Winter Senior

Yes, I'm still photographing seniors for the class of 2013!  And it has been great to be out playing in the snow {although, I would have been happier if there had been a few more degrees on the thermometer}.    Mark came in just before Christmas for his session.  We started out in the studio that morning before going outside, hoping that it would warm up just a bit more.  We didn't linger in any of our spots and I thought he did a great job of trying not to look as cold as I'm sure he was.

The season for this class is pretty much done, just down to selecting yearbook submissions and designing announcements, guest books and banners for the up-coming celebrations.  The class of 2013 has been a very impressive bunch of young people!  I'm excited to meet the class of 2014 in just a few short months.

Wonderful young lady....

and I got to spend the better part of my day with her.  If my kids turn out half as amazing as Ellie, I will be very, very blessed.  One of the neat things was when I told mom as much, she beamed with pride and said, "I know".  Ellie is beautiful, smart, talented, funny and has the sweetest, kindest heart.

She seems so comfortable in her own skin, quick with a laugh, a funny face, and a great smile.  I just love that all the facets of her personality came out during her session.  That also made for a great "photobooth" feel for some of her studio images:

And just a couple more from the rest of her session.  

There are SO many more to show her but I'll wait until she comes in for her reveal.  I had so much fun with her & her parents!  I'm looking forward to getting the rest ready for you all to come back in to see.

Addison and his pup...

It isn't unusual for seniors to bring someone along for their session.  And it isn't unusual for that someone to be a pet.  Addison brought his dog, who was a great sport when it wasn't his turn to be in front of the camera.

{sigh} I adore seniors...

And I have to admit, I have a particular fondness for {this} senior.  I first met  a few years ago when they asked me to do family portraits, way back in my early days.  Since then, Hailey has helped me out several times as a model (remember Snow White in the snow) assisted me with a wedding and I had the great honor of photographing her mom's last St Patrick's day.  Each time I'm with her I am amazed at her poise, maturity and grace.  Her inner strengths simply enhance her outer beauty.

It rained the day we got together for these but that didn't stop us!  We stopped by a camera shop to pick up a rain cover for my gear and braved the elements to get a few more fun images:

Thanks for another FUN day, Hailey!

High School Senior- Michael

Each senior has their own approach to their portrait session.  Michael's was to leave the details up to his mom and me (fairly typical of the guys)- that is until we started talking about his car.  Then he had something to add to our plan.  He loves this car that he & his dad have been rebuilding so having it be a part of his senior experience was one thing that I just knew we had to do.

We had a gorgeous night for his session!  I love the magic hour.  If only it lasted longer, I could have played all night.  And the fall colors were becoming more prominent, really adding to the effect of the warm light.

Michael, I had a great time getting to know you and your mom!  Can't wait to show you the rest of your session.

Samantha had a very lucky session!

For Sammi, everything just kind of happened, fell into place, worked out perfect.  She wanted to do something with graffiti so I found a wall while out on a different session and the colors just happened to PERFECTLY match her shirt!  Pretty cool!  Then as we were finishing up, a couple of really beautiful vintage trucks just happened to park right by us and the owners were nice enough to let her pose beside one of them.  And the lighting at the time was absolutely perfect.  I don't think we could have asked for things to go any better.  It was a very fun and surprising senior session and a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon with her and her mom.  Thanks for sharing your time with me! I feel pretty lucky.

Seeing lots of suits and ties for seniors this year...

And I'm kinda likin' it.  It has been nice to see so many kids bringing some more formal clothes this year.  Each senior has their own style and personality with many different sides, it has been very fun to be able to capture all those sides.  Max got suited up and looked very sharp when he came in last week:

This is what it is all about...

I have the coolest job!  Meet Andrew.  We did Andrew's senior portraits over the weekend.  He is the oldest of two boys so it is a pretty big milestone for not just him but his whole family.

Part of what made his session unique to me is that the whole family was there to observe, support and offer ideas as we wandered around locations.  I mean the whole family!  Brother, Mom, Dad, Grandma and the dog!  Senior sessions are always a big experience for graduates and it was so special that this senior got to share that experience with the ones closest to him.  And that is what makes what I do so special to me- I get to help create great memories for families at special times in their lives; that is what it is all about!

We got his brother in on a few images too:

When I first met with Andrew and his parents to plan out his session he had a couple of things he knew he wanted and the rest was up to Mom... until we really started talking about locations and props and clothes then the ideas just poured out of him, band uniform and instrument, fishing rod, his car, letter jacket... we suddenly had a great plan and lots to work with and I just couldn't wait until we met on Saturday to bring those plans to life.

Thanks so much for sharing your day with me and giving me the opportunity to get to know you.  I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did and that you love the images as much as I do!

An evening senior...

I keep saying that the seniors I've worked with have been so wonderful and fun to work with.  I am not just saying, it is true!  I am completely in awe of the young people in our community.  And Amanda was just as much of a pleasure to be with as the rest.  She has a great love for photography, in fact, one of her images was on display at the Iowa State Fair!  Pretty impressive.  Knowing that she knows a thing or two about making images made it so easy to work with her!  She understands that when lighting and posing are combined in just the right ways, magical things happen.  She was so patient with me while I looked for just the right lighting patterns to grace her lovely face and not cast a glare into her glasses (twist your head to the right, chin up, chin down, tilt your forehead this way or that, drop that shoulder down, bend that knee, she even got to know my hand motions so I didn't have to even say what I needed her to do).  Our strange little dance sure did make for images that really captured this young lady's true beauty.

We started our afternoon in the studio with my good friend and talented stylist, Tina Wing.  Amanda has a very natural look which Tina simply played up a bit so that her features really popped in front of the camera.

Once we finished up in the studio, the lighting was just right for the location part of the session.  The warm, soft light was so beautiful with her choice of wardrobe and the meadow couldn't have been a more perfect setting for some whimsical little props.

Thanks, Amanda, for spending the evening with us.  You and your mom were so enjoyable to be with!

This session got me so excited for senior season 2013!

The lovely Shayla is graduating in just a few months and I had a wonderful time spending the day with her & her cousins.  They sweetly doted on her as my stylist, Tina, worked her magic.  Oohing and ahhing each time they got to see the progress on her hair and make up.  We had great conversations about dating and life in general- I have to say how impressed I've been with the young adults in the class of 2012, the seniors I've had come through my doors have been outstanding examples of character!  And that is just one of the many reasons why I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE senior portrait making!

I love when Tina comes to help get the girls ready for their pictures because, by the time they see themselves in the mirror, they feel 10 feet tall.  She does an amazing job making them feel comfortable with themselves, complimenting them, really taking in an interest in them as she works with them.  Once we were ready to work in front of the camera, I could tell  that Shayla felt beautiful!  I could also tell that she wasn't convinced that the camera would see her that way.  So after showing her a few images along the way she really relaxed and let her personality shine.... I love laughter pics!

I had a wonderful day, Shayla!  Thanks for coming in and getting me even more excited for the year ahead!

If you or someone you know is graduating in 2013, don't wait to set up your session!  I've got a feeling it is going to be a very busy season.  I'm also looking for reps from most schools so if you're interested in helping me out and getting some great product and gifts FREE, I need to hear from you by March 16th!

The Cool kids....

The 2011 photo contest for kids, teens and Seniors.  You can still contact me to add your image to the running.  Vote by leaving a comment here with the number of your favorite.  Feel free to tag yourself in the Facebook album and share the link to this post so all your friends can vote too!  Voting continues until Jan 31st at 8pm and winners will be announced on the blog.


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