Local photographer Darren M. Edwards proves senior pictures don’t have to be ‘traditional’ – St George News

Senior portrait by Darren M. Edwards Photography, location and date not specified | Photo courtesy of Darren M. Edwards Photography, St. George News

CONTRIBUTED CONTENT — Senior photos don’t have to be traditional. That’s the philosophy of local photographer Darren M. Edwards.

Senior portrait by Darren M. Edwards Photography, location and date not specified | Photo courtesy of Darren M. Edwards Photography, St. George News

“I see a lot of senior photos that feel generic, but these kids, they’re anything but generic,” he said. 

Edwards still recalls his own senior portraits, which were taken by a “big company that came to my school and just set up in the gym.”

“They had a collection of props they told me to pick from: a guitar, a football, a fishing pole,” he said, “but none of them fit me. So, they just handed me a leather jacket and told me to throw it over my shoulder even though I was already wearing a big hoodie. The photo still makes me laugh.”

Edwards believes that you can’t capture someone’s personality with props or gimmicks.

“You want to take things like hobbies into consideration, but that’s all surface level,” he said. “If you can’t get below the surface, then what’s the point?”

Senior portrait by Darren M. Edwards Photography, location and date not specified | Photo courtesy of Darren M. Edwards Photography, St. George News

Edwards specializes at bringing out each client’s personality.

“During a portrait session, I’m not just taking photos, not just posing and directing my clients. I get them talking about the things they’re passionate about. That’s when people really start to open up and show themselves,” he said, adding, “I don’t like to tell clients to smile. It’s my job to make them smile throughout the portrait session.” 

Any parent who has tried to get their teen to smile for a photo will tell you that teenagers can be a tricky demographic to work with, but Edwards knows there’s a simple secret.

“Treat them like they’re real people,” he said. “They can be shy and slow to trust a stranger, but they also want to be seen.” 

Sometimes, the parent and the teen have very different goals for the photos – a conflict Edwards has dealt with many times.  From what they’re going to wear for the session to battles over hair length, he’s seen it all.

I’m not much help when it comes to haircuts, but most of the other differences are easy to accommodate,” he said. “You want to make sure that you give them both what they want. Whether it’s working in an extra outfit change or taking two versions of the same shot (they want to look deep and serious, but mom wants that big smile), there’s plenty of time in an hour session to do that.”

While this process of capturing a unique aspect of the client is especially present when photographing high school seniors, Edwards said the same process holds true for adults.

“With teens, it’s a bit more pronounced because most of them have just finished figuring out who they are, but the process of getting someone to feel comfortable showing their true self, that’s something you have to do even with adults.”

Senior portrait by Darren M. Edwards Photography, location and date not specified | Photo courtesy of Darren M. Edwards Photography, St. George News

To him, that’s what marks the difference between a photo and a fine art portrait, regardless of the subject’s age.

“Anyone with a camera and a filter can make someone look good in a photo, but it takes an artist to capture a piece of who that person really is.”

Edwards, who is also a writer and educator, has taught photography classes for local high schools, written articles on the art of photography and judged local contests. He has worked as the managing editor and the editor-in-chief of local publications, and he served on the board of directors for Streetfest and as the co-chair of the St. George Book Festival.

“I love this community. I love being an active part of it, especially in arts and education,” he said. “Capturing a special moment in these teens’ lives, something that they can look back on years later and say, ‘Yeah, that’s who I was’ is really rewarding, especially as part of the culmination of such a formative period in their lives.” 

In addition to creating fine art portraits for Southern Utah high schoolers, Edwards has worked on photojournalism for local papers, done event photography for organizations like the Dove Center and the St. George Area Chamber of Commerce and taken marketing photos for businesses in the community such as Botanicals, Humanity thru Equity and Witt Law, among others. He has also had work shown at the Red Cliff Gallery.

However, his photographic work hasn’t just been limited to Southern Utah. His images have also been recognized in competitions at Utah State University and with the national parks. They have appeared inside the pages of national and international publications, including on the cover of “The Sonder Review.” And his first book of photography and prose was published in 2016 by The History Press (he has a second book, “Supernatural Lore of Southern Utah,” forthcoming from the same press in September).  

Senior portrait by Darren M. Edwards Photography, location and date not specified | Photo courtesy of Darren M. Edwards Photography, St. George News

What do marketing photos, pictures of haunted houses and senior portraits have in common? Aside from requiring the same technical knowledge base and understanding of light, Edwards also feels they require an important sense of tone and feeling.

“People pour their hearts into their products and their stories, so in a way, you’re still trying to capture a piece of a person when you’re working outside of portraiture,” he said. 

Does he have a favorite type of photography?

“It’s difficult, because I love the diversity of the medium, but there is nothing like spending an hour really getting someone to exude their inner strength and beauty, really getting them to open up and show the world who they are.”   

People looking to schedule a portrait session with Edwards can email him at [email protected] or text him at 801-310-5369. You can see more of his work on his website, on Facebook @DMEcreativeservices and on Instagram @dme_utah.

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Local photographer Darren M. Edwards proves senior pictures don’t have to be ‘traditional’