It rained on the day I met Dylan. He’s graduating with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering in June and his mother requested portraits to include in his graduation announcements. I was hoping to take his pictures outside in the beautiful spring weather but the soggy ground and drippy skies had other plans.
Civil engineers design things. They manage people and projects. They are thinkers and must be able to analyze difficult problems. We rely on them to fix and replace old buildings and roads. In good times they design new construction projects. They study a lot of math and science but are also creative, curious and detail-oriented.
I immediately thought of the library. What a great place to showcase this young man. It was my goal to give him lots of variety and portray him as the strong, professional, intelligent grad he is. Imagine my delight to discover floor to ceiling windows framing most of the building. We had plenty of great natural light to work with.
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The shot below is the one Dylan chose to include in his announcements. I love how he’s bathed in light. His eyes look happy and I love the composition.
We had a lot of fun with this shot pulling stacks of books off the shelves to pile around him…
This was the first college grad I’ve ever photographed. Why don’t more of them do it? High school senior portraits are all about showcasing the new adult, their sports and hobbies. I love the concept of photographing the new professional – the college grad who has a specialty. I enjoy finding ways to connect the person to the portrait – not just taking cool pictures, but taking pictures that are all about the person. It was really great to meet you Dylan. I wish you best of luck in all your future endeavors.
