Class of 2020 Senior Pics

slpollett

Warning: Lots of Pics!

During the fall marching band season, I take the pictures for the marching band of the local high school. In "normal" years, I always offer to take cap & gown pics for them at the end of the school year and gift them a couple of 5x7's and 8x10. The sessions are short 30-minute in studio and really consist of a handful of cap & gown pics and that's it. Short and sweet since I consider it a grad gift for the kids.

Well, this year wasn't normal and this year's seniors missed out on prom and will probably miss a normal graduation ceremony. I changed up my gift to the seniors and gave them one 2-hr session in one of the local parks. We had to do it outside, one at a time, and we had to maintain distance, so I shot with a 100 mm lens for the most part. We ended up having a blast. Below are a few of my favorites from each of the seniors I shot.

1. Abigail (Abigail's session was in November. Everyone else was April/May)
   

2. Ethan (Ethan is going to college on a soccer scholarship)
   

3. Jeffrey (going to be an Engineer)
   

4. Mikayla (Boy was it windy the day of this session!)
   

5. Lydia
   

6. Dylan
   

7. Alyssa (joining the Navy)
   

8. Joshua
   

9. Garrett (his Dad has 11 classic cars)
   

10. Marcella (So windy and sunny during her session)
    

11. Olivia
    

12. Sydney
    

13. Simone
    

14. Last, but not least...Gwendolyn
    

If you made it this far, thank you so much for looking! As always, I appreciate any constructive criticism you can share so I can improve the next time.

Sherry Pollett

denisegoldberg

What an awesome thing to do!
I would bet you made some seniors and their parents very happy.

slpollett

Thanks, Denise. The parents (and the kids) were very appreciative. The seniors did feel like they got a bit of a raw deal from the circumstances, but I tried to make them feel special for a little while. And though I do provide them with a free session and their choice between a couple of small print packages, most of the parents want to purchase more than what I gave them. I don't require a purchase, but I don't turn it down!!

Sherry P.

jerryr

Great idea - and nice work ! Anything you do for the class of 2020 I am sure is appreciated. I have seen a lot of photographers in my area do the "lawn signs" and banners.
Thank you for sharing - Jerry

ziggy53

What a gracious, generous and thoughtful gift!
Bravo, Sherry, Bravo!

slpollett

Thank you Jerry & Ziggy.

Even though I did provide a nice gift to each senior, I also received quite a bit myself. I got to practice shooting in a variety of conditions, which I surely need (lol). I found a couple of 'new' shooting locations that I really liked (and one that I didn't, lol.) I got to work on posing (which I'm not great at). I got to practice editing (which I'm horrible at). I got to make 14 seniors (& their parents) happy, which made me feel pretty good too. And, even though I gave away a lot, I still received more additional orders than I've ever had in this short a period of time. Last, but not least, referrals from these sessions have already booked me two additional sessions. So, a win all the way around. Almost makes me feel guilty for calling these sessions 'free' since I do get so much out of them (and not just money).

Sherry P.

kdog

Nicely done!!

slpollett

Thank you!
Sherry

siberianrunner

Hi Sherry,
Just wanted to share a couple of thoughts on a great group of photos.
1.Abigail , first photo is great, second is kind of an awkward pose as it appears she has only one arm. Third photo is great.
4.Mikayla, the first pose is not the most flattering for this young lady. Others are very good.
6 Dylan, just a nit pick on these regarding the background that is a little blown out. I would recompose or expose for the background and light the subject with flash to even out the exposure.
7 Alyssa, these are fantastic, love the red dress against the subdued back drop. The third photo with the Navy t-shirt is great too. Lot of personality.
8 Joshua, first photo has a distracting over exposed background, third shot is great!
9 Garrett, this entire set is awesome, great poses, great photography, love it.
11 Olivia, first pose is a bit straight on to the camera and unnatural versus the surroundings. Second shot is great.
13, Simone, be proud of those, that’s some great work especially the first two, good job balancing the exposure
The rest are all great.

slpollett

Thank you for the thoughtful comments, Siberianrunner! I appreciate that you took time the time to do this. I do agree with pretty much every observation you made. I learned a lot doing all these sessions in a short time period. Overall, I'm pleased with the results but also see so much room for improvement. Comments such as yours help remind me of things to watch for and remember next time.

Cheers,
Sherry Pollett

joshhuntnm

beautiful all. Well done

slpollett

Thank you, Josh!