Our Senior Photography Creator Teams from the Class of 2023 & 2024 got together in May for our first ever completely styled shoot! We partnered with Collective Boutique, located in Irwin PA, who provided all clothing for the shoot. The owner, Brittany, was on hand to help style the girls as well.

I am beyond excited to share some of the final images from the shoot, as well as some behind-the-scenes photos.

The Creator Team selects their wardrobe

A lot of times when you do a styled shoot, the boutique owner has very specific clothing items that he/she wants photographed. And, that can be difficult if the girls don’t love what they are asked to wear. When Brittany and I got together to discuss this, she graciously opened up her entire store to the team! Each girl got to “shop” the boutique to select 3 outfits that she wanted to wear for the shoot. Brittany & I were on hand to assist with styling and give our recommendations. I love to help others shop as much as I love to shop for myself, so this was so much fun!

I also learned a lot about what is “in” from the team while we were shopping. Take note: skinny jeans are OUT! It’s all about the wide leg jeans now. Bonus points if they are distressed!

Here are some images from our shopping day.

Setting up on shoot day

After packing my car until there was almost no space for me, it was off to Collective Boutique to set up for the shoot! I arrived about an hour before the girls were to arrive in order to set up. Collective Boutique is a great space. Aside from the boutique, Brittany has a back room which was perfect for staging (hair/makeup, kraft services, etc). Special shout out to her significant other who owns Creekside Graphics next door for allowing us to use his space for the shoot.

If you’ve worked with me before, you know that my husband Jason is my lighting assistant and carrier of big heavy things 😉. He was on hand that day to help set up and makes my job so much easier! He’s seriously great, and the Moms love him (but I’m still the favorite with the seniors…right guys???😅)

So, kind of like a wedding day, a styled shoot has a lot of moving parts and usually there are things that don’t go exactly as planned. You have to learn to just roll with whatever happens and work around it. This shoot was no exception.

I had ordered a new backdrop that I wanted to use for the shoot and went outside the box and got a color I had never used before. I was super excited to use it! So…of course…when we unrolled it during setup, it had a HUGE crease right down the middle. Seriously?! UGH. I had a backup backdrop, but I didn’t want to use it because it wasn’t the vision I had for this shoot. So…we kept the creased backdrop. I knew I would just put in a little more time in post-production. Not ideal, but worth it. The final images are exactly what I had envisioned (check out part two for those).

And, of course, there were gift bags and food involved! Because I love gifts and food (my two love languages)! We also had accessories (including some uber cute rain cloud sunnies), and Brittany steamed the clothing for the girls.

The girls arrive for hair & makeup!

I could not wait for the team to arrive! Most of my senior portrait sessions include professional hair and makeup. So, it was a no brainer to have my glam squad along on the styled shoot. I love watching Joy Lager & Victoria Bohince work! It’s also a great opportunity to chat with my team.

For this shoot, we had a lot going on all at once! Some girls were getting hair and makeup. Others were getting dressed. Some were grabbing a quick dinner on the floor. I was photographing in order to use time efficiently. Controlled chaos at its best! (I loved it!)

And, thank goodness for fashion tape! So glad I had some on hand to hide straps, etc.

Check the images!

It’s time to shoot! Quiet on the set (not really, lol, I’ve just always wanted to say that)!

I told the team and their parents to plan for a long night, and it was. But everyone was having so much fun, it seemed to fly by! And btw, my sets are never quiet. There is a lot of talking, a lot of laughter, and a lot of me being unintentionally funny 🙄.

7 team members to photograph, 3 outfits each, plus group images all together & separated by graduating class. That’s a lot to photograph in a few hours, but we did it!

I was hot the entire time and was so glad I had a fan on set. The plan was to use it for the team to give them a “Beyonce” moment, which we did. But…I can say it was a lifesaver for me too! The girls on the team, on the other hand, were apparently FREEZING the entire time! A few girls were under a blanket. And, when I turned the fan on them for a group shot, they literally had goosies. In contrast, I was downing iced coffee like there was no tomorrow, lol.

If you haven’t worked with me before, I move around…a lot…when photographing. I am up, I am down. I am lying on my stomach, on my back, and sitting on my knees. Basically, I contort myself into all sorts of positions that would make a seasoned yogi jealous! All to get the angle that I want. Everyone is always astonished at how much I move. I am always astonished at how sore I am the next day 😩! But, holding my camera is like having a superpower ring or something…I can do anything, lol.

That’s it for Part One of our Senior Photography Creator Team Styled Shoot! Check out Part Two to see some of the final images from this shoot. Want to see the full image gallery? Click here.

And, if you’re graduating with the Class of 2024 & are looking for a senior photographer, let’s talk! You can schedule your free 30 minute phone consultation here. And, if you’re local, be sure to stop into Collective Boutique & do some shopping! Shopping online? Use code SLBOUTIQUEPHOTO for 10% off!

See ya in Part Two!

Photography: @slboutiquephoto
Wardrobe/Styling: @collectiveboutique301
HMU: @joylynnmua, @vbohincebeauty
Space: @creekside_graphics
Full Image Gallery: See all of the final images here

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