High School Senior Portraits: Often It's What You Don't See

It's easy to take for granted the end result of an image. If the image is pleasing and there's nothing distracting then our job as photographers is done. That's why the details matter so much!

I absolutely love this image of a high school senior — the smile, pose, background — everything came together. However, there are a few troubles.

• The green railing he has his arms on had distracting spots (along with a little lint on his sleeve).

• The string stuck out just a little funny from the crease on his sweatshirt which I found distracting as well.

• And, because his hands are over his head, his top lifted a bit from his waist exposing skin and a hint of the elastic from his briefs. I didn't want to crop too high as I wanted to maintain the length of his torso. So I cropped a bit and added in a little more t-shirt to cover his skin.

• There was also work done to smooth out the harsh highlights on his face creating a more even tonality.

• Final steps: enhance colors, brightness, and tone.

End result? High school year book photo!