A Photoshoot for the Future Front Liners

I am an amateur photographer who has never done work for other people except for family and friends. The last planned photoshoot I did was for my brother-in-law's prenup wedding shoot. With three different locations and complete with costumes.

These were posted from my old watersnake101 account if you want to have a look.
Wedding Prenup Photoshoot with Philippine Culture Theme
Philippine Wedding Prenup Photoshoot Creek Location
Love That Stops The Rain

That was the last shoot that we took some effort to make. I am not confident when it comes to doing photoshoots with other people. With family and friends, you can take your time and they will love it whatever the outcome is 😄.

My daughter is taking up nursing in college and she wanted to help people ever since she was little. Nursing is a very difficult role in these times now. With the pandemic still rampant, it terrifies me the thought of my daughter being exposed every day once she has graduated. Maybe things will change when the time comes.

One morning my daughter came up to me and said that we need to do a photoshoot for her. It was their capping ceremony and they needed to have photos. She said that her classmates even went out and paid for a professional to do a shoot. I of course was excited to do a shoot for her. She also mentioned that two of her best friends wanted to join her in the shoot. She told them that I was doing her shoot and not paying for a professional. Still, they persisted to join her.

I started to set up two cheap softboxes that I bought online and also set up a ring light upfront. I don't know a lot about lighting so I tried to do a little research before the shoot. I also did a test first, positioning lights in a different location and just choosing the setup that looked good on the camera. Her friends finally arrived and they did their makeup on each other. I was ready but they were still working on their makeup for 30 minutes now. I understand that they wanted to be pretty on camera so I gave them some more time to prepare.

After an hour my daughter called me and said they are ready for the shoot. My daughter wanted to go first, she always wants to go first in everything because she prefers to get things done right away. She is used to being my model for years now and she knows what poses she will make.

About the background that we used for this shoot, we bought it from an online store for around 500 pesos or $9.79 USD. I think it looks good and perfect for this scenario. Originally we were just going to use an old cloth or blanket but I felt we should just buy a background since we can still use it in the future.

I had no idea what shots I was going to make as I have never done this before. A make-shift studio in my aunt's living room with cheap lights. I searched online for samples of photoshoots. The standard shots that I saw were a closeup, half body shot, sitting on a chair and full body. I decided to just use that set for all of them.

Next was her friend and she was very shy. I am glad I had already planned for the set of shots that I was going to do. I was able to direct her with the poses to make. I usually take a lot of shots just to make sure there would be a lot of options to choose from.

The last one I think is her best friend since I noticed they have more hobbies and likes in common. But my daughter said that they are both her best friends.

Like my daughter, her friend is also not shy in front of the camera. She knew what to do and felt at ease during the shoot.

Once they all had their solo shoot done we had to do a group photo. It is something to look back to once they are full-fledged nurses soon. Possibly they would go separate ways when they graduate but I believe they will be friends forever. They are preparing themselves for a challenging life ahead and friends will support each other in this journey. I often ask my daughter if she wants to change her mind in pursuing nursing because of the pandemic. She answers me, "We are needed more during these times".

I know life could be difficult for these young ladies but I admire their passion and devotion to help and serve those in need.

When things get rough during their studies they know how to relieve stress. They laugh it out and find ways to relax and have fun.

Not a part of the shoot but my daughter requested take some random photos. She and her friend is a big fan of the Korean Kpop worldwide sensation boy group BTS. He is holding a BTS army Bomb light stick. The light syncs to the music during concerts and I have seen her use it when she watched an online concert of BTS. It was pretty cool.

Once the shoot was done her friends were asking if they needed to pay me. I am not a professional and do not charge anyone for a shoot since I only shoot family and friends. My daughter's friends are also considered friends. My daughter gave them both all the copies of the shoot which they posted on their social media accounts. A lot of their classmates were asking where they had their photoshoot done and some even wished they joined her instead. My daughter proudly answered, "My dad did our shoot".

Thanks for joining us today and I hope you liked the photos. What do you think about our little shoot? Please leave some comments as I would love to get some feedback. I want to learn more and hopefully gain more confidence in the future.

See you around and stay safe.