Back in February before 2020 and Covid-19 changed our lives so much, I put out a senior model call in the Riverside, California area so I could update some of my marketing materials for Graduate Portrait sessions. Erika, a senior at UCR, answered the call! I asked Erika why she responded to my model call and she had a great answer, “It sounded like fun!” We
briefly discussed the details and decided to meet at the UCR Botanical Garden. When Erika arrived I introduced her to my assistant for the day and we got down to making some great images. You can see that Erika has piercing eyes that make her serious poses just striking AND she has a pretty infectious smile. Here is the thing, Erika didn't have any experience modeling and that was just fine. One of my favorite parts of creating portraits is helping my clients pose in ways that look natural while also highlighting their unique beauty. Erika found out that much of the time I will strike a pose and she would mirror me - you can imaging that this also causes a lot of laughter!
After the portrait session, I made a beautiful photo album to show as a sample and a mounted print on Deep Matte paper that would make for a perfect gift! Erika used one of the images we took that day as her portrait for Zoom graduation. To say the least, I was honored. As soon as I started to use some of these sample in my marketing, Covid-19 hit and I was pretty sure there would be not Senior Portraits session or even Cap and Gown sessions this year but as luck would have it I was wrong :) I actually had a great season and Erika was apart of that because she decided to hire me for her Graduate Session once she had her cap and gown and stoles all ready. We laughed a lot every time her cap fell off though.
Erika and I planned her session out in advance so we could try and get all the shots she wanted around the UCR campus - and a few shots with her boyfriend. For this session, I couldn’t use the grass in front of the Rivera Library because it was all setup of a Sorority senior session. Instead, we used the other side of the UCR Bell Tower near the HUB and I created an image that I used as my #voguechallange picture. Close to the end of Erika’s senior portrait session we hiked over to Anderson Hall where she did a super quick costume change into a different white dress. Turns out a large reflector, held by my daughter, makes for a good privacy screen!
During this session, I was challenged by a few things. First, I couldn’t use the lawn that everyone uses for the Bell Tower images. But that was fine because we found another angle and made some great images. Second, everywhere we went there were lots of people taking pictures. However, using creative angles and posing as well as waiting for just the right moment allowed us to get the images. Problem solving on the fly is just one of the many reason to hire a professional.
So there you have it, if you see a photographer post a model call, just do it. You might have some fun and find a new calling. Erika has some plans to work in marketing now that she has graduated. I am positive she will be a shinning success! I mean if it weren’t for her, my senior portrait samples and marketing would not have been nearly as nice. Good luck, Erika!
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