Ethan's Senior Session: Hamilton High School
Social media connects people without you even knowing it, doesn't it?
Ethan's dad reached out to me because my name was recommended by his cousin's wife, who happens to be another photographer in another state who I know through social media. If you're scratching your head, that's okay. #itscomplicated I love that we were able to connect and document Ethan's senior year.
In our initial consultation, it came out that Ethan really likes his truck (thumbs up, I was very excited) and that they have a resort-style backyard (two thumbs up, even more excited) that they wanted to feature in his session. I was thrilled to get to incorporate both elements in Ethan's session. I loved the mix of casual and dressy outfits that he chose, and I definitely took some of my very favorite images to date! I've never seen more beautiful oleander bushes/trees than these just across from his gorgeous home!
Ethan will be attending ASU next year and pursuing his passion for cars to a new level with an engineering degree. Stay out of his way--Ethan is in the fast lane to great things!
Aiden M Senior Session: Agritopia
Aiden will be graduating from Casteel High School in a matter of minutes (not really-I've just been procrastinating on updating my blog lately!) but we didn't miss out on documenting his senior year! May was a WONDERFUL time for his senior session. The weather was wonderful and there weren't too many photographers at the location. Aiden was a delight to work with (he actually invited two of his friends along for a buddy session--but that needs its own post to come). He's got a passion for working out, cooking, and being a very calm and relaxed young man. He's got places to go and a wonderful family supporting him on his journey!
We had a great time on location at Agritopia. This was my first time to use this location, and it lived up to the hype. Definitely a lot of fun and variety to capture the different looks of this stunning senior young man!
Thank you so much, M family, for trusting me to document Aiden's senior year!
May is the Best Time for Family Portraits: Queen Creek Wash Family Session
We beat the summer heat to update this gorgeous family's portrait earlier this month. I think we start to think "May" and we assume it will be too hot for portraits. Not at all! Even on a warm day, when the sun starts to go down, the temperature really drops to be quite pleasant. And with our wonderful lack of humidity (I'm from Houston, remember) this dry heat makes even the 90s feel very comfortable in the shade!
But enough chatting about the weather....let's talk about this amazing family.
There's amazing. Need I say more? This is a super active, athletic, fun-loving, adventurous family that I met through my kids' mountain biking team. They are so incredibly kind and thoughtful and always on the go. It was wonderful to be able to capture them in action for an hour just being themselves and loving on each other as a family.
I have more than a few favorites, so permit my overshare.
Also, this was a new location for me to work with, and I really liked it. We did have to avoid being photobombed by bunnies on the wash and an abundance of cyclists on the wash trail, but I absolutely LOVE the cottonwood trees and the desert willow that was in bloom. Love the desert in the spring!
But without further ado, here is the amazing M family...
Kaylee's Senior Session: Salt River Beauty
One of my amazing neighbors put me in touch with Kaylee's mom, and we developed a vision for her session while they were visiting...from Indiana! What a fun change of scenery for your senior pictures! We had gorgeous weather for this classic Salt River session. Here's the best part: while discussing ideas for Kaylee's session I happened to throw out there that I really wanted to work with this "river location." Mom checked Kaylee's Pinterest board and, unknowingly, she had Pinned some images to her Senior Session board that were--wait for it--taken at the Salt River! Remember that they were coming from Indiana and had no idea they could get a river session in Arizona (is this starting to sound like a George Strait song?), but I had some oceanfront property to offer up, and it was too much of a coincidence that the location had already stood out to her so we went for it.
Kaylee is a super determined, kind, friendly, fun young woman. She's planning to attend a private college and become a PA. She's got a bright future ahead of her! As an added bonus, two of Kaylee's friends came with her to the session, and it was an absolute BLAST having them there. I highly recommend it! The only thing better than an amazing senior portrait session is having your friends there with you!
But without further ado...
Thank you so much for sharing your senior year with me!
Lauren's Senior Session: Red Mountain High School
You guys....(and, yes, I'm talking to you like there are a lot of you out there reading this)...
Basically these images speak for themselves.
Lauren is very chill. Very fun. Confident. Self-composed.
And super gorgeous.
What a lovely young lady with a big, bright future ahead of her.
What an honor for me to get to work with her and her mom to document this point in her life!
When we discussed a plan for her session, she indicated that she didn't want the whole desert thing. She's from Arizona and has had a lifetime of saguaro cactus. I get that. It's probably like being from Texas and not wanting anything cowboy-related. (wink wink) We chose the Riparian Preserve to start the session, and I might have had to stand in the very last parking space to reserve it for Lauren and her mom. Nothing like throwing your body in front of a car to make sure your session isn't delayed. But I digress...
We had a sweet little bunny join us for part of the session. He or she was completely unphased that we were standing right where he or she wanted to nibble some grass. So he just sauntered up and had a snack.
See? No zooming in here!
In addition to the bunny's photographic debut (or who knows, maybe this bunny photobombs all kinds of sessions) we captured Lauren's vibrant personality in several locations throughout the park.
Notice the yellow flowers? I'm bananas about yellow flowers. Thankfully Lauren and her mom trusted my vision for this scraggly patch of yellow in the parking lot. I think it turned out nicely, don't you?
Time for an outfit change and a new location. We might have had to ignore the brand new signs indicating closure for construction at Nichols Park (no construction had begun) and we took advantage of some gorgeous light and fall tones. March in Arizona is pretty amazing, I cannot lie.
These boots are adorable. It's details like these that help make senior sessions so fun.
Thank you so much for trusting me with your senior session, Lauren! You are a wonderful young lady and have big places to go!