Thorpeland Photography

The Rider

Kyle, a photo by Thorpeland on Flickr.

The end of August means the start of many Seniors starting their final year in High School.  Kyle and his mother contacted me about shooting some senior portraits.  When I asked her what kind of hobbies he enjoys, she said he likes to ride his dirt bike.  Right then I knew we had some great material for a fun shoot.  I told him to show up with his dirt bike, dressed ready to ride!  At first he wasn't sure what to really do.  After all, he'd never had anyone really take his photo when he wasn't riding by the camera.  Posing with his bike as a prop seemed foreign to him.  I told him to imagine being on the cover of a Dirt Bike magazine.  Or imagine he had just won a big race.  How would he look at the camera?  He stood straight and gave me this direct, confident look.  I started shooting knowing we had some real keepers.
His mother also wanted some more normal photos.  So he changed outfits and wore a more contemporary western look.  Classic Texan, really.  Both looks turned out great and everyone was really happy with the photos.  And despite the temps that evening being over 100f, I had a blast shooting.