Every year, I try to come up with an interesting photography concept for my senior spokesmodels. Last year we had color inspired sessions and I was thrilled with the way they turned out! This year I decided to do something different with my 2017 senior models. Each one of them chose a different icon and through out the year, we’ve had sessions based on their icon. We picked photos of that icon and used them as inspiration for our photoshoots. With outfit choices, accessories and hair and make-up we hope to capture the essence of the icon!
I’ve already photographed Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, James Dean, and Taylor Swift and am in love with the results! I had to take a break from the icon sessions because my fall was so busy with outdoor senior sessions. Today though, I’m happy to share the fifth one from the series…a John Mayer icon session!
When I first mentioned the idea of icon session to my 2017 team, Matt, one of my senior models from Fluvanna County High School, instantly knew he wanted to be John Mayer. He’s a huge fan of his and I knew he could pull of the look perfectly! Here are some of the photos from Pinterest that we used for inspiration:
Matt didn’t have to worry about makeup or hair, but he did face a challenge that the others haven’t…getting a tattoo! Okay, he didn’t actually get a tattoo for the session, he had a friend draw one on him! Thanks so much Maddie for your amazing artistic skills, it looks amazing!
Matt is such a natural in front of the camera, I never have to give him any direction. He completely pulled of John Mayer in every single photo!
Most of the shots we duplicated were dark and moody but these photos have a completely different look. Of course, Matt recreated the look perfectly!
I had plenty of vintage cameras to choose from but didn’t have a hat like John Mayer was wearing. For some reason, the top hat called out to me and I knew that if anyone could pull this off, it would be Matt!
We had so much fun recreating these shots! Since we didn’t have a photobooth, we had to get creative with one of my backdrops. I think they look pretty spot on to the original!
You may recognize this jacket from the James Dean session. It belonged to my father and I wore it in high school. I’m getting a lot of use out of it with these icon sessions!
We ended the session with a few shots of Matt playing the guitar. Since my husband is a musician, we had plenty of props at our disposal. Guitars, microphones and studio headphones. It was fantastic!
Thanks so much for a wonderful afternoon Matt. As always, I had a fantastic time photographing you! You were the perfect John Mayer! Stay tuned for the more icon sessions throughout the school year. I have Katy Perry, Beyonce & Melanie Martinez coming up in the next few weeks!
CLASS of 2017 – My spring schedule is almost full! Have you scheduled your portrait session yet? For more info click here or contact me! | 434.906.0418 | photos@alijohnson.com
Ali Johnson is a portrait photographer specializing in senior portrait photography in Charlottesville, Crozet, Keswick, Albemarle and Fluvanna County VA