Omar - Senior Portrait

I was just recently thinking about developing my senior picture portfolio because I really want to shoot more of them. Out of the blue I get an email from the family of one of my previous brides saying they have a son who is in town from out of state and would like to get some senior pictures done on the beach. Perfect! Omar said he wanted something different. Even better. I already knew Omar was into soccer, but early in the shoot I tried to learn a little more about him. What I learned is that he is soccer, soccer and more soccer. Being a soccer player myself, I had a great time setting up some of those shots. We got LOTS of great images and it was real hard to pick just a few to post here. We didn't have a giant "08" statue, but I think me made due just fine (can you feel the sarcasm?).

Congratulations on your senior year Omar and thanks for being a great sport during the shoot!

This is just a nice portrait of Omar. Nothing too crazy. But the added reflector held by my lovely assistant and wife Karen makes the lighting perfect.

OK, let's get right down to the soccer shots! This is a great shot to start with. I think it looks like a cool poster or magazine ad!
This is a great action shot. The placement of the light adds depth to the shot without overpowering it. I love the sand being kicked up.
I really love this shot. Omar was knocking out some headers with the sweet sunset in the background. A big problem with this shot was that the white ball is so much brighter than Omar's face and body. I could either make him look good or the ball look good, but not both. So, we got a little creative. My assistant is holding the flash just out of the frame with it zoomed in and aimed right at Omar's face. Just enough light spilled on to the ball to illuminate it without overexposing it.

Omar juggling in front of the setting sun. I got several shots with good body/foot/ball position, but the gull adds a nice touch to this one and helps set the beach location.
With a minimal amount of gear and a good understanding of light, it is possible to make nice studio-quality portraits right on the beach!
I really like this shot more and more each time I look at it. I am usually a big fan of underexposing the background and using the flash to make the subject "pop" (like the header shot above). But I have been experimenting more with using the flash as an accent that is barely noticeable. The flash makes a HUGE difference in this image, but you can't even tell I used one.
And a final shot that used the post-sunset sky for a moody portrait of Omar. Yeah, these last three images are all "serious" ones, but for each pose, I did get one of him smiling.

Not bad for a one hour shoot! We even got in a family portrait and a few with his brothers. Seniors, I hope you are inspired by this! Give me one hour and I'll deliver some unique images that fit your personality. And we will have some fun too!

Congratulations Omar and the best of luck as you begin the next chapter in your life.