And while we are on the topic of seniors...hey, how about some senior pictures? At right is one of the aforementioned and last of the Wheeler boys. My little brother, Josh. Most seniors not only like but NEED to have their portraits taken for the yearbook and of course to frame and display. It is also a way for family to remember their graduate when all the world was at their finger tips...and a place for their friends to draw funny mustaches and horns and write things like "OMG UR MY BFF 4-EVA"...god I loved high school. And while most seniors like to have portraits taken in the summer or early fall, Josh waited until March, which actually worked out nicely. We headed over to the Ogunquit River, where we all used to play as kids. There is plenty of scenery and depth to keep the pictures interesting but not distract for the subject. There was a lot of really nice light play coming off of the rushing river which in the summer and fall is all but dried up. I was able use the river as a natural reflector because I am still mostly anti-flash. So between the sun and the equally as bright refection, I was able to create a mini-studio in the field. Thats the kind of creativity you need to have if you are working outside with out the net a flash provides. You have got to be able to look around and think outside of your viewfinder if you are going to capture a subjects true personality. Josh is laid back...really laid back. Josh is the exact opposite of me and these shots caught that to a tee. Chill, relaxed, and go with the flow. Literally, he almost fell in the river. As a photographer, thats a nightmare. As a brother, that would have been awesome to see. 
Veronica was my second or third official shoot. Senior portraits are a really easy way to cut your teeth as a photographer. It allows us the ability to work with different lighting conditions and finding natural poses and it gives the senior a chance to come out of their shell and find their comfort zone, just like a budding photographer is doing...trying to find a rhythm. This shot was taking at Riverside Park in Westbrook on a overcast and raw day. It was late October, and the leaves at the park were all that brilliant orange color. The color of Veronica's hair and hazel eyes combined with the leaves made for a nice color palette. Very autumn-ish.
Even though a good photographer can make anyone LOOK like a model, most subjects are still going to have some nerves going into the shoot. The trick is to help a subject relax and settle in and suddenly the images jump up a few notches. Give them 20 minutes and any high schooler will be able to pull of "Blue Steel" without giving it a second thought. Veronica was a pro by the end of it.
You know, not all senior portraits have to be head shots. Every now and then, you can catch subject having little moments...those make the best shots. Lynn was accompanied by her fiance, Peter. Lynn took her place on the wall, and if I remember correctly, Peter was doing something goofy just outside of the frame. Lynn cracked this smile and I just did my job. I really like this shot...though I can't put my finger on exactly why. It brought out her personality that for sure. It just one of those happy accident photographers fall into every now and then.
And here is another one. Two in one shoot? Maybe its not an accident and I am verging on "I meant to do that." This is another one of those images I look at and think, "Yeah, I like it." I had to work hard of this shot. The sun was right behind me and I was having a heck of a time composing the shot without the shadow of my spiky hair in her face. That would have been unflattering. So I left Lynn right there and stepped around the other side of the tree and for lack of a better term, guessed my brains out! After shooting about 15 or so shots I checked out what I had. I stopped looking after the first one. Boom. There it is. Minimal editing. Zero cropping. Some call it luck...and so do I. Sure I knew what the outcome could have been, but I was shooting blind and I think it paid off.
As I sat on the not so comfortable bleachers in the Wells High gym watching Josh graduate, I remember thinking "I'm getting old." I didn't recognize any of the names, I could only pick out a handful of my old teachers, and I remember the place being quiet a bit bigger. Of course, I'm a foot taller than I was when I first walked in, so that could have something to do with it.
Now that the Class of '11 is on the yearbook clock, I'm putting Through The Lens out there as an affordable option for your Senior Portraits. Just do me a favor...don't wait until March.
--Jason Wheeler, WHS '98
--Jason Wheeler, WHS '98
