Sarah is my final senior for the class of 2012, graduating from Hamilton High School.  Smart, funny, talented and pretty.  She was fun to work with.  Here are some of my favorite images from her senior portrait session.

Lest you think this is just a bike we grabbed for the senior portraits, that’s not the way I roll.  Props are always extremely personal for my seniors.  This is her bike.  I have seen her ride it on several occasions, though I think that may change now that is it officially five thousand degrees outside.

Sarah was smart and got up very early in the morning for her portrait session.  This meant, we got to shoot in the cool of the morning and got beautiful clean golden light from the sunrise.  There is nothing like photographing in the early morning.  It just takes commitment.

A truck drove by on the dirt road and kicked up some dust so I sent her back out onto the road to get this shot, the dust made for a great change in the lighting scenario.  You can see the difference between this shot and the previous shot.  The difference is dust.  I have been known to have someone do a quick donut in a car to kick up some dust for a photo shoot.

I love this photo.  I took great care to make this photo as natural as possible.  Sarah’s grandfather has passed on.  She is wearing her grandfather’s jacket and holding a picture of him.  But the key to photographing someone and having them interact with someone who is no longer here is a tricky one.  If you dismiss the importance of the relationship, you are shortsighted, but if you overplay the visual, then you don’t do the relationship justice.  So when Sarah brought out a photo of her grandfather, I wanted to make sure I got it right.  It’s a simple photo, but I think it feels natural and there’s a softness and comfort level in the photograph that makes me think I got this one right.

I was adjusting the photos in front of another photographer and she remarked how striking Sarah’s eyes were.  I quite agree.

You are thinking, “the outfit couldn’t be any more perfectly matched to the car.”

Until you see the jeans.

Sarah is a very playful girl.  I guess it comes with the Theater background.  She likes to put on a show.

Case in point!

Now, I have to end with this image because I have a connection here with Sarah.  She loves Poe and I have always loved EA Poe.  Each Christmas Eve, my father would read the Christmas story from Luke or sometimes from Jesus the Christ (by James E Talmage), but after the Christmas story, we were then treated to a reading of The Raven, by AE Poe and then an encore reading of The Bells.  Some in my family complained and thought it was bizarre.  I have always enjoyed the tradition.  So I can relate with Sarah’s affinity for Poe.

Senior Portrait Photography by Jared Platt

Location: Chandler Arizona

High School: Hamilton High School