The Garden Salon
Homecoming · Fictional concept directions; adapt to actual subjects and clothing

8 participant(s)

SAY TO YOUR SUBJECT
Four friends sit comfortably; four stand behind with a clear gap for every face.
Let your shoulders relax.
Everyone bring your eyes toward me.

POSE
Seated feet grounded and own hands separately on own laps; standing feet stable with own arms down. Taller friends stand; torsos gently inward or toward lens; every face and gaze toward camera.

SETUP
A clean, dry accessible bench beside enough permitted level standing space; verify on arrival.
Exactly eight teenagers: four seated on a sufficiently wide public bench, four standing immediately behind; rear heads visible in gaps above shoulders.

CAMERA
Landscape 4:3 full length; level phone near seated-eye height, 1× Photo about 6–8 m away; standing row within 0.4–0.6 m of seated faces.

LIGHT (Cloudy / shade)
Bench and standing area in the same open shade or overcast light, facing one broad sky opening.

BACKGROUND & DEPTH
Quiet textured garden planting.
Standing row only 0.4–0.6 m behind seated faces.
No leaning on plants, rocks or restricted features.

CAPTURE
Make three frames, pause to check faces and edges, then capture a small expression variation.

CHECK
Bench too small for four
Rear faces blocked
Different brightness between rows

ALTERNATIVE
If seating is wet, narrow or uncomfortable, use a shallow standing arrangement on permitted ground with a clear gap for every face.

Garden rules: keep paths clear, stay out of beds, no climbing.
https://bellevuebotanical.org/photography/