Light is important.

Which, I know, feels like one of the biggest understatements of all time. Everyone understands that light is necessary for life, but that's not what I'm referring to. What I'm talking about is appearance—physical appearance, which can accurately, or inaccurately, communicate what a person is like. And light has a massive impact on how a person appears.

Case in point. A while back, we met with one of our three senior reps, Kaitlin Lovelace, to discuss and plan her senior portrait session. She had several ideas for what she wanted to capture, and among them were the ever-popular light, soft, and colorful tones we favor for our senior gals, as well as some photos displaying her combative, martial arts side.

Once we sat down to think about how to capture these two pieces, this created some unique challenges. Kaitlin has military aspirations, and we wanted to reflect the rough, ready-to-fight aspect of her personality. But we also wanted to capture a less serious, more fun side as well.

The solution? Take advantage of the sun setting! As the day fades, a different set of color palettes become visible. We began with shadow and light during the golden hour, and transitioned to using flash to create a harsh look during the twilight hours.

Take a look at what we got:

How do you think we did? Do you have any questions about lighting your own session? Let us know! We'd love to hear from you and help you plan your own portrait session.