Featured Session | Carolyn Hoffman Photography
Today’s featured senior session is from Carolyn Hoffman Photography, located in Marshalltown, Iowa. Here is what Carolyn had to say about her session!
Please describe the session: “Just a little intro...I am a bit unconventional as a Senior portrait photographer; at least I know so in my local arena! By this, I mean that I consider each session an ADVENTURE, start to finish, and I book the senior for the day. We can work for 4 hours or 10 depending on the senior and what they are bringing to the event. I NEVER work against a clock (sometimes Mother Nature though)! AND, I NEVER repeat photographing a senior in the same location during a senior season (the class year). For most of my senior images, I want people to wonder where we've been...”
“Before this session, I met with senior Olivia to dig into her thoughts and begin to layout the day; inspiration notes below. Olivia, an aspiring model, wanted to push the urban look in our local environment which was recently ravaged by a tornado. We started the morning, a bit overcast, on the corner of Center Street and State Street where a couple of very popular business once stood. Note: For me, this corner used to be an urban photo location when it was intact. I was going for the juxtaposition of powerful beauty in devastation. Olivia and I agreed to go with the sleek black and white look. We worked around this space incorporating doors that went nowhere and the textures that were revealed when the building was ripped apart. (I actually have several seniors that incorporated the aspects of the tornado damage in their sessions as this is such a rare occurrence in one's life.) At the same time we were shooting, a stage was being constructed for country music star Jason Brown headlining a tornado relief benefit concert!”
”Once we completed the local work, we jumped in the car for a hour trip; destination: a larger city feel, again looking for textures and designs to catch the eye! Our first stop was specifically at the 'Iowa Women of Achievement Bridge'; a massive, geometrically designed pedestrian bridge connecting the banks of the Iowa River. This was perfect for showing off Olivia's long torso and limbs. Of course she chose a delicate yellow sundress against the gray steel of the bridge; as luck would have it the sun was beginning to peak out! Above all, this bridge was perfect for this empowered, self-motivated young woman, adored by her Caucasian parents and raised in small Mid-western town. In seventeen short years, she has already learned so much about life.”
”Change it up quick with a pop of black lace, ruffles, animal print or a leather jacket! And what is a summer session without sunglasses? Pink of course... We traveled through the revived downtown business district for some fun! Clearly Olivia looks amazing against purple!!
One more round of change it up!! This time, I sought out the smooth, yet strong, marble facades of grand buildings. To this, we styled Olivia with a feminine blush colored ensemble complete with subtle lace and sequins, chiffon and tulle. Whimsical and barefoot was the only way!! We had a blast!! (Followed up a fall session in October with adorable long braids!!) “
Tell us about the gear used: “My gear pack includes the following on all of my outdoor/on location sessions.
Canon D Miii
Canon 24-105mm lens
Canon 70 - 200mm lens
Spiderholster
Elinchrom BX 500 strobe, only in am
Impact tripod
Elinchrom transmitter
7" reflector
(2) Circular reflector/diffuser
3 step-stepladder (which I tend to leave behind on urban locations, ugh)”
What inspired this session: “Part of my logo of includes the line, "...inspired by you!" This is absolutely the BASELINE of my session planning. While I might be the one choose the locations, suggest an outfit from their wardrobe or offer props to use, all decisions are made based on the SENIOR in front of my camera! When Olivia and her mom sat down with me to plan, Olivia described herself this way; my eyes, hair and smile get noticed. And of course my height/posture, she laughs! Also her personality traits include fashionista/drama queen (in a good way), chic, urban, romantic and most importantly, silly. Perfect. We were going to get along, perfectly.”
”Again, as an aspiring model, Olivia is very aware of the camera. Her free time includes pageant activities and volunteering with children. Her pageant and modeling experiences are allowing her to use the platform to share her hometown story of devastation and recovery.”
”For her session, Olivia chose her clothing options and allowed me to add a few pieces from my wardrobe collection. She likes to keep things pretty simple and straight forward so we did not busy the environment with extra props and stuff. In the planner, Olivia indicated that her urban session should include old brick/stone, doorways with character, historical business/mansion style buildings, walls, bridges. I think we found what we were looking for! A great adventure...”
