Insight / On the Cover by Bill Hurter

Senior portraiture continues to be a growing and viable segment of the portrait market. One of the reasons is that seniors, like modern-day brides, are demanding, savvy customers. They don’t want to see the same old tricks, and they don’t want to be treated like kids, even though they are. Seniors want respect and independence, which is why they help define the way they are pictured by today’s top senior photographers.

Owned by Colleen Gonsar and managed by Darty Hines, Colleen & Co. of Pennsylvania has two senior studios that really cater to seniors (page 8). The company, with 11 permanent employees, stresses customer service. Hines explains, “We treat [the seniors] as individuals and photograph them as if it were the most important event in their lives. Our studio’s marketing tag line this year is: ‘It’s all about YOU!’ We try to make the whole experience very special.”

Chris Nelson of Fall Creek Portrait Design in Wisconsin makes senior images with “style that shows” (page 12). According to author CharMaine Beleele, “A senior session at Fall Creek takes the 17- or 18-year-old client on a lifestyle voyage of self-discovery, individually designed to reveal expression, mood, personality and imagination. Likewise, a quick trip to see the senior slide show on Nelson’s web site might cause any photographer to cast new eyes on the ‘landscape’ of high school senior photography.”

Jeff Smith, who owns and operates Smith & Co. Studios in Fresno, California, (page 18) enjoys telling this story: “I had a senior girl who was significantly overweight come to my studio. I worked very hard to make her happy with the way she appeared in the images. I used corrective lighting and posing to hide problem areas. When the girl and her mother viewed the images, the mother asked to speak with me.… She gave me a hug and said, ‘I always tell my daughter that despite her weight, she is a beautiful girl. These portraits show the beauty that I see.’ As long as I live I will remember that mother and senior. That’s why we do what we do, that’s why we care about our clients.” And, just for the record, that lady spent a bundle of money on portraits of her beautiful daughter.

Bill Hurter, Editor

PHOTOGRAPHER: Craig Kienast
SUBJECT: Actress Ali Littrell
Camera: Canon EOS 1DS
lens: Canon EF 28–105mm f/3.5-4.5 II USM
Background: blue abstract from Photo Showcase.
Lighting: 2 Photogenic 1250 power lights. The background is lit by one light and an orange gel. The main light is on a boom arm and is modified by a Larson 2x3-foot Soff box. The Soff box is placed above and to the left of Miss Littrell. Also a Larson 72-in. bright silver Reflectasol is placed just out of camera view to the right.
Exposure: was at f/5.6
other: Photoshop’s Liquefy tool was used to slightly enhance the “cat ears.”
COMMENTS: Ali Littrell was featured at the Chanhassen Dinner theater’s rendition of Cats. Ali plays “Rumple Teaser.” Miss Littrell traveled to our studio from Minneapolis for a portfolio session. She brought her mother with her. This was a special time for mother and daughter, as it was the first time her mother was able to see Ali in her make up and wardrobe, which took one hour to recreate. Ali remained “human” until I asked her to be the the cat. That’s when things got interesting. More of Craig Kienast’s work can be seen at his website: www.photock.com/.