Liv ~ Downtown, Arboretum and College of Wooster
Liv's wonderful family and ours go back to when Liv was little! Both Liv and my daughter danced for Ballet Wooster and her parents and my husband and I worked together volunteering for the company in various ways. One of the ways I helped out was to photograph the dancers in costume and on stage. Liv was a such a cutie pie then. And now here she is--a beautiful leading dancer in her senior year! I marveled with her mom how that happened. My daughter is now 25 as well! Where did the time go? Anyway, I was super happy I was asked to take Liv's senior pics. I had a feeling they would turn out special and, as you can see, they certainly did!
We started downtown with plans to complete the session at the arboretum. Liv brought her saxophone and I really love the photos with the golden gleam of her sax alongside the brick wall and wooden stairs. Then we took some with and without her letterman jacket in the alley. The lighting was devine there and so was Liv! I actually exclaimed out loud as I was shooting, "Liv, you have the most beautiful smile!" It is actually quite hard to smile naturally for the camera. I personally have that problem myself! But Liv always flashed a bright, wide, and genuine smile without fail. I know it is a cliche to say someone's smile lights up a room, so I will just say Liv's smile lit up my camera instead:) Ha.
After some fun in the alley, Liv changed into a brown sweater, skirt and boots. As we were headed to take some shots across the street, I saw the green and brown backside of a building that I knew would compliment her outfit perfectly. So we stopped for a few spur of the minute shots there and I am so glad we did! Once across the street, I got some great shots near Artfind Tile when all of a sudden my camera stopped working! I always charge my battery overnight before a shoot, but apparently I wasn't paying attention and it was not connected fully. I assumed it was fully charged when I plopped the battery into my camera. It wasn't! I learned a lesson the hard way after all these years I've been taking pics: don't assume--check to make sure! I was embarrassed to make such a silly mistake, but Liv and her mom were so gracious and kind. And thankfully, for some reason, I had built extra time into the session when doing the planning--a premonition, maybe? I don't know. At any rate, I ran home, did a charge to get me through the arboretum part of the shoot, and then met Liv and her mom there with just enough time to complete the session before sunset! Whew!
Liv kept her sweater and skirt outfit on for me to click away at the pond. Then we stopped for a few quick shots by some still blooming flowers as she held a pretty bouquet a neighbor made for her! We used that bouquet with her ballet outfit and the red dress later. So adorable!!! I highly recommend bringing a bouquet! Such a nice added touch. I was pumped Liv wanted some ballet shots as well. They turned out gorgeous. Then came the red dress!!!!!! Oh, my, did it make the pics pop with color! I love the variety of shots we got with Liv--her outfits, the sax, the bouquet. But it wasn't over yet! I needed a model to try out a new upgraded camera I was considering the following week. I asked if Liv was willing. And she was! So she ended up with some additional shots at the College of Wooster using the unique architecture there as a backdrop, along with a red adirondack chair. Her cute sweater dress worked so well for this shoot! But now I don't know how her mom is going to pick favorites with all these looks Liv rocked! I, myself, had a hard enough time choosing pics for this blog post!
Liv keeps a busy schedule. She works at Hebrews Coffee, babysits, plays tenor sax in both Marching/Concert Band and Jazz Band, and volunteers at the New Hope Church Nursery. Not to mention being part of a ballet company and dancing lead roles, which I can vouch is a HUGE commitment! You can catch her in the Nutcracker this year as the glamorous and powerful Mouse Queen--a role she has dreamed about since she was a younger dancer! Despite her demanding schedule, Liv maintains a 4.0 GPA and is in Honor Society. I honestly don't know how she does it all and does it all so well! She is planning on studying Neuroscience and minoring in dance when she goes off to college. This senior is going places, I tell you! I am beyond happy I got to capture Liv in her senior year and hope to hear updates from her mom as she goes off to leave her mark in this big world with her brilliant smile... and her brilliant mind!
