images) think outside the box! Be unique and creative with an indoor location.
Many people have come to think of Studio Photography as boring, old-fashioned, blah. The reality is the controlled environment of a studio is what allows for complete manipulation of the setting and the lighting. The majority of any images seen in magazines are done with studio lighting… even if they are in the middle of a desert. The skill-set knowledge I have in utilizing off-camera flash (that big old umbrella thing you will see Leah or myself lugging around), allows me to take any location, control the lighting and create studio-worthy images.
Riverside Gardens in Valley City was absolutely accommodating when I asked if I could shoot inside their greenhouses. I have wanted to do a green-house shoot for a few years, and this year, I had the perfect Senior in Brynn. Brynn is a lover of flowers and animals and exudes a modern day Hippie vibe. We collaborated on the styling for the shoot and she rocked it.
When utilizing indoor locations, I look for patterns, color, and textures. The greenhouse was full of them and we did an entire session inside their walls. I absolutely love these images and hope you can see why thinking outside the norm results in gorgeous scroll-stopping images!
The Importance of Styling in a Senior Session
Have you wondered why some photos just pop more than others? Styling and Color Theory are two of the reasons!
Have you ever wondered why you are drawn to some images far more than others? Have you ever wondered why some images make you stop your scroll and others don’t? Two of the reasons that your eye may be drawn to an image is because of styling and color theory, which are the things I will talk about in this blog.
When I saw these beautiful crab apple trees blossoming, I knew I had to do a session with them! I asked the beautiful Rachel if she would let me photograph her for some marketing images and she gladly agreed. To me, the trees were vibrant, but feminine. They evoked a romantic spring vibe. I knew that the styling would have to match. Having her pose in a pair of jeans and a T-Shirt would never produce the same effect as finding soft and flowing dresses.
We are at the advantage of having Blush an amazing boutique located here. Penny is always more than willing to help me carry out my visions. We wandered through her store and we pulled the dresses you see in the images. I was careful to pick colors that would compliment the vibrant pink. What would those colors be? Understanding color theory, and using a handy app I have, I knew what to avoid, or what would work. This was a good starting point.
Color theory is HUGE in understanding why some images just jive more than others. In understanding what colors work, the whole image become cohesive and more pleasing to the eye.
Styling this session, to create an overall, soft and romantic look was vital to create eye-catching images. Prop choice plays into the styling also. Not only did the color work with the styling, the fact it was wicker also helped with the soft and romantic feel.
