Sometimes the stars align, and incredible things happen that go beyond expectations. That was certainly true with this photo session! Here’s how this shot went down.

The original plan was to shoot in a completely different location. This graduating senior wanted to take some photos of himself with his car. He wanted to have a session at night, using a single streetlight as the light source to create a moody, “noir” effect. Challenge accepted. This guy was also heavily involved in theater, so I thought it would be fun to incorporate that element as well. I planned to shoot in the parking lot of a local university theater, where I could use the streetlight as my ambient light and the marquee's light for some context and backlight. Although a play was scheduled during the week we needed to shoot, their last performance was a matinee earlier that afternoon. The plan was perfect. The weather was great. Everyone was excited. Then we showed up for the shoot…

It turned out that the school was hosting a cast party in its parking lot, fully equipped with a Chick-fil-A tent, cocktail tables, and a magician. That information was not listed on the theater calendar on its website, so we couldn’t shoot there. Fortunately, I had a backup location next to some railroad tracks where we could use a streetlight as planned, but we would need to make some significant adjustments. Thankfully, the disappointment didn’t ruin the vibe. I’m a creative guy. This graduating senior is a creative guy. We put our minds together and made things work. 

As we began shooting, I wondered what would happen if a train passed by behind our setup. I even joked about how awesome it would be to try to capture the train behind him somehow. He thought the idea was great, but no one knew the train schedule. So, we just kept shooting and having a great time. Then we heard the train! We all looked at each other, wondering if we could pull something off. I quickly explained that I wanted to attempt a long exposure shot to capture light trails from the train behind the car. Everyone loved that idea, but we had one chance to get it right. I had about a minute to change lenses, mount my camera on a tripod, hook up a remote shutter release, change my camera settings, and quickly adjust my key light. As I scrambled, I stressed how important it was for him to remain COMPLETELY still while leaning on the car so that he wouldn’t appear blurry, joking that he should hold his breath, and I immediately counted him off for the shot–three, two, one, CLICK! 

This is an excellent example of what happens when preparation meets opportunity. One of the things I love about photography is the real-time problem-solving required when you’re out and about, trying to be creative with whatever circumstances come your way. When you study the basics, drill creative techniques, and practice by putting yourself in “game time” situations, you can respond to opportunities like this quickly, without panic, while keeping the vibe productive. For me, there aren’t many things as satisfying as shots like this, where all that work, preparation, and practice collide with opportunity to produce a once-in-a-lifetime image! We had one chance to get this shot, which hadn’t crossed our minds until we heard the train coming, and we worked together quickly to nail it! This was the shot that everyone, mom and dad included, went nuts over. Maybe my favorite shot of the 2025 senior season.  

Here are some more images from that night.

Xander BTS

(3)