P#14: A Striking Senior Portrait

The Right Light

Vik Orenstein: In this senior portrait we have a moody light on the subject. When I first started shooting this light, I was torn because I thought, "Maybe it looks sad or maybe it gives a low key feeling to the picture."

Seniors are all about energy and they're on the cusp of taking over the world, or at least going out into it. I thought, "Maybe I shouldn't be shooting this kind of light on seniors." (click the image for a larger version)

Before I started using it on senior portraits, I had been using it on shots of elderly people -- not that I wanted them to look sad but I just thought it really brought out their character.

Of course high school seniors don't have a lot of character on their faces yet but it turned out to be very, very popular with my clients, especially the parents of girls because they perceive it as empowering. Rather than being low key or moody, they see it as a really powerful picture. I do that with just about every senior portrait that I shoot now.

Audri Lanford: What is it that you're doing with the light? It's absolutely gorgeous.

Vik Orenstein: Thank you. I actually used subtractive lighting on the shadow side of the face, so I'll put a 4x8 black panel next to the senior. It's to the left as you're looking at the picture. Then I bring I think it's a 4x6' soft box directly to the side or a little bit forward but almost directly to the side of the subject and just completely light them from the right.

To Conclude

When it comes to lighting, the obvious choice isn't always the best. This senior portrait is proof of that very fact.