Senior guys are not always excited about doing photo shoots. Most of them do it for their mom, sweet guys that they are. 😉 I love that – knowing a guy would much rather be hanging with friends, playing video games or even working, he agrees to running around with his mom and letting a stranger stick a camera in his face – well, that’s a good son in my book. And Rafael was no exception. He’s an awesome guy who is sweet and kind to his momma. My boys better take notes…

I didn’t know how much Rafael would be into doing the shoot -when we met for our pre-session consultation, he was focused on eating lunch and getting back to class at Bowie High School. I assumed his would be a typical guy session – most guys show up with a couple of shirts and just want to get the session done so they can go about their business. But when I saw Rafael and his mom walking down Congress Ave. with an arm-load of clothes, a trumpet case and a bag just for shoes, I knew this would be a fun, fun session!

Immediately I knew that Rafael had style. His outfits were carefully selected and the shoes were vitally important. I love, love, love that! How awesome does he look on this urban shoot in downtown Austin? Ah-mazing!But, just like most guys, it took a little bit to get him to relax and look comfortable for the camera. I tried my best – cracking jokes and being energetic – hoping something would crack his cool exterior. I don’t remember what it was I said just before this next shot, but when he smiled and the dimples came out – I knew I had made progress! His mom and I both gushed over this shot. I got the DIMPLES!! 😉

I was messing with him here. I kept telling him to give me different expressions. Since I was shooting with a pretty long lens far away from him in a noisy park, I was shouting one word emotions to get him to be spontaneous. “Excited! Smug! Surprised! Shocked! Flirty!” Yeah…all I got was cute. lol! I love it when he started laughing.
We made our way over to the Stevie Ray Vaughan statue. Being a trumpet player, Rafael has a great love for music and he really wanted some shots next to the legend. Despite the gawkers, the wet dogs and the woman that just had to touch the statue on her way by (and walked right into my shot), I think we got some really fun shots. The sun was setting, giving me the chance to try a little dramatic lighting. I like how it turned out!