Teenager Photography Shoot for George & Henry

A builders’ yard was the perfect setting for a photography session marking the 13th birthday of these young men.

Oxfordshire-based mum-of-four Karen wanted a photography session of her eldest set of twins, George and Henry, to commemorate their 13th birthday. Her sons were teetering in that transitional period – older boys becoming young men – and she wanted to capture this milestone in their lives.

This really struck a chord with me, as there are almost no photographs of me as a teenager. As older kids change more slowly, perhaps we feel less urgent about documenting their growth. Then, suddenly they’re adults and it’s too late.

I met with Karen prior to the shoot to find out exactly what she wanted from the portraits and she had a very clear brief: relaxed, urban, teenager portraits with no cheesy poses, forced smiles or soft, floral surroundings. While she wanted a couple of them together, she was mainly looking for individual portraits that she could display.

She loved the idea of some textures in the background that would provide that urban feel and reflect the boys’ personalities. We started discussing location ideas when Karen made a suggestion: could we carry out the shoot in a nearby builders’ yard?

It’s the HQ for their family business which has been handed down through the generations, so has huge personal relevance to the boys. Karen walked me around it ahead of the shoot, and from a photographic point of view it was an absolutely perfect backdrop for two teenagers.

There was a indoor workshop space with old equipment resting on dusty workbenches. There were brick and wooden fenced areas outside, plus storage spaces for raw materials. There was so much potential in every corner I think I actually started bouncing with excitement. I met George and Henry and then headed off home to prepare for the session.

At the beginning of our shoot it was drizzling, so George, Henry and I started off with portraits inside the workshop:

I particularly love working with teenagers, as this age group brings so many of their own ideas and creativity to a shoot. George and Henry suggested a few locations around the yard, asked for lots of foreground and background detail to be included and were incredibly engaged and easy to work with. This meant there was scope to try out a few new ideas, such as this creative twist on a portrait of them both together:

After a few more frames inside the workshop, we headed outside, pausing to capture some portraits in the doorway. Next, we headed to an area of the yard that backed on to a canal, for a slightly different feel to the images:

The last part of the session was all about the urban textures, such as this brick wall leading our eye to George:

I love George’s genuine smile here. We were chatting throughout the shoot, so I can’t remember exactly what I said to prompt this grin, but I love the result! After this, Henry jumped in for another portrait of the boys together:

Then it was Henry’s turn to be the star of the shot. I love how the lines of the materials behind Henry draw your eye into the centre of the frame:

The sun was starting to set (albeit still hidden behind solid cloud cover), so it was time to wrap up. First though, the much-loved family dog, Lula joined us for a chance to jump in a portrait with George…:

…and then Henry:

After a hour of chatting, posing and generally relaxing around the yard, George and Henry headed inside to refuel on some home-cooked steak. It’s a tough life!

Afterwards, Karen said:

“I am very pleased with the images I have of my sons. It was great working with Sarah and the boys were really chilled and relaxed about the experience which I think is evidenced in the photos. I’ll be back to work with Sarah when my younger two get to 13!”

Would you like to find out more about teenager portrait photography? Please get in contact:

Sarah Plater is a portrait photographer based in Bicester, Oxfordshire.

(c) Sarah Plater Photography