Some people are just more serious than others. Most people like to laugh, but to be represented in an image people generally fall into four categories. 1. Smile at the camera in some sort of pose that you think shows you off the best. 2. serious and contemplative to show some sort of professionalism or intellect. 3. I'm pissed being made to pose for a picture that I hate. 4. as goofy as can be. Now there are a few other categories that are a little less obvious and not as common, the downright shy not sure what to do or why, or the person who really just doesn't know much about what a photograph really does(this category is less and less now with camera phones etc...). When I set in motion to do a photoshoot these are the things I try to decipher right off the bat---what kind of portrait am I going to be able to make. Some people just don't want to have their picture taken and even though this is often the more difficult type of person to get a good photograph of...I sympathize and we talk about that and I tell stories of how much I didn't want to be a photographer because I just hated to pose for pictures---so why would I put others through that? Generally we laugh at this and somehow we get a little more relaxed and get through the shoot. Most of the time we end up with pretty cool photos. I'm pretty sure Tyler didn't want any part of having his senior photos taken, but we tried some things with his basketball uniform, we tried some smiling shots, but he seemed much more comfortable being serious and I think these probably show more of his personality. He is a serious guy and I think he has a pretty good head on his shoulders and will succeed in life....this is the sort of thing that makes me feel honored about being able to document a little bit of his life. SayerMotter Photograph by Richard Sayer.