Photoshoot: High Tech High Teachers

The other day, Nikki appointed me the job of photographing each teacher for the High Tech High website. Honored, I went ahead and tried to get the best photos I could take; though I wouldn't call the results my "best".
The Rules
The rules of this shoot were:
-choice of pose (formal vs. candid)
-free choice of background
-props are fine
-basically, the teacher can do whatever they want. (As such in real life)

So without further ado, here's how it went.

Dr. Gloag

Honestly, this one I'm not too proud of. Dr. Gloag was ready to leave, and I had to think on the spot. She was standing right there when I asked for her picture, so what the heck?
She was under the deck's umbrella, so since her face was in the shadows, I needed some fill-flash. The reason I'm not too proud of it is because it looks too posed. I didn't want to take too long, so I just shot without thinking.


Meagan

One of our new academic coaches, Meagan, was having lunch with Mrs. Rojas when Jordan, Izzy, and I came in to take their pictures. Meagan wanted hers in front of the Africa poster, so
that's what we did. We tried with and without flash, and without turned out much better.

Mr. Ryska


Lunch was over, and Mr. Ryska's class was just walking in, so this was another on-the spot shot. I thought his name-tag was a nice prop, so we got one with him in front of it, with a spiffy looking pose.

Mrs. Rojas


Mrs. Rojas wanted a picture with "her world". There were others, but she preferred this one.

Mr. Acker



Mr. Acker had an awesome idea, taking his picture with Einstein; definitely made a nice background.

Mr. Fozi


After looking around his classroom, Mr. Fozi thought this poster would make for a nice backdrop for his portrait. Only thing I would change is the distracting window behind him, possibly placing him on the other side of the poster.

Mrs. Sanders



I liked this shot because it looks very natural. Not too posed, yet not candid either. I also liked the light in her office, because it was perfect for this portrait.

Mrs. Toni


The legendary Mrs. Toni. This one was shot in her office, and the lighting was really tricky. The light coming from the door and window confused the camera, and the shot turned out really dark. When I told that to Mrs. Toni, she said "Is it because I'm black?". Everyone within a 2 mile radius cracked up.
To fix it up, I decided to just brighten it in Photoshop, which gave me semi-decent results.

Taryn


Taryn was having lunch when we came by to take her picture. Jordan tried his best to secretly get a shot of her with food in her mouth; no luck. So we just settled for a basic portrait in her office.
Mr. Leader


This was the only shot I could get of Mr. Leader, before he tried getting away. He obviously didn't want his picture taken.

Chris Tuazon (a.k.a. Panda)

Nice pose?

Mrs. P


Mrs. P. wanted her picture in front of the Dream painting, and we got a nice shot right away.

George


George looked busy as well, so we decided to just get his shot right where he was. Also a nice one.

Mrs. Clark


When asked what defines her personality, Mrs. Clark simply said, "Food!". Since she was eating lunch, that's exactly what we shot. Perfect.

Mrs. Battistuz


Need I say more?

Nikki


Basic portrait, though I could've done better on the composition.
(Though I think Jordan took this one)
Shani Higgins


I really liked how the colors turned out in this one. I also thought the shadow was an added bonus. And Shani's pose just screams "Professional Cool Guy".

Heidi


Another spontaneous shot; very basic, yet usable.

Mrs. Howard


Chris was able to get her out of class to take her picture. She needed us to wait a little bit, though, to put on lipstick and such.
She liked the trees, so it only made sense to take her with them.

Asal


Miss Fisk gave Asal the idea of takign her picture with the "Awesome" sign.

Mrs. Frias (featuring Susan)


With lack of ideas for Mrs. Frias's pic, Susan decided to stand behind her for a 4-arm look. They obviously had fun with this one.

My Personal FAVORITES

Miss Fisk


The idea of the jump-shot was originally for Charlegne. She didn't know how she would jump, so Miss Fisk gave her a demonstration, which she chose for her photo.

Charlegne



Again, it was after school on a Friday. Everyone was ready to go home, especially the teachers. We just didn't have any ideas for Charlegne. After many failed attempts, Chris got an idea from Charlegne's beloved robot.
This one is definitely my favorite.

Like any of these shots? Hate them? Let me know in the comments.