Monthly Archives: November 2008

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All About Seniors

November 12, 2008 – 10:29 am

I have thoroughly enjoyed all the high school senior sessions I’ve done this year. I love photographing seniors. I love this age; it is an exciting time in their lives. I remember my graduation being one of the best days of my life up to that point. I was tired of all the “clicks”, the high school drama, and was ready to experience what college life had to offer. These young adults are taking a critical turn in their lives. They will now begin to live on their own and have the opportunity to study what they actually choose to study. They start blazing a new path in their lives. I also have the opportunity to teach this age group in Sunday School every week. I like the intellectual level they are at. We can actually have mature discussions and I can get mature answers from them. They are getting a better understanding of who they really are and what they are made up of…and it is just the beginning for them. It is such an exciting time!

Seniors pictures are not quite what they were 15 years ago when I was graduating. Photography itself isn’t quite what it use to be with the new digital age. While I still appreciate film and what it has to offer, I admit that I completely embrace the digital side of photography. It was because of the endless possibilities of digital photography that my passion and knowledge for the art could grow like wild fire! High school senior sessions now offer so much more variety than ever before.

So parents, yes, I think this is one of the times in your child’s life that you can splurge on them. I think if you are going to invest any money in a photo session for them this is the time. This is the last time they will take pictures for themselves, and this is such a big turning point in their lives. Even though my senior pictures were different 15 years ago than they are today, I remember them being important to me and they still are. It was nice to have a session all about me and to capture myself at that moment in my life. That is what I love about these senior sessions….they are all about THEM and they LOVE it. After this time in their lives, the next major milestone for pictures will be marriage, followed by baby pictures their own family pictures. This is a unique time in their lives and it is fun to have it captured in a unique way.

So this post is a tribute to the 2009 seniors I’ve had the opportunity to work with this year. I’ve enjoyed each and everyone of them and all they’ve brought to each session (guitar playing, break dancing, vibrant personalities, beautiful faces, etc.) Here are a few shots and storyboards of many of them.

This next one includes a poem written by the girl.

By J.Fields | Posted in field sessions, high school seniors, rustic, urban | Comments (8)

Award Winning Photographer!

November 1, 2008 – 10:51 pm

Yep, that would be me! Professional Photographer had a Cover Contest for 2008 and drew more than 50,000 entries from all around the world. I am pleased to announce that my image won 4th place!! Helen Yancy, a past PPA president (with a really long list of degrees), a PPA-approved photographic instuctor and a juror of the PPA International Print Competition was brought in to pick the winning images. You can read the magazine article and view the other winners along with my winning image here.

So, yeah I didn’t make the cover….but out of 50,000 entries, I’d say 4th is still pretty awesome! Helen Yancy described my image as “so fresh and vital.” She said, “I can’t see the subjects face, but I know she’s laughing. The sky is wonderfully exposed. There’s great resolution. It has almost everything we were looking for.” And this was her only criticism that kept it from the top spot: “There isn’t enough space at the top of the image for the masthead. That composition element is all that kept it out of the top spot. That said, I wouldn’t change the image. If there had been room at the top, the viewpoint of the subject wouldn’t have been above my head. That’s where she needs to be for this image to be effective. She needs to be above, flying high into the sky. So what works for a great image doesn’t always work for a cover.”

Well, thank you Helen Yancy for choosing my image as one of the winners. I am really grateful for the opportunity to appear in the Professional Photographer magazine. I also want to thank Miller’s for the $500 lab credit as my winning prize!

Here is my winning image…

This is a picture I had taken of my daughter last Fall on the Elementary school playground. I would hold my camera down low (without looking though the viewfinder) and aim it up towards my daughter as she swung upward. I would take the shot quickly before she swung back down. I had to pull my camera away every time she came back down or else I would get hit. She thought it was hilarious and loved what I was doing. The sky and light were perfect that day with just the right combination of blue sky and clouds. After uploading and editing the image I knew I had something I LOVED and would cherish forever. I was pretty proud of how it turned out. It is printed on canvas and is hanging in my daughter’s room. This image looks incredible on canvas, btw! I have it printed on photograph paper and the canvas does the image more justice. The colors are richer and the detail in the clouds is more defined on the canvas print.

So if you haven’t taken the time to follow the link over to the article I would suggest doing so. It was interesting to read what the criteria were for picking a good cover image. There were awards for 1st through 5th place and 18 other images received honorable mention. They are all great images! The talent out there is really impressive and inspiring. After seeing them and reading the article I felt honored to place 4th. So, thank you again Professional Photographer. This is definitely a big highlight in my photographic career.

By J.Fields | Posted in children, personal | Comments (5)