Yes, I work...sometimes.

While in Alaska I was able to take senior portraits of an amazing girl. This is one of my childhood friend's nieces. She wanted to be a little different then all the location settings most of her school gets and so we took her to a magical place that we all grew up. We went to the lake of course. It was one of my favorite shoots in a long time because of all the inspiration and possibilities. Not to mention, some of the most perfect light on an overcast/smokey day! Here is my take on what a senior shoot looks like to me. Yes, I know they want to look sexy/super modelish. Yes, I know they want to stand out from all the other senior shots...but, here's the thing. Jamie will stand out from the rest because she is her. There is no one else out there like her. No one else has her laugh. No one else loves this location like her. No one else will pull the same memories out of this shoot as her. After 2 hours, I think I was able to capture her many looks, a lot of personality, so much laughter, and some of that supa-model seriousness:) What can we learn about Jamie? She loves volleyball for starters.

She has a smile that could light up the darkest of months in AK:)
Oh, and she is GORGEOUS!
Still gorgeoso...
She likes to sit on inner tubes...actually I don't know that, but I do know that she looks smokin' on them.

She was such a sport.
She brings so much beauty to a state that is SO full of majestic beauty.
She looks amazing in from of an old outhouse!
She can rock a hammock.

She is the perfect accent for her Grandpa's incredible car!!!She has a calm, confidence about her that is going to get her through any challenges that might come her way. Oh, and she LOVES her Mom and Dad. They laugh so much together and you could just feel how proud they are of her.
This "joke" of a picture (of her NOT wanted to put pets in the picture like her Mom suggested) turned out pretty great. And one day it will mean the world to you when you are missing him.Thank you Jaime, for trusting me and for bringing such a ray of sunshine into my life. I had a blast hanging out with you in one of my very own, favorite places in this world:)
Thank you also to the Sherpa Niece of mine that I couldn't have done the shoot without! Kayla you are a star...and you got some pretty great shots for your first shoot. I have a feeling I am going to be sharing a passion with you one day soon;)

Most Elegible Bachelors

O.K. so they are a little young for that title...but, they are going to be a CATCH for a couple lucky girls someday. Jordan is one of my nephews friends and he brought along Andrew (another one of the Fab 5) for support. They are so chill, funny, and up for anything. It was such a fun shoot where I got to try my hand at pet photography and some fun techniques featured at the end of this post. There was something to be said for shooting this many seniors together and in groups. They made each other laugh (usually by making fun of each other) and I was able to get some really cool interactions. I think that in the long run it will be a day they are able to look back on as a fun day, hanging out with friends, instead of a tension-filled photo shoot. I know I had a blast.
Andrew made sure to call me just to thank me for taking the time to take shots of him and that he was genuine and complimentary. Thank for entertaining all the other boys and making them laugh, making my job easier:)
Hey, I could get used to this Pet Photography thing if they all smile for the camera like this one:)
This was quite possibly the funniest thing I have ever done with seniors and I think they should both have these blown up on their walls in college to make sure that they smile at least once a day. I was DYING shooting this sequence! Thanks for being troopers guys.

Nick-Bo

Talk about variety is one HUGE shoot. This is the first of my nieces and nephews to be a senior. I can't even believe that I am taking senior shots of my little (not so little) nephew, Nick! He is an amazing kid with talents coming out of every pore. He is a HUGE birder (creates a life long list of birds that they spot) with many accomplishments in the field. He is teaching himself how to play the piano, and he has just about the sweetest personality that you can get. He brought along a group of his friends that he is very close to and spends a lot of time with. They were a really fun group to be around and the humor was entertaining to say the least. Does anyone else seem to be lost in the "teen" world? They make you feel "a little slow";) Here is just the tip of the iceberg of this shoot...friends, girlfriends, squirrels, and much more. Love you Nick and it was fun getting to know you and the young man that you have become through this shoot.

Hollywood

I have renamed this senior 'Hollywood' because he has a look about him that you have to train models for years to understand:) This shoot was incredible for me because of one reason....passion. You know me and all my talks of passion and loving what I do. Well, what if I would have found all of that when I was 17 or 18. Marcus is doing what he loves and he is really great at it. He got Rookie of the Year for Washington this year. I am guessing that that means that he excels at what he does (being a cute fireman) and that he is going to shine one day in one of those hot fireman calendars:) Thank you Marcus for sharing your beautiful spirit and for perusing one of the most needed and honorable jobs out there! I was wondering if I could hire you to teach some of my clients "the GQ look" that you have mastered:)
Caution....man in uniform....remember this is a senior shoot:) He's just a baby, so no taking screen shots!

I'm not mad at'cha...

Multiple choice question for ya...
A. This senior was out until 3am the night before his big picture day
B. He was completely bored with the whole idea.
C. All the above :)
You know you are on a senior shoot when there is a lot of yawning, and or texting going on! I can't be sure that 'B' had a good time with this whole senior shoot thing, but I had fun trying to get one smile out of him that didn't look programmed. Thanks for the challenge and now the self doubt on whether I can bring out the inner being out of every client! 'B' these pictures are your payback for staying out too late. I will post gorgeous ones of him soon. He may not have liked the camera, but the camera loved him!



This should say it all. This was at the end of the shoot and I thought I would try to make the "I'm a fool picture" complete. I know he loved the whole experience deep down:) I know I enjoyed meeting him and his sweet, sweet mom! Thanks guys.