Kathrine ~ Downtown
November sessions can have challenges for sure. And this one was quite cold and windy. In fact, it was the coldest senior photoshoot I have ever been on! I was fine, since I wore my puffy, down coat and had hand warmers in my pockets, but who wants to bundle up for senior pics? Not Kathrine! No puffy winter coat pics for her--especially since she brought such cute outfits!
Katherine was simply amazing and such a trouper, even though I imagine she was freezing! We did start off the session outside of the elements with a few industrial warehouse "elevator" shots from one of the buildings downtown--which was an idea that came from her dad, who had access to the building. Great idea, dad--those shots turned out great! But then after those few minutes spent inside, it was almost an hour and a half braving temps in the 30's. Kathrine handled the chilly, wind blown weather just beautifully. Honestly, she looks perfectly comfortable, warm, and engaging--not to mention stunning! Not sure how she pulled it off (I would have been shivering and clattering my teeth without my winter wear), but she certainly did pull it off like a pro and these pictures are proof positive. The end result is absolutely gorgeous and worth every second we spent outside wandering the downtown area. We even caught a few twinkly lights and some pretty holiday vibes with this late senior season shoot, which was a nice bonus for braving the temperamental November weather!
l love the outfits Kathrine pulled together. A nice variety of colors and looks. The unique gold dangly earrings, necklace, and white boots were perfection and photographed so well. I had fun planning out which outfits to wear for certain spots. Just adore the brown checkered skirt and cream sweater with Art-Find Tile and the stonework of the courthouse, the striped shirt and jeans in front of the beauty shop and the alley and streetscapes, the pink plaid on the plaza, and the blue sweater with the warm, glow-y window storefront and the rich brown wood backdrop!
Kathrine is active in band, choir, and drama club at school. She is planning on majoring in Music and/or Elementary Education. Hope she has a ton of fun her senior year and I wish her the best in college life next year!
Thanks, Kathrine, for asking me to be your senior photographer! It was a pleasure spending the afternoon clicking away with you in my viewfinder! I couldn't be happier with the way the session turned out and I hope these cold weather pics warm your heart in the years to come!
Delmar ~ Downtown
When Delmar's mom contacted me, I was almost fully booked for October and had only one weekend spot left. I have to say, I'm sooooo happy that Delmar was able to take that spot! Just had such a terrific time with him as my subject. Doesn't he give off "Rock Star" vibes? Something about the hair, sneakers, and sweater with a dark jacket combo all worked together to create the neatest mood for the camera. Though Delmar does not play the electric guitar in a rock band, it seems he has a bit of charming, young Mick Jagger/Tom Petty charisma that the camera couldn't help but capture!
Delmar had chosen a downtown Wooster setting and I think it went perfectly with his rock star looks and with what he wore. I was a very happy photographer snapping away! I love that I can use some of the same city backdrops for my seniors, but depending upon who I have in front of my camera, it gives off a totally different feeling and look. With Delmar the photos turned out Cool with a capital C!
Usually, I get my clients from word of mouth by seniors or their moms-- or in some cases online searches for area photographers. In this case, I need to thank my husband. He knows Delmar's mom and happened to mention to her that I take senior portraits! So glad he made the mention as I love the way the session turned out. A photographer always gets an immense sense of satisfaction in showing off great pics, and Delmar's certainly fits that bill! He was wonderful to photograph and I'm super happy to be able to share these awesome images on my blog:)
Delmar is a cross country runner at school, loves to to go biking, and enjoys video games. He is hoping to attend Akron University in the fall. I wish him all the best in his last year of high school and a great transition to college life after graduation. And I hope these pictures will be treasured by him and his family in the years to come. A forever reminder of a Cool young man with a capital C!
Thanks so much, Delmar, for including me and my camera in your senior year! As clients go, you are definitely a rock star!
Lanie ~ Downtown and Arboretum
It is beautiful, beautiful Lanie's turn in the senior spotlight! I was super excited when her mom contacted me to do her senior session. Partly because her older sister was one of my first clients and I loved her photos so much. It really gave me the confidence I could do this! But also, with the honor of being Ballet Wooster's show photographer for the past 6 years, I have captured many gorgeous images of Lanie on stage as a ballerina. So I already knew this girl was photogenic and would be a stunner in her senior pics. And, boy, was I right!
Lanie chose a double session, which meant we could easily work in a shoot at two different locations. First up was an urban flair with downtown Wooster. The purple jumper and orange high-waisted, pleated pants looked so adorable on her! Flattering colors that pop! We had a Saturday shoot and I was a little worried downtown would be busy (usually I like to do downtown shoots on Sunday when businesses are closed), but thankfully it really wasn't a problem at all! Did some favorite poses, but also tried some new things, like having her sit on the edge of a row of meter readers. Doesn't sound like a great backdrop, but turned out super cool! I also came across an amazing tall green potted plant with huge elephant ear sized leaves. The big splashes of deep green looked terrific with her orange pants--such a great color combo! I'm sorry to say with the colder weather, that plant is now gone, but I hope that it makes a return appearance again next year when it warms up again. I'd love to do some more pics with it as a backdrop! Anyway, I think I could have spent a whole hour photographing her with that plant, but time was ticking! We still had to go to her second location before sunset, so I tore myself away for a few classic downtown pics in front of Artfind Tile and then we hopped in our respective cars and headed to Secrest Arboretum.
Lanie brought some great outfits as well for the nature inspired part of the shoot. She did a mix of dressy and casual--a cute flower print dress and jeans with a sweater and t-shirt. I love the bright summer flowers at the arboretum, but fall is equally beautiful with its warm and rich tones! Gorgeous backdrop for a gorgeous girl for sure! I honestly can't say if I like Lanie's downtown or the arboretum images better! Just thrilled with how both turned out! With a double session, clients get many more photo files, and I don't envy her mom in trying to pick out favorites to print. It was next to impossible for me to try to pick some out to feature for this blog post! But how fun is it to have all those beautiful images as a forever keepsake?
Lanie keeps a very full calendar. She has danced ballet for 14 years, enjoys volunteering within her community, and takes challenging classes as part of the International Baccalaureate Program, where she has earned a spot on honor roll all four years. She is the communication coordinator for her school's Green Club (a club that promotes recycling and sustainability) and is a member of her school's NAACP chapter. She also enjoyed being on the tennis team for the first time as a senior!
Lanie, you are such a natural in front of the camera. Couldn't have asked for a lovelier subject. Is it possible for a camera to fall in love? Because I think mine did! So happy to have been your senior photographer and so proud to share these dazzling images! Hope you have the most wonderful year ahead as you finish high school and go off to a bright and shiny future at college!
Chayton ~ Arboretum
I have known Chayton's family for a long time. My daughter and his sister grew up doing ballet together and became friends and I also became friends with his sweet mom! Two years ago, I took his sister Neena's senior pics (she is now attending college at Dartmouth) and now it is finally his turn to do a stint in front of the camera!
Chayton chose the arboretum as his setting and it ended up being an overcast day. No sun peeking out at all. But I have to say photographers do love cloudy days! There are certain spots at the arboretum that just don't work until close to sunset and I have to plan around that. But this time I had the freedom to go wherever I wanted without regard to dapples on the face, squinting, or harsh shadows. The lighting was dreamy! And Chayton was a dreamy subject. My senior boys have had their hair game going on lately and Chayton was no exception to this trend! Those dark curls were amazing! And I loved his quirky, color block polo oxford shirt! We stopped by my favorite spots while I clicked away (the pond, the stone table, the amphitheater) and then as we moseyed onward, I came across two bushes close together. One with huge blooms of dark pink and one with blooms of light pink. I stopped in my tracks. "Do you think this is too much? Too overwhelming of a backdrop? Too pink?" I asked his mom. His mom wasn't sure, and Chayton wasn't sure, either, but he was very willing to stop and pose for a minute if I wanted. So I thought what the heck, what would it hurt to take a few snaps before we move on? I just had this hunch it would be beautiful paired with his dark hair and pastel colored shirt and, wow, I'm so glad I followed my hunch. Those pics ended up being some of my favorites! They are striking, not just because of the flowers, but because of the handsome dude I had on the other side of the camera! Those bold flowers did not overwhelm my subject at all. They complimented him. We were lucky to catch the last of those blooms, too. A week later when I came back they were gone and withered away.
We also visited a spot I have never taken pictures at before. When Chayton was little and his family visited the arboretum, he used to run and hide under a "weeping" tree with long, drooping, viney branches. His mom asked if we could take a few photos there and I was totally onboard with that idea! I love encorporating childhood memories into shoots. I did the same with his sister when she had her shoot at the arboretum. There are family pics of her as a child sitting on a rock by a patch of daisies and I was able to get some gorgeous shots of her in that same exact place as well! Anyway, Chayton had changed to a really pretty shade of blue sweatshirt by then, and the cascading branches with green leaves tinging yellow and orange made such a perfect backdrop! I can just imagine little Chayton dashing underneath those branches to his secret hiding spot!
Grown-up Chayton ended up doing a great job for the camera. His mom admitted he wasn't jumping up and down with excitement over the thought of senior pictures (a very common story I hear from parents of boys!), but we managed to have a bit of fun and laughs during the shoot and I think he discovered it wasn't a bad way to spend an hour. Though I imagine he was probably happy and relieved once I clicked my final shot, the end result was certainly worth it! One day when he is my age, I hope he looks back fondly on his senior pictures. Images of a handsome young man about to go off on the journey of adulthood, not knowing the story that will play out or the twists and turns in store. Who knows where the future will lead, but I'm sure Chayton will accomplish many wonderful things!
Chayton loves mountain biking, cycling, and the great outdoors as well as E sports. He is planning on exploring Environmental Science and Engineering when he goes off to college in the fall. He is really looking forward to making new discoveries and friends during his college years. I wish him the best! I'm lucky to know his lovely family and am sure his mom will keep me posted as he makes his college decisions. Exciting times ahead!
Thanks, Chayton, for including me in your senior year! There are plans for a mountain bike shoot in the spring and I'm looking forward to having you in my viewfinder again before you ride off to your next big adventure in life!
Logan ~ Arboretum
Logan's is an outdoorsy young man and so the setting of choice ended up being Secrest Arboretum. His mom told me that she had her senior pictures taken at the arboretum and I thought that was pretty neat. Mother and son had their senior portraits taken at the same place! I think this was a first for me as a photographer:)
Originally, Logan had told his mom that he did not want or need senior pictures taken. But when he found out it was important to his mama's heart, he relented and agreed. What a good son! And he was such a great sport during the session--so polite and pleasant. He listened to any instructions I gave and followed through wonderfully, with the end result being lots of terrific photos! He did his mama proud, I am sure. And after all is said and done, I hope he is happy that he spent an hour posing as a model while I snapped away. He will always have documentation of this important time in his life. When I was a senior (way back in the early 80's) senior photos were simple studio head shots and nothing more. Everyone with the same few poses and the exact same solid gray backdrop. Wish I could have had a cool setting and more variety to capture who I was at the time! Love how things have changed since then--senior photos have so much more personality and creativity! It certainly adds to the fun of being a photographer, too:)
But anyway, back to the shoot! It was a late October day and many of the trees had dropped their leaves, but bursts of rich and warm fall colors still dotted the landscape. I think we were lucky enough to catch the tail end of fall colors being displayed. I know his mom was really looking forward to a fall colors shoot and so I was happy nature graciously accommodated her wishes. A week later and there would not have been the golds, oranges, and reds in the background. It was also warm for the end of fall--in the lower 60's. So no shivering and Logan did just fine in his plaid flannel shirt and burgundy t-shirt without needing to bundle up. I've had a few cold shoots late in the season in years past, but this evening was quite comfortable!
As we strolled the various paths at the arboretum, I asked Logan what his plans were for after graduation. He told me he will be attending welding school. I mentioned welding was a solid and much needed career choice! My uncle and cousin are welders and have done exceedingly well. Logan attends Triway High School where he plays a tuba in marching band and participats in FFA. He also is very active in 4-H as a member of the Clinton Lads 'n Lassies group. In the past, he has taken practically every animal there is to the fair, including his rabbit and chickens! He has also done woodworking projects. I am very fond of 4-H as I used to show dairy cattle as I was growing up and now my nieces show pigs at their fair. Just a wonderful way to be active and involved and to grow and learn!
Logan, hope you have a great senior year and I wish you all the best in welding school! Thank you for allowing me to click my way to these wonderful images!
