Today’s post is a bit different. This session was shot with the intention of it going in the magazine, but we got to thinking that this would be perfect on the blog. The sessions in the magazine tend to be elaborate and involve a lot of moving parts. Sometimes they can end up being a bit expensive.
We wanted to take a step back and photograph a session that was the complete opposite of that. To show that sessions that are inexpensive can be just as cute. This session only cost us $39.99 to put together. This session features our sons (Caleb-Luke, and Jackson-Darth Vader) doing what they do best . . . playing!!! Nichole already had the lightsabers, Jedi costume, and the Darth Vader mask for dress up; so all we had to purchase was Darth Vader’s costume.
When it came to choosing the location, we knew that it would be tough to replicate the look of Cloud City, so we had to figure out another setting that would be fitting. We were in search of a location that was stark and a bit dismal looking. Nichole knew of a parking garage that would be perfect.
Once we arrived at the parking garage, we scouted the area for a couple of different looks. We told the boys that we wanted to get some shots of them fighting. They LOVED this part, they started laughing and swinging their lightsabers around.
Jackson’s costume had a sock that covered his head, so he got hot and had to take breaks.
We decided that we could make the most of his breaks and grab shots of Caleb alone.
Then we had the idea to get them back to back looking at each other menacingly.
During our scouting, we saw this great area that had a walkway over a large loading area.
It created this really cool shadow with two cut outs, that would be perfect for some shots of the boys using “The Force” on each other.
After they were done and all played out, we payed them heavily with two HUGE scoops of ice cream.
As you can see, this session didn’t involve anything elaborate. We used things that we already owned, and kept the cost down as much as possible. In choosing things that the children love, it wasn’t like work for them at all. It was a playdate that was being photographed. They had a blast and we got some great images that we’ll treasure forever!
We’d like to leave you with a challenge: think about ways that you can photograph your children/clients doing what they love.
If you’d like to see more images from this session, please head over to our personal websites for more Star Wars fun!
Chikadeez Photography and Nichole Burnett Photography
[...] Darth Vader is played by Jackson who is the son of Laura Mcphail, my partner in The Fort magazine, and of course the Jedi is my son Caleb. For more info on how this shoot came to be a reality check out the post on The Fort Blog! [...]
oh my goodness – love them!!