Ben's mom and dad -assistants for the night!

Ben is a Senior at Mayo High School who is active in Robotics, Science Olympiad and Band.  He plans to pursue mechanical engineering in college.  We recently had senior photo-shoot downtown.  It was definitely one "for the books" as there was the downtown concert series going on called,  "Down by the Riverside" and it featured the Gin Blossoms.  What great background music for a senior session!

KMP:  What advice would you give to a fellow senior who is soon to get their senior photos taken? 
Ben: Wear clothes that you feel comfortable in, and go into it with a good attitude.

KMP:  How did you decide on your location(s)/what to wear?
Ben: Primarily I took advice about good spots from Mrs. Murphy and I looked at what my friends were wearing for their sessions.


KMP:  What was your favorite part of the senior photo shoot? 
Ben:  I liked that I got to enjoy listening to music that was playing from Down By the Riverside during my session.

This looks like it is out in the middle of the countryside, but it was actually taken downtown right by the Civic Center!

KMP:  What surprised you about the experience, or what was the most interesting part of the session?
Ben:  I thought that I would feel more uncomfortable being in such an active public setting as downtown Rochester than I ended up feeling.

KMP:  If you were to recommend this experience to your best friend, what would you say?
Ben:  I would explain how Mrs. Murphy treats you as her subject. She not only takes great photos, but does a very good job at making sure that you are comfortable with the situation/scene.

Mom and Dad photobombing Ben!

What are your Interests/activities at school? 
I play softball and I really enjoy being a part of the school spirit activities like GOFA, homecoming and football season, prom, etc. 

What are your future plans once you graduate?
I hope to head to college to become a probation officer or work as a child advocate.

If someone you knew expressed that they were nervous about getting their senior photos taken, what advice would you give them?
The professional pictures Kathleen Murphy took of me were SO much better than the pictures my friends and I take of ourselves. It was scary and seemed weird at first, but Kathleen made me feel at ease and comfortable.

How did you decide what to wear?
I chose my favorite clothes and the things I thought I looked best in. Since I am a simple girl, I chose two looks and two types of backgrounds.

What was your favorite part of the senior photo shoot?  
None of it was forced. It was easy going. My suggestions were taken by Kathleen and she made my vision even better.

What surprised you about the experience?
It was easy going and not worrisome at all. Usually, for school pictures, I have a forced smile, but I was relaxed and so my real personality showed through.

How did you decide on your location(s)?
I didn't want the basic pastures, stereotypical pictures etc. I wanted something that reflected my personality more so I told Kathleen that I wanted urban, architecture, etc. and she knew just the places to take me. She saw things in a way I didn't.

What were your favorite images from the session and why?
I picked two pictures that showed me in a way I had never seen before. I loved the way I looked in them. (the two white outfits) and then I picked two that had an amazing composition. The foreground and background, were amazing, as well as the way I was framed in them.  I really like art and photography, so seeing this was really cool. 

Meet Drew,  a senior at Century High School.  Drew and his mom arranged for his senior photos to be taken downtown on a Thursday evening.  It was also "Thursday's on First" and for locals you know what that means!!!  Our meeting place, usually complete with ample parking suddenly had a shortage! This led to yours truly standing in the middle of a newly vacated spot, saving it until they  could snag it.   Whew!  Once that was settled, we took few shots down by the Zumbro River and then headed to another location to snag a skyline picture of Rochester.  We capped off our tour of downtown  at dusk, with twinkling lights behind him. 

Erin's mom booked a high school senior shoot with me early last spring.  Her mom and I discussed what her daughter was hoping for in a shoot and we reserved a day and time in August.  Erin is in drama at school and hasa keen interest in period clothing, so I asked if Erin would be willing to do a special 1940's inspired photo-shoot after we completed her senior photos.  Erin agreed and she and her mom began to assemble wardrobe items for the shoot.

​A few weeks later, we met at La Sata Salon and Day Spa for Erin's hair and makeup Jodi Lynn did her hair in soft waves and Elena did Erin's makeup with the historical accuracy of the 1940's, complete with the orange-red lip!     

What was the experience like getting your hair and makeup done?  Were you surprised by the look?
The experience of getting my hair and makeup done was really cool! I’d wanted to try getting my hair and makeup done professionally for a while, so I was really excited about this opportunity. Jodi Lynn and Elena were lovely and both did fantastic jobs! I kept my hair and makeup done for hours after the photoshoot because I didn’t want to stop looking the way I did. The look wasn’t what I had been thinking about, so it surprised me, but it was wonderful! I especially loved the eyeshadow and how great my brows looked! I kept thinking about Marilyn Monroe and Bette Davis when I looked at it. I felt like a movie star all day! ​

Tell us about your clothing choices...Where did you find your clothes?  What tips would you share about picking out a wardrobe to inspire a specific era?  Was there something you wanted to wear but didn't get a chance to?  Tell about each ensemble.  
My mom was really helpful in helping me pick out all the clothes. We both made Pinterest Boards of forties clothes and forties themed photoshoots that we liked (which I recommend to anyone doing a photoshoot, themed or not), and then we went through my closet trying to find pieces that resembled those in the pictures. I happened to have quite a few pieces that worked, so we didn’t have to go shopping. The mustard dress and blue coat, an ensemble we called “Mustard” both came from Savers. The blue shoes were also from Savers. My dad got me that red hat as a Christmas present from a hat store in San Francisco. It wasn’t originally supposed to go with this outfit, but when my mom and I tried the combination I fell in love with the primary color palette! 
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​If you could only pick one image from the shoot and publish it, which image would it be?
There were several that I really loved, but the full-length black and white one in the polka dot dress is probably the photo I would publish. I think it looks really cool and classy, and the black and white of course makes me think of a 1940s starlet. Also, my dad said I looked like Winona Ryder in this picture, so I have to love that! 

What was the hardest part of the experience?
I think the hardest part of the experience was trying to come up with new things to do with my face and arms for each shot. Ultimately I found that just trying to smile worked really well, and the photos make the sore cheeks worth it! 

What would you say to anyone considering a stylized photoshoot representing a theme or an era?  What tips would you have for them?
Like I said for the clothing, I would suggest making a Pinterest board of inspiration to figure out what you want to do with the photos, and then experiment with clothes. Put pieces from one outfit with pieces from another outfit. Mix and match and have fun! If you need/want to go shopping, especially for a period shoot, I would recommend looking around consignment and thrift stores. There’s a lot of great things to find in those stores if you look around! When it comes to the shoot, I would say to just relax and embrace the theme/era. Some of my favorite pictures are candid ones where I’m relaxed and laughing! ​

KMP:  What was your favorite part of the experience?
 
Sophia:  My favorite part of the experience was the high fashion part of the shoot with the formal dress and the interesting backgrounds, like the Civic Center and the street/traffic in front of the library.   I liked it because I really liked the dress and it was exciting being dressed up and made up and taking the photos in interesting places.

KMP: What would you say to anyone considering a stylized photoshoot? For example, what tips would you have for them?  (like...wear a button up shirt to the salon, look through magazines for some inspiration...etc..

Sophia:  For anyone considering a stylized photo shoot, I would recommend picking a theme that you are passionate about and researching styles online, looking at ideas on Pinterest and other internet sites related to your theme for ideas.  I love fashion and Paris and I worked with the photographer to share ideas and come up with the look.  I would suggest you wear comfortable clothes to the salon that won’t mess up your hair or make-up, like a button-up shirt or zip up hoodie.

 What surprised you about the experience?
 
Sophia:  What surprised me the most about the photo shoot was the end result.  I have never seen myself so sophisticated and during the shoot I couldn’t imagine what it would look like.  The hair and makeup was different from what I typically wear so I wasn’t sure how it would end up and I was a bit anxious about that, but the end results were so different from what I expected and I loved the look and how it all came together.    Kathleen made it so comfortable for me and even though I had never done any modeling before, she helped me feel like I was doing a great job, even when I wasn’t sure of what to do.   
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KMP:  ​If you could only pick one image from the shoot and publish it, which image would it be?
 
Sophia:  If I could pick one image from the shoot and publish it, it would be the one where I am laughing.  It was the most natural one that feels like the real me and it shows how fun it was.  I also really like the one near the street with the traffic in the background because I saw a picture online of someone in Paris that did that and it reminded me of that photo.  The sophisticated dress with the traffic in the background looks so cool and I couldn’t imagine how it would look at the time, but it ended up one of my favorites.

Our shoot was scheduled for a day when all forecasts predicted rain.  But, since hair stylist, Jodi Lynn and makeup artist, Elena from La Sata Salon were booked and ready to make our Paris inspired photo session a reality, we decided to thumb our nose at Mother Nature and go for it!  ​

La Sata Salon's very talented makeup artist, Elena, carefully checks the application after applying blush to the cheekbones.  

Applying the classic red lipstick....

Notice the beautiful and timeless chignon, a classic hair design by the extremely creative and talented Jodi Lynn of La Sata Salon.  

We began our shoot near the Rochester Civic Center and gradually worked our way over to Central Park where we had a lovely vintage style clock and classic Parisienne street lamps as a backdrop.  There we took her chignon down; made a loose side pony tail, donned a red beret and peacoat with a classic tartan plaid skirt and simple suede flats.  Afterwards, we opted for a few urban shots; Sophia's hair completely down with loose, soft curls courtesy of the pin curls.  And,  just as the rain began to fall, we finished up in a green space near the Baldwin Building downtown with the Plummer building in the distance.  ​

Next blog post.... we will interview Sophia about her experience a find out what surprised her about the experience and which is her favorite image.

 Do you want a photo shoot with a fashion edge, that reflects a specific feeling or atmosphere?  If so, lets talk about your ideas, and together, we will come up with a one of a kind photoshoot that reflects your personality.  ​