A couple of the seniors on my Senior Squad came together on what probably was the coldest day of the year for a creative editorial Valentines photoshoot. Below are the abc’s of how I approach a photoshoot that has more of an editorial feel to it, which is how I approach all senior portraits.

Creativity through constraints

Valentines day is a very broad concept. I believe that the more constraints or boundaries you put in place, the more it allows for creativity to happen. Why? Because you’re pushed to think more deeply about how the photoshoot is going to be created. Take a look at what we did during Covid – talk about constraints! These are what we were working with for this particular photoshoot:

1. LOCATION: this was done in the finished basement of my home. It’s a great space but not a huge loft studio space with the freedom to move anywhere we wanted to do.
2. LIGHTING: There is limited natural light and we had the shoot after school when the sun was starting to set. Also, the space gets primarily morning light.
3. TIMING: The 2 seniors who were able to make it had limited time for the photoshoot due to their busy schedules.

Developed editorial concept

Given the constraints we had, I wanted to make this quick and stripped down which led me to a black back drop, simple wardrobe and one light. I don’t work with a lot of lighting but when I do I make it as simple as possible.

Using props

I loveeeee flowers! I’ll use them whenever I can. If there’s only one time during the year I’ll use them then it has to be for a Valentines photoshoot. I have boxes of them collected over the years. We threw them around (literally) and went from there after they landed.

Final Images

After a quick 45 minutes that was a wrap! Let me know what you think about the images. I hope you have a Valentines Day filled with love!