Seniors, Seniors, Seniors! (Senior Portrait Photography)

After almost a two year hiatus from shooting full time, things are getting back in the swing here at SL+P. More details will be forthcoming soon, but suffice it to say that I think this is going to be another great year for seniors at SL+P. I personally believe that every senior should have a chance to have insightful, artistic portraits to remember such an important year. 

So… I’m going to start with a “Teaser” of sorts with some of my favorite shots from various senior shoots from the past few years. Know that I set aside up to THREE hours for my sessions, i take my time, I allow unlimited outfit changes, and I LOVE to get out and scour Baton Rouge (or wherever!) for unique (and sometimes scary, lol!) locations.

Check it out classes of ‘12 and ‘13!

Cheers! Shelby

Senior Redux! (Senior Portrait Photography)

Keeping with the theme of seniors, I thought I’d put up a few more shots to give an even greater sense of what I do with the camera.

Suffice it to say, I find seniors to be some of my favorite work. I love fashion. I love youth. I love being outdoors. I love trying artistic stuff in crazy locations…

So… seniors are perfect.

One last note. ALL of these were shot “on-location”. No studio work is in this blog post (even though I love studio work as well)… even the ones with the wild blue skies and blurred-out vegetation are all essentially the real deal. It just takes a creative eye and a strong understanding of light to get some pretty amazing effects while “on-location”.

Class of ‘12, it’s not too late… Class of ‘13, I can’t wait to meet you!

CHEERS!!! Shelby

Jessica's Prom Dress... we TRASHED it (senior portrait photography)

Jessica’s a photographer… so she knows what she’s looking for when it comes to having her pics taken. She also constantly gives me grief about shooting Canon gear (can we say “coolpix”, Jessica?)

Well… today’s session is a first, I believe, for Murfreesboro (maybe middle Tennessee). A “Trash the Prom Dress Session”.

I shot Jessica’s senior pics last Summer (which turned out great!) and on that shoot had told her how I wanted to “trash” a prom dress sometime. Well… come to find out, she had just the dress. So, she called me up and asked if I was still interested in trashing a prom dress.

How could I say no!

We met in downtown Murfreesboro… my usual stomping grounds…. and shot in the alley seen in Justin’e blog post. Whomever has drawn the “never repeat yourself” graffiti has (ironically!) forced me to repeat myself as everyone wants to shoot there. Still, I ALWAYS do something different and this was no exception. Changed up the lighting, the poses, the lens choice, perspective, what have you. After shooting downtown, we went down to the Stones River to really put the finishing touches on her dress…. and both ended up wet, dirty, and a bit cold. 

Her mom snapped some behind the scenes shots that I’ll get up in the next few days.

Needless to say… big fun! Got something you want to trash?

Thanks Jessica!

(used a “Lensbaby” on this first shot to get that wild focus-effect)

Cheers! Shelby

Salt of the Earth Apparel 2010 (Baton Rouge Photographer)

I’ve been shooting for Salt of the Earth Apparel Inc. since it’s inception. I was just starting out at the same time and we’ve been together ever since.

The company, and it’s message, is really traveling these days. Just go to any Lifeway Christian Store and you’ll see the shirts on the shelves. It’s been a year of growth for sure! I count Gwen, the CEO, as one of my best friends and I’m always thrilled when she invites me to shoot again. She has the patience of Job, lol!

Below is a sampling of some of this year’s designs. This is straight-ahead catalog work, so there isn’t any wild processing or crazy composition. Just compelling photos of cool shirts… worn by our staff of great (local!) models. We shot these over the course of two hectic days in May… first in Bell Buckle (TN) and then in Christiana (TN) at one of our favorite locations, Miller’s Grocery. The company has a vintage feel with modern sensibilities that everyone seems to enjoy. So… Enjoy! … and spread the word. Gwen’s shirts are always an inspiration

(She’s got “the eye” for sure!)

 

CHEERS!!! Shelby

Cole @ 1 Year (Murfreesboro Baby Photography)

Wow… a year has already passed me by and little Cole is already one year old.

I can’t believe it.

I’ll try to keep my words to minimum here. Cole and his family are truly dear to me. They are affable people who care deeply about fine photography. They are the kind of clients that just let me “do my thing”, and I believe all four of Cole’s sessions have been great due to that fact. They understand that the modern consumer’s battle cry of “I want it yesterday” just isn’t applicable all the time. I love them for that! 

It doesn’t hurt that they are such a physically beautiful family as well, lol.

As before, we met at Cole’s Grandmother’s home between Murfreesboro and Woodbury. The weather couldn’t have been any better (75 Degrees in November!) and the trees’ colors were still hanging on for dear life. 

Fantastic.

CHEERS Cole! Shelby