Senior portraits with Miss Zuzu.

First off let me start by saying I love it when high school seniors come to me and are looking for something a bit more fun than a standard senior portrait shoot.  That’s exactly what happen with Miss Zuzu.  Zuzu wanted to show off both sides of her personality.  She was looking for both elegant and slightly posh as well as showing off her tougher and more artistic side.  

So we split the session in two parts.  For session number one we trekked east from Albany into the hills above Sweet Home, Oregon.  We were armed with a Nissan Cube full of prom dresses and headed for snow.  Ya know, because naturally when you say snow we all think of strapless dresses. :)  All kidding aside there is just something about photographing exquisite looking wardrobe in an environment that you don't normally see posh clothing.  It grabs the viewer's attention and helps create a more dynamic image.  Fashion magazines like Vogue and Vanity Fair have been using this technique for years and as an artist I simply love it.  

Anyway back on topic.  Zuzu and I found a campground that was closed for the winter and used that as our studio.  Armed with some amazing outfits, a trunk full of portable studio lights and a case of hands warmers we set out to have fun.  The pictures turned out fantastic and I simply couldn't think of a better way to spend a dreary winter's day.  

For part two of Zuzu’s senior portraits session she was looking for something a little more tough and gritty.  She was thinking alleyways, old buildings and under bridges.  Those of you who have ever been to our office at the Flinn Block Hall know that the joy of our location is that it’s an extremely elegant building set in the historic downtown Albany area.  Meaning we really didn’t have to travel further than a few blocks in order to find old buildings and grungy back alleys.  Combining fashion couture with a grungy alley  is a great look. Many of the brides that get married at our location in the Flinn Block Hall just love their elegant dress set against a backdrop of broken down brick and street lights.  Not sold on the idea?  Come on in and check out our sample albums and I can show you some amazing examples of what I mean.  Anyway I’m off topic again.

For this section of her portrait session Zuzu wanted to go full tilt grunge with tons of attitude.  Zuzu is a bit of a dichotomy.  On one hand she is a shy art student that  prefers wearing designer dresses and on the other hand she’s an aggressive rugby player with a 1000 yard stare that can back down anyone.  It was awesome to see that side of her.  Strong.  Confident.  Simply put...a bad ass!  

It was a great couple photo shoots and I really have to thank Miss Zuzu for being such an amazing model.  Her level of commitment to this project really showed in the end result.  Also I need to thank my wonderful assistant Clare for braving sub zero temperatures with us and helping us get some amazing shots.