From Photos to Portraits

Ashley Danielle Robinson
Aug 30, 2016
4 min read

The mission for all of our creations within Imagine Changes Media is to share holistically personalized stories. When applied to photography, this requires a crucial attention to detail to determine how to capture an individuals personality both in-camera and in the editing process. Here I'll explain my inspiration, methods and thought-process for turning photos into portraits.

Bestie Portraits

I shot my bestie portraits with Theresa and Casey at the New York Botanical Gardens. Theresa has a very relaxed, bohemian vibe, while Casey has a very polished, old Hollywood vibe. Theresa was the "Sedona Songbird", Casey the "Mojave Mona Lisa". To amplify these looks in the editing process wouldn't be so complicated a feat if all of their photos were separate, but many of the photos I took were of the two posed together.

For this reason, I also had to keep in mind that all of the photos, coupled and individual, needed to have the same overall look. So I decided upon vintage-inspired colors, adding film grain as well. The collective color scheme ended up being primarily teals and oranges, as you can see below:

These girls didn't require much direction with posing, as expected, however...

KEY TAKEAWAY: Regardless of whether or not my subject/model is comfortable in front of the camera, the poses they lean towards tend to be more natural and reminiscent of their personality. This is why I prefer to let my subject/model call the shots, and direct them only as needed, as it allows me to more accurately capture their personality.

Urban Oasis Portraits

I shot urban oasis portraits with Kayla in New York's Central Park. Kayla has an edgy, tough-girl vibe, yet has a very kind soul. She's the Beautiful Lone Wolf, if you will. To amplify this look in the editing process, my mind immediately went to a grunge inspired black-and-white. When working with black-and-white, you take into account the detail extraction, contrast levels, and vignettes. And because you're working with greyscale tones alone, it's really important to ensure that the subject stands out more than the background.

Kayla has a lot of experience modeling, so her best photos were less candid and more posed. We allotted a few hours for this shoot, so we wandered to several locations around Central Park for the purpose of varying backdrops. This is a special circumstance in which posing worked in our clients favor, as it showed her true personality, comfortable in her own skin to pose for the camera.

Birthday Shoot

I shot portraits of Mollie in the Texas Hill Country around her 23rd birthday. Mollie is a sweet, southern girl with a passion for her home state of Texas and the music of rock legends. The location she chose had a stunning view of the hills and Pecan trees that scream Texas. We began this shoot by directing the poses based on emphasizing the location's attributes, then slowly worked towards prompting the more candid looks. In the editing process, I was going for the look of an alternative rock, country hybrid album cover. This also required adding grain, and emphasizing the olive color quality of the foliage by deepening the reddish tones to warm it up a bit. Below is my absolute favorite shot from this photo shoot. It's such a rockstar of a candid.

So what are some tips for those booking a portrait session with us?

1. Be yourself.

Yes, it's become cliché—I get it. But this is the single most important factor in the making of our holistic portraits. Don't wear fancy clothes unless that's an expression of your true self. We recommend that our portrait clients choose an outfit that makes them feel most beautiful, most confident.

2. Location. Location. Location.

Think of your favorite place to be. Choose this location for your portrait shoot. Now, if your favorite place in the whole wide world isn't within driving distance, pick the nicest place you can think of in Central Texas. P.S. If you're planning on booking a shoot with me, I'd personally love to check the Sekrit Theater and the HOPE outdoor gallery off my photography bucket list. Just sayin'.

3. Don't pose.

At least not in the traditional, model sense—unless, of course, you feel compelled to do so. As a non-professional model, you might think the best pose equals the best portraits. Wrong! The best portraits, in our opinion, are simple, candid moments in between poses. This is not a requirement, but just a general rule of thumb for our end-goal in shooting portraits.

4. Have fun.

If you're not having fun with your photoshoot, it's going to show in your portraits. This goes hand-in-hand with tips 1 and 2. If you're uncomfortable with your outfit choice, if you're posing in a way that doesn't feel natural, if you're not enjoying your time in front of the camera, it won't be an enjoyable experience. So it's our job to work together to make sure that doesn't happen! The location you choose for your portraits will also be a factor in how much fun you have. Add all of these points to the laid-back atmosphere we bring to our clients, and you've got the perfect mix for photos that capture your true self. Now, find out for yourself!

For more info on our services, check out our pricing guide! And for a special discount offer, make sure to subscribe to our mailing list! You wouldn't want to miss out on a deal, now would you?