Back in the fall, I was thinking about upgrading my camera. Before investing in something so expensive, I decided to rent the model of camera I was considering to see how much I liked it. I had it for a week and asked my daughter Hope to be my test subject. Being the good sport she is, she agreed. I had two senior sessions scheduled later that week and wanted to familiarize myself with the camera and settings before doing an official shoot. After I took the photos of Hope I checked a few I had taken and was very happy with the camera and decided to purchase it as a Christmas gift for myself. Then I got busy with editing photos for paying clients and a million other things in life and her photos were put on the back burner. Well, the past few months have been pretty slow with the shelter in place order, so I finally managed to get busy with putting the finishing touches on Hope's pictures. I'm so glad I did. I love these photos of Hope so much! I am one lucky mama and looking at these photos makes my heart swell. So proud of this wonderful girl of mine. 

Hope just finished her sophomore year of college--dual majoring in Musical Theatre and Biology. It was a much different semester than expected, most of it spent at home doing online classes due to Covid-19. Like many young people she has dealt with disappointment over the many things that have been canceled. She had been cast as the lead in a production of Footloose and was so excited about that, only to have the theatre close a few weeks after auditions. But she is understanding of the situation and handled it with such grace. I think of my seniors from this past year--prom and graduation ceremonies suddenly swept away from them. I know some young people have gotten a bad rap for not being responsible, but the young people I know have been handling things with maturity and a remarkable attitude despite all normal rights of passage that have been taken away from them. Many have lost so much more than they have and they are well aware of that. I have had the best seniors and am looking forward to working with the next new batch of seniors who will be graduating in 2021. I hope their year will be trending back to all the normal landmarks and that better days are ahead for everyone. 

When I snapped these pics of Hope we didn't have a clue as to how the world would dramatically change in a few short months. It has been a strange journey for sure. But one thing remains constant and that is love. The love and care we have for those we know and even those we don't know. It is what gets us through difficult times and I take comfort in that. And I'm glad I was able to shelter in place with this girl that I love so much.

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Abbey is a student at The Ohio State University studying Agriculture Communications with plans to be a future farm owner! How cool is that? She is currently Ohio Miss Agriculture and National Miss Agriculture USA Runner-Up and needed a headshot for the upcoming competition season. The day she scheduled her headshot it was cold and snowy. Burr! We started off inside the barn (and wow the lighting is fantastic in there!) and then moved to take some more headshots outside the painted red barn, which was equally as pretty. I can't decide which backdrop I like best. Good thing I don't have to make that decision:)  

Of course, after we went outside I couldn't help but want to extend the session and take some snow pics. Fortunately, Abbey was game and happily braved the elements for me and my camera. During part of the shoot flakes of snow came slowly drifting down. I loved her red hair against the stark white--so striking! And her coat ended up being perfect and OH MY GOSH the popped up fur hood framing her face made me forgot how cold it was. I just wanted to keep on snapping away. This past summer her sister did a senior session at the same location and some of my favorites were of her on an overturned rowboat. Well, that overtuned boat was still there and I HAD to have Abbey give it a go, too. It was damp and freezing this time, but you wouldn't know it by looking at Abbey. She smiled and posed as if she were Elsa from Frozen singing "the cold never bothered me anyway"--ha. Though with her red hair she looks a lot more like Anna:) I'm sure she was actually quite cold, but you can't tell from looking at the photos!

This was the first time I did a photo shoot in the snow and it was so much fun. Thanks, Abbey for being such a good sport!

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Allaina suggested The College of Wooster for her fall photo session. I had never shot there, so I was game to try something new. It ended up being perfect! The trees were brilliant in oranges, yellows, and reds and the ground was beginning to accumulate a carpet of leaves that had fallen. There were interesting architectural details on campus and we found a playful yellow Adirondack chair that added a great pop of color as well. We also had the added bonus of live music as Allaina was posing--The College of Wooster marching band was rehearsing a Queen song for much of the session! That just added to the fun:)

I have taken photos of Allaina since the summer before her junior year, when she agreed to be a practice model for me as I started my photography business. I was then her official senior photographer this past year, taking photos of her in a variety of settings, including a farm shoot with her 4-H animals. Allaina is my most photographed senior and, oh, how I will miss having her gorgeous face and big brown eyes in front of my camera! I even joked to her mom to please have her wait another year to graduate. It makes me a bit sad to have our senior photoshoots coming to an end. But I think Allaina is ready for the next stage of her life and I'm excited for all the wonderful things in store for her as she begins college life. So thank you, Allaina, for choosing me to be the one clicking my camera to capture your senior portraits. I've loved every single moment with you and it has been a true honor. And at least I have one more session of you at the rink with your skates on to look forward to!

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