Senior Portrait season is kicking into gear for the Class of 2017!  Here is a video highlighting some of the High School Seniors that I recently had the pleasure of photographing.  Some of the schools represented are Hudson High School, Walsh Jesuit High School, Aurora High School, Firestone High School, Kent-Roosevelt High School, Western Reserve Academy and Crestwood High School.   

If you're a Junior about to enter into your senior year, now is the time to start giving some thought about your Senior Portraits.  Spring is upon us, so if you are envisioning a springtime look to your photos, now is the time to get a session booked, as it will soon be summer.  Slots are already filling up.  If you're considering a summer or fall shoot, it's not a bad idea to contact me to discuss the timing of those sessions and to discuss your options.  I'm always up for creative shoots, and some of those creative shoots require a little planning.

If you're a Senior this year and have not had a chance to get your portraits done, it is definitely not too late!  Don't let the opportunity to have your Senior Portraits taken slip away because you think it's too late.  It's a beautiful time of year to photograph your session, even if graduation is right around the corner.  There is no law that says to have to have your portrait taken before you graduate.  Let me know if you need your Senior Portraits taken and we will book a session that fits your schedule.

Call/text me at 330-814-3124 or email me at [email protected]

If you mention this video, I will offer a free 8x10 print with a qualifying Portrait Package.

Blake - High School Senior Portrait - Walsh Jesuit High SchoolKendall Lake

Blake changed into a more casual outfit that worked well with both a natural and hardscape background. Blake - High School Senior Portrait - Walsh Jesuit High SchoolKendall Lake offered a nice pleasing background for this shot.

Blake - High School Senior Portrait - Walsh Jesuit High SchoolBlake at Kendall Lake

Blake - High School Senior Portrait - Walsh Jesuit High SchoolUsing the stone building as a background we got some great looks for Blake. This is one of my favorites.

Blake - High School Senior PortraitBlake - High School Senior Portrait - Walsh Jesuit High SchoolThis shot was taken on our way down to the Ledges. Blake is going to Kent State University so he donned his Kent State shirt for these photos.

We started the session late in the evening with some cloud cover, which is really great for lighting your subject.  I used my speedlight with a Rogue Flashbender to get some soft fill light and also to get some catchlights in Ryan's eyes.  When it is overcast like this there really is no other way to get catchlights in the eyes, and the eyes always look better with catchlights.

Ryan - High School Senior Portrait - Hudson High SchoolWe headed down toward the dock near the boat launch to get this photo by the water.

It's amazing how quickly the setting sun can change the sky at this time of day.  When the sun starts to set below the cloud cover, everything starts to glow.  The "Golden Hour" in photography is that period just after sunrise or just before sunset. The sun is at a lower angle in the sky at these times, which means the light is less harsh and generally softer.  

Ryan - High School Senior Portrait - Hudson High SchoolThe sun was starting to get lower in the skies and peeking below the cloud deck, so it started to illuminate the trees at the far end of the lake.

We made the portrait below when the sun hitting the trees in the background across the lake really made the trees glow.  We had to be careful to put Ryan into an area where he wasn't looking directly into the sun and squinting.  I just love the light at this time of day.

Ryan - High School Senior Portrait - Hudson High SchoolThe sun was now gleaming under the cloud next and making the trees at the far end of the lake really glow. There are a lot of different types of watercraft that are stored at the lake.  Many of them are pretty colorful, so it's always fun to include some of that color in the background of a portrait.  The running trail meanders along this part of the lake, and I'm sure Ryan has probably run by it many times while training for Track.  The trail is very popular with runners as long as there is not snow and ice on the trail.  During the fall the local cross country teams both practice and hold meets here.  In the spring the track teams use it for training.  There are a few areas where you can get a great hill workout.  This trail is part of my summer route with the group of guys that I run with in the mornings (at least when my knee wasn't acting up).  The sun rises along the far side of the lake and is always a welcome sight when we exit the woods.  This portrait was taken using some of the color from the boats as the backdrop.  It was pretty dark under that tree so we had to add a little kiss of light to balance out the background exposure and Ryan's exposure.

Ryan - High School Senior Portrait - Hudson High SchoolBefore heading down to the lake we took some portraits along the trail. The racks for the kayaks and canoes added an interesting pop of color to the background.

The portrait below was taken when the sun was fully gleaming on the trees in the background, which yielded a deep rich green color. But I also thought that the luminance gradations would look cool when converted to black and white.  I think this is a great portrait of Ryan.

Ryan - High School Senior Portrait - Hudson High SchoolThis one was taken on the dock when the setting sun was gleaming in the background. While the image in color is really cool, I also thought that converting it to a black and white also made for a very cool portrait.

Ryan was a great sport and has a great natural smile.  We tried to take some shots of the "serious" look, but we just couldn't pull it off.  We were chimping the back of the camera and just didn't like what we were seeing in those frames.  His face probably hurt a bit after the session from all of that smiling.  I wanted to take a shot with Ryan and his Mom, Sheila, before we packed up, and this is the result.  I thought it was a great moment.  Ryan loves his Mom!

Ryan - High School Senior Portrait - Hudson High SchoolJust before I was about to pack up I suggested taking a quick photo of Ryan and his Mom, Sheila. I just thought it was a very sweet picture of the two of them.

Katie - High School Senior Portrait - Theatrical PortraitBesides Katie looking beautiful, I love the way we were able to get some of the overhead theater lighting into this shot, as well as the very cool detail in the side of the seat. Katie - High School Senior Portrait - Theatrical PortraitKatie wore a very cool retro dress and brought along a very cool retro microphone to make this portrait. I think she pulled off the look just great! Katie - High School Senior Portrait - Theatrical PortraitWe used some theater lighting on the curtain in the background, and one of my softboxes to light Katie. The dramatic look is well suited for the environment. After we finished up in the theater we drove over to Stan Hywett Gardens to capture some beautiful outdoor portraits.  The gardens at Stan Hywett are really beautiful and I hope to come back soon to shoot here again.  Katie is such a natural beauty that it was nearly impossible to take a bad photograph of her.  Katie had some ideas about where she wanted to be photographed, like at the birch trees you'll see below, but we just strolled along some of the paths and it seemed just about everywhere we turned we found another great location to shoot.  

This shot was taken on a balcony overlooking the valley.  

Katie - High School Senior Portrait -Stan Hywett GardensThis shot was photographed on a stone balcony in the Stan Hywett gardens and overlooking the valley.

One of the places that we wanted to photograph Katie was among the the birch trees in the garden.  The lighting was a little tricky here, but the shots turned out great.  I stylized the shot below to highlight the punches of color from Katie's dress and the green ground cover.

Katie - High School Senior Portrait - Stan Hywett GardensThe path between the birch trees, from a compositional standpoint, is a really cool spot to take a portrait. Just add Katie with a beautiful pink dress for a punch of color, and you end up with this image.

We made our way up some stone steps on our way up to the balcony overlooking the valley and I noticed how the late day sun was just streaming into this location.  So we paused to take some photos here.  Because Katie was back-lit here, which normally results in a pretty underexposed face, I just needed a little diffused fill flash to help properly expose her face, as well as to add some catchlights in her eyes.  

Katie - High School Senior Portrait - Stan Hywett GardensI just love the way the late day sun just added a natural rim and hair light. It really brought out the beautiful tones in Katie's hair. Katie wanted an outfit change and she and her mom were resourceful in finding a place to change (on the other side of the concrete wall below!  Who needs a dressing room?!).  She changed from the colorful pink dress to a more sophisticated black and white outfit.  While we were standing outside her make-shift dressing room I wanted to capture this different look with a hardscape background.

Katie - High School Senior Portrait - Stan Hywett GardensEven the hardscapes at Stan Hywett provided some interesting backgrounds. Katie can even make a concrete wall look great. Although, as seen below, this same outfit still looked great among the more natural settings of the garden.  Again, I wanted to use the late day sun as a natural hair light so we found a spot, with this background, and where the sun was shining through.  

Katie - High School Senior Portrait - Stan Hywett GardensWhile Katie's next outfit lacked the color pop of her pink dress, she still rocked this shot with one of the footbridges and some colorful azaleas in the background. There were a few more locations that included some hardscape backgrounds, including an arbor that was made up of brick columns.  Not only did I like the look of the brick, I love compositions that have repeating patterns, such as the repeating pattern of the brick columns.  

Katie - High School Senior Portrait - Stan HywettWe found another hardscape feature in the gardens to make this portrait. Again, I tried to find the right spot to get some of the sunlight to highlight here hair.

Down another pathway I spotted a set of steps made from stone and had a beautiful patina.  I think this was one of the last shots that I took before they were about to close.  This was shot at f2.8 to blur out the details in the steps, and then in post I stylized this portrait a bit to mute some of the colors and to bring out the color in her eyes a bit.  I think it's just a stunning portrait!

Katie - High School Senior Portrait - Stan HywettThis headshot portrait was made while Katie was sitting on some aging stone steps. Katie is a beautiful singer and an amazing actress.  Besides being a great student, she spent a lot of time at Walsh honing her skills as a musical theater actress. 

I'm so glad that I got to do Connor's high school senior portrait.  Connor spent his high school years at the historic Western Reserve Academy in Hudson, OH.  The WRA campus is beautiful just about any time of year and is such a great place to take photos.  I wanted to make sure that I captured the essence of the WRA campus as well as to capture Connor in parts of the campus where he spent much time as a student.    

Connor Along Brick Row - High School Senior PortraitThis photo was taken along the well known "Brick Row" on the Western Reserve Academy's campus. On the Porch at Hayden Hall - High School Senior PortraitConnor is an accomplished violist and spent many hours over his WRA career at Hayden Hall. Connor certainly made is mark at WRA as an all-around great student, musician and athlete. Besides excelling as a student in a rigorous academic environment, where he earned a stellar GPA, Connor was a standout athlete.  In his senior year he was nominated as a Beacon Journal Scholar Athlete.  He played soccer, basketball and pitched for WRA's baseball team, where he earned a USA TODAY Student-Athlete Shout-out.  He was also awarded MVP his senior year.

Connor on the Baseball Field - High School Senior PortraitConnor had a great baseball season both at the plate and as a pitcher. As if all that is not enough, Connor was also active active in service and volunteering. He was the WRA Key Club President.  

The Entrance to WRA - High School Senior PortraitConnor is standing at the front gate to Western Reserve Academy in his graduation attire. Best wishes to Connor as he starts his college career at The Ohio State University.  There is no doubt he will make his mark there as well.  

Well, it got me thinking of some of the images that I took this winter when it was brutally cold outside.  It was so cold that I probably should not have been outside taking pictures.  (Thank goodness for remote shutter releases).  I travelled out to a few of my favorite running routes to grab some photos.  One of the routes included a section of the Buckeye Trail that takes us past Blue Hen Falls and Buttermilk Falls in the Cuyahoga Valley.  During the summer months you’re restricted to the winding trails along the river to get from Blue Hen Falls to Buttermilk Falls. During this cold winter pretty much everything was frozen, so you could get between the falls by walking on the ice over the stream.  

The Trail to Blue Hen Falls in the Cuyahoga Valley National ParkThe trail to Blue Hen Falls splits off from the Buckeye Trail after you cross the wooden bridge over Spring Creek. Wooden Bridge Over Spring Creek in the Cuyahoga Valley National ParkThis wooden bridge spans Spring Creek, which is the creek that feeds Blue Hen Falls. Blue Hen Falls - Frozen WaterfallThis image was produced by taking 5 bracketed shots to capture the full tonal range of the frozen waterfall. It felt a bit erie seeing everything frozen still, yet still able to hear the water running under the ice.

On my trek from Blue Hen Falls to Buttermilk Falls a passed by this tree that had been carved over the years with peoples names.  I noticed someone had carved "Jack" into the base of the tree.  Leslie and I always try to take a photo of Jack's name whenever we come across it on a sign.  Unfortunately most of those signs seem to be the names of bars.  

Jack's Name Carved in a TreeI noticed that someone had carved the name Jack into the bark of this tree. It caught my eye and I had to take a photo of it.

Because the weather was so cold, I noticed some very interesting ice crystal formations in areas where there were holes in the ice and the stream was running beneath it.

Ice CrystalsThese ice crytals formes near areas where there were holes in the ice and the stream was running beneath the ice. Ice Crystals It was a bit unnerving at times when I could hear the water running under the ice beneath my feet.  I shot a quick video of one of those patches (below) and just hoped that I wouldn’t capture myself falling through the ice.  The water is shallow, so there were no worries about being swept under the ice or anything, but I didn’t want to get my feet wet for the walk back to the car in those temperatures. 

Water Flow Under the IceThe spring that feeds this stream keeps a steady flow of water under the ice, despite temperatures around zero.  At the top of Buttermilk Falls is a cliff wall where water drips down to help feed the falls.  This dripping water made some pretty cool looking icicles.  I took a shot looking at the icicles and another shot looking straight up into them.  

Falls at the top of Buttermilk FallsThe water that normally drips off of this cliff face yielded some impressive icicles. Looking Up into the Icicle FormationHere is a shot taken looking straight up into the icicle structure.

I also headed over to another favorite running route near the Everett Covered Bridge in Peninsula, OH.  We don’t actually run over the bridge on our route, but we run past it to get to Oak Hill Road.  For anyone who has ever driven up, cycled up or run up this road, you know what kind of hill this is.  It’s a beast!  It makes for a great hill workout, although we have never done hill repeats on this hill.  I save that for Initiation Hill on the North side of Peninsula.  Anyway, I digress.  Everett Covered Bridge is a really cool restored covered bridge to visit in just about any season, but I wanted to capture some images around sunset during winter.  I didn’t quite get the sunset I was looking for, but with a bit of post-processing I created some pretty cool images.  Needless to say, I didn’t have to worry about other people walking into my shot in that cold. 

Everett Covered Bridge from the bank of Furnace RunI shot a series of 10 bracketed frames to capture the full dynamic range of this image. A bit of post-processing was needed to help light up the bridge as the sun was setting. Everett Covered Bridge EntranceI bracketed these shots as well to be able to bring out the detail in the shadow areas inside the bridge. What a gem to have this restored bridge so close to us.

So for those who are already frustrated with our mini heat wave, perhaps looking at these photos will take you back to just a few months ago when the weather was so cold that the waterfalls and rivers froze over.  Stay cool!

I met Emily and her mom during the production of Seussical the Musical that was produced by The Hudson Players in Hudson, OH.  She and my daughter, Mary Grace, were both in the cast where they made a lot of new friends.  Emily was cast in several roles in Seussical and also helped to button down the dance routines as opening night started to close in on the dancers.  It was a great show and I was glad to be able to do the theatrical photography for the show.

Emily wanted some updated headshots shot on a black backdrop.  With the lighting setup I use, especially with models that have blondish/reddish hair, they really pop off of the backdrop.  While I really like the clean look of a white backdrop, particularly if they are used on the web, the black backdrop is a great backdrop that produces images with a little more pop and moodiness.  For a theatrical headshot it helps to have a few different looks to choose from depending on the role that you are looking to be cast in.

Emily - Headshot on black backgroundEmily wanted an updated headshot on a black background so I used a 3-light setup to light her for this image.

We did the headshots and then moved on to shoot Emily in a few different dance outfits that she brought.  (I think dancers leave a trail of glitter wherever they travel with their dance outfits).  We captured some pretty dance poses as well as a few images with Emily in motion. 

Emily in Pointe ShoesEmily brought her pointe shoes and a beautiful dance costume for some dance portraits.

Graceful EmilyIn another dance costume change Emily posed for more dance portraits. This particular pose has a certain sweetness and gracefulness to it.

I wanted to capture some images that I could use to create a Sportrait of Emily.  I typically do these Sportraits with football players, LAX players etc., but I think they work great with dancers as well.  After all, dancers are athletes too.  I love the idea of juxtaposing the elegance of a dancer against the grittiness of an industrial type background. 

Dance Sportrait of EmilyHere is a photo of Emily "busting a move" for her Dance Sportrait. I know, I know....this is the wrong dance genre to "bust a move."

We had a lot of fun and I’m looking forward to working with Emily again on some more dance shoots.

Sean is a senior at Hudson High School and will be attending Miami University in Oxford, OH this fall.  He is a smart and hard working young man with a lot of character and will do just great at Miami.  

We started in the studio to get some formal shots done.  I promised him that I wouldn't do anything crazy like superimposing an image of himself into the frame like my senior portrait.  We also shot the images to work on his "Sportrait" to represent his high school football experience.  For this image I like the old Lavelli Field background as it has a bit more age and grunge to it than the new stadium.

Sean's High School Senior SportraitThe Sportrait is a stylized sports portrait that composites the athlete onto a background with a gritty, grungy feel to it. We then headed into town to take some on-location photos.  For Sean, I was looking for backgrounds that included some texture and a bit more of an urban feel, as opposed to something like a flowery garden....after all, he is a guy...and a Hudson Explorer football player.  Sean has a great smile, so we certainly caught that smile, but his "serious" face is a great look for him.  There were a few images that had a cool James Dean quality to them.

Sean - High School Senior Portrait - The Serious LookWhile Sean has a great smile, there is something about his "serious look" that exudes confidence, is smart looking and evokes just a hint of James Dean-like mystery. We wish Sean the best of luck at Miami.  He'll do great!

Please contact me if you would like to schedule your senior portrait session.

A friend of mine from college recently posted on Facebook a copy of his ID card for the Dining Hall at NIU and challenged me to post my own ID card.  Upon looking for that card in my single plastic storage bin of memorabilia in the basement, I came across my High School ID card.  Woah!  How long ago was that?!  (I found  lot of other interesting things in that bin.  Perhaps that's another blog post!)

High School Senior ID "Portrait"You don't want this to be the only memory of who you were as a High School Senior. I don't recall if I still had braces on and wouldn't smile, or if I thought I was getting a mug shot done. Perhaps it was just uncool to smile for your school ID.

It got me thinking of a conversation I had recently with a parent who was going to let her HS Senior decide whether or not she wanted to have a senior portrait taken.  We discussed the notion that this is a special time in a young adult’s life that will be gone in a flash.   It’s important to capture this milestone because you will never have an opportunity again to capture who they are at this moment in their life.  The next “portrait” that they are likely to have taken is after college when their first employer wants a headshot for the company website.  This photo will reflect an accomplished adult who has spent four years of sleepless nights studying (and partying) along with the stress and worry of keeping up grades, all while figuring out how to pay for everything with the hopes that they land the job for which they have worked so hard.  Wow, is that what college life boils down to?  Well, you get the point. 

So back to that single plastic storage bin that holds all of my “Glory Days” mementos.  Upon further digging into the bin, I also found my High School Senior portrait.  I’m so glad that I found it.  For a moment, with a big grin on my face, it took me back to that day I had that picture taken.  How I remember that day is beyond me, but I remember that it was a hot summer day and I was at the community pool just relaxing, but keeping an eye on the time so I did not miss my assigned time slot.  I dreaded going to get my picture taken.  So I grabbed my blue button-down shirt, knit tie and corduroy jacket and headed over to the studio.  It wasn’t an awful experience, but I do remember the photographer seemed a bit bored to be doing what he was doing.  As a large contract photographer, he had probably been at it all day, and for several days. 

My High School Senior Portrait (apparently taken with my twin).I'm glad I found this print in a plastic storage bin full of High School and college memories. I just wish I had more pictures than this studio shot. Evidently one of the popular styles back then was to look off camera and "smile" like one would for a portrait from the wild west days.

While I don’t dislike the picture, and I’m really glad that I have a print of it, I don’t think that it really captured who I was at that moment in my life.  I was a wrestler, a runner and a member of the best marching band in Illinois that year, (true story!) and I have no other senior pictures to reflect those interests.  Thank goodness times have changed and that style of photography is not the only option available.  Studio photography in a formal setting still makes great images and keepsakes, but for Senior Portraits, it can, and should be, so much more.  Even though on that hot summer day I dreaded going to get my portrait taken, I wished that, today, I would have found more pictures in that bin.  My daughter, Mary Grace, really enjoyed seeing me as a high school student when I was just a bit older than she is now.

So to those students who just dread getting their pictures taken, and to those parents who will let their kids decide about having their portraits taken, PLEASE reconsider and have it done.  Don’t let your son or daughter be that person searching in their plastic bin of memories of years gone by hoping that they will find just a few more pictures of themselves as that young, confident and carefree High School Senior. 

I’m booking sessions right now, so if you have a current “Class of 2015” senior, or know of someone who is just waiting to have it done, call or email right away so that we can get them scheduled before graduation.  If you have a current “Class of 2016” junior, it’s not too soon to start booking for summer sessions.  I look forward to working with you and your daughter/son to make sure their plastic storage bin of memories is loaded with great images that reflect who they are today.

Oh, and by the way, I do not have an identical twin brother as the picture implies!!  

I recall a poster that I had seen back in 2011 that, at that time, really struck me as some kind of new age wisdom.  It is the Holstee Manifesto. 

I remember thinking, “Yea right, who really lives their life by this ‘code’?”  I have seen it on the Internet here and there over the past few years and each time I saw it again the words resonated with me in a little different way.  At times I felt like I was being challenged.  Traveling for business was difficult knowing that my wife, Leslie, was at home struggling to manage both our family and her Real Estate business.  I just wished I could be there to help.  I would come across the powerful words of the Manifesto again and again.  Well, there was shake-up at my last employer and the wisdom behind this manifesto seemed to be screaming at me to make a change for my family and me.  I really took to heart the first five and the last five lines of this manifesto and decided to make a change. 

I have been a photographer for many years, going way back before the days of “JMG Studios.”  Seton fans will fondly remember the JMG Studio creations.  I started doing sports photography and real estate photography and slowly built up to portraiture.  I think the moment I knew that I really loved doing photography was when I made a portrait for Leslie of our children, Jack and Mary Grace.  Our son Jack is a special child with very special needs, and his sister, Mary Grace, is her brother’s keeper in many ways.  I shot over 300 frames to get the ONE shot that captured Jack’s precious little smile, a smile that, sadly, we rarely see today.  Her reaction to seeing the portrait was unforgettable and I was just so thrilled to be able to capture that moment with his sister.  I had a big print made and it is hanging at the bottom of the stairs so we see it every time we come down the steps.  Jack’s lips on the print are smudged with lip prints from Leslie kissing them.  It was an important image to capture and I am so thrilled that we have it hanging in our home to cherish forever. 

I am in the process of fine-tuning my Mission Statement, but it’s the spirit of that portrait of our beautiful children that I think about when crafting that statement, and it is something that I want to be able to share with my clients.  I want to be able to capture those important moments so that they can be cherished for generations.

I welcome you to browse around my website, www.BrianCorriganPhotography.com, and take a look at my work.  Since Facebook didn’t “Jump the Shark” after I finally signed up for my personal Facebook page a few years ago, I have just started the Brian Corrigan Photography Facebook page and will start posting to that soon.  I will be sending out mailers soon for High School Senior portrait sessions, but if you need portraits done of your soon-to-be High School Senior, or you know of any seniors looking for portraits, I am starting to book sessions for this spring already.  Of course, I am also doing Family Portraits and corporate and theatrical headshots as well.  Please feel free to contact me with any questions.  I can be reached at [email protected] or at 330-814-3124.