I came and set up in the school cafeteria, and photographed them during their rehearsal. My husband who is also my assistant and business partner was there to help. My goal was to make them feel comfortable and at ease.
I would first introduce myself, ask them their names, show them where to stand, and tell them where they needed to adjust their clothing, hair, etc. Some of the girls had gym as their last class, and they were like oh geez, my hair, etc. I did my best to let them know that they looked great and truly they really did. Some I made them shake out their arms and legs and be silly to relax some more as well as breathing techniques. Others were just fine, literally complete naturals like they've done this their entire lives. Check out the video below to see what I'm talking about.(Warning, I'm a goofball LOL)
This is a video of me photographing a young lady who is in middle school, her friend was standing behind me. I was hired by the school to come in and take their acting headshots that was to then be printed up and put on display during the nights of the performance. You see me acting a bit goofy to get her to relax and smile, and yes...it worked :) Children not shown for because they are minors. Video shot by David W. Ryan www.dwryan.com
While everyone is young and gorgeous, we're talking 6th-8th graders here, they still needed some retouching. Nothing drastic, I just wanted to make their hair neater, and some had blemishes. Overall, I wanted the kids to stay natural, keeping their braces and let their true personalities shine through.
I had to come back a week later to finish photographing the rest of the children. In the meantime, the proofs of who I already photographed and chosen, were already being worked on. Because they needed to be printed for the performance that very same week.
Now, you'll notice that there are some in both colour and in black and white and some in just colour or just black and white. Just my personal preference. Also not all of the children are here, this is because I didn't get all of the Model Releases, and that's perfectly fine, as a parent myself, I get it.
I wasn't able to make it to see the show, so I hope that someone videotaped it. I heard that it was amazing.
I'm really thankful for the teachers, staff, students and parents for putting their trust in me those two days to take their acting headshots. I hope that it was a positive experience for everyone, I had a lot of fun meeting and getting to know them all. My only wish is that I can have them in front of my camera for other projects, they were that awesome!
Thanks again!