A different kind of "senior portrait"

Tuesday was a great day! Early that morning I headed into the local Senior Activities Center with my assistant Sharon. Last week we had met with the center’s director to discuss shooting some free portraits for the seniors and she loved the idea. Yesterday we came to work and I was delighted with the turnout. I didn’t know how many seniors would want to have their photos taken, and it did start off a bit slow.

Once we had photographed a few, word must have spread because for the next two hours we had a waiting line. My only complaint was that we had so many men and women waiting that it didn’t give me much time to talk to the individuals and to get to know them, which is my favorite part about making portraits. Despite that little speed-bump, we had a wonderful time and met many incredible men and women.

We’re giving all of the seniors color versions of their portraits, but as you know I love black and white so I picked some of my favorites to convert for my portfolio. Now remember, when I shoot photos with my portrait series in mind, I have a very specific vision for the photos which is different from the “Say cheese!” shots you so often see. I like to leave a bit of mystery as I feel it makes the images more engaging.

With that in mind, here are a few b&w photos from the shoot.