Life in the Fast Lane

Life in the Fast Lane, originally uploaded by Sheba Wheeler.

The senior photo shoot I just finished with my young client, Jordan, was a wonderful success and has given me a plethora of new images to proudly add to my portfolio. Jordan's willingness to try just about any crazy posing idea I threw at her made her a joy to work with, even when the idea itself might not have worked. When I told her about this wacky idea to showcasing her with the world blurred and moving at a fast past around her, she thought it was cool and was up for it.

To make this work, Jordan sat on a median in the middle of a busy downtown Denver street. The space wasn't big enough for me to sit with her and still use my tripod, so I had to handhold this night shot. Many times, my own motion blur ruined the shot, but thankfully just a pop of flash from my 580 EXII was more than enough power to freeze her while still maintaining the movement of traffic behind her in this one. Both Jordan and I could tell that her mother was beginning to get worried about us being near so much busy traffic, so I rattled off as many shots as I could, and we headed back to the sidewalk.

I think this makes for a very unconventional senior portrait shoot, and it will be something Jordan has that very few if any classmates will have duplicated. It's also a good lesson to share with photographers who are shooting senior portraits. Of course you've got to get that traditional shot that the student will turn in to her yearbook staff. But remember that the session is also about having the opportunity to showcase who that student is in his or her life right now.