David ~ Downtown and Oak Hill Park
Oh, did the camera ever adore David! I mean what is not to love? Handsome with a unique sense of style (love, love, love the tie sweatshirt combo--so snazzy!) Not to mention that gorgeous perfect head of hair. I adored working with him, too. Polite, funny, charming, and posing like he was a career model. Perhaps he should forward these pictures to a modeling agency to earn college money:)
We started his session downtown. Lucked out with perfect weather. Not too hot and not too cold. Perfect early fall day. There are so many great backdrops in our little town! Lots of variety. Different vibes. As a photographer, I feel so lucky to have such an amazing setting so close by. I think his dressier look he chose was perfect for the urban setting. After a tour of the downtown, we were off to Oak Hill Park for a nature inspired shoot. His cream colored hoodie and blue and gold letterman jacket looked great among the beginning warm, fall tones. At first, the sun was quite strong, so we had to go in search of shadier spots. As we walked around and chatted, we bonded over a love of writing. He said he may be interested in majoring in English and I was an English major myself (English Education) and my other career path is writing middle grade novels for HarperCollins and Scholastic. After finding places to snap away without the light being too harsh, the sun finally started to descend lower and softer into the horizon and we were able to take advantage of the golden hour glow. Just beautiful!
David is an accomplished and busy young man. He is a 3-year letterman in swimming and track, works on the school yearbook, and also enjoys art classes. He has had several drawings featured during Fine Arts Week. In addition, you might see him around as a lifeguard at the city pools and the YMCA. Glad he was able to squeeze a senior session in considering his whirlwind schedule! College plans aren't settled yet, but he is leaning towards Kent State--I gave that a big thumbs up as my daughter just graduated from there!
I am pretty sure David is headed for a bright future whatever path he takes. What a joy it was to be his senior photographer! It was great to meet his wonderful mom, too. We bonded a bit as well--she is also a photographer, but her specialty is birds! I hope David has the best ever senior year and that these pictures will be a forever reminder of this special time in his life. I love the thought that the photos I take will live on long after the graduation announcements and parties. That they will be brought out from time to time in the decades to come for reminiscing and smiles. And David's striking photos are certainly smile-worthy and worth reminiscing over!
Thank you, David, for letting me and my camera be a part of your senior year! It was an honor!
Friend Shoot ~ Ramseyer Farm Sunflower Days
I've done a group session previously at the fair a few years ago with my senior clients who were able to come. It was a lot of fun! But I have never done a "friendship" shoot before. Until now! One of my seniors, Lanie, requested a sunflower shoot. Luckily, Ramseyer Farms right here in Wooster and only minutes away, hosts a few days at their sunflower fields for professional photographers before opening up to the public. And, luckily, three of Lanie's friends were able to come join in, which made the day all the more merry. You know the saying, "The more the merrier"--well this shoot was definitely the more the merrier! There was the banter and laughter of close pals as I was clicking away--and surrounded by the beautiful yellow flowers--well, it made for a very happy shoot!
It was a sunny day and no shade, which provided some challenges, but I think the golden glow and bright light complimented a sunflower shoot. After all sunflowers have "sun" in their name! Ramseyer Farms provided some picturesque settings among the flowers--including a piano and an old truck with pumpkins, which added variety to the shoot. I especially love the piano--made for some gorgeous pics! The girls took turns in front of the camera as we explored the area. Lanie is in the black dress, Gabriela in the bright pink, Lucia in the white overalls, and Grace in the red dress. They were all as lovely as the flowers. Though the sunflowers were the main event, there was also a pretty zinnia field as well. And I was surprised at the variety of sunflowers Ramseyer grows (more than 20!) Near the end of the shoot, we did the group shots--love them!
I hope one day, when these four fast friends are my age, they will look back at these pictures fondly, with huge smiles on their faces. Senior year is always bittersweet. Lots of new adventures ahead, but many times going off to different colleges and then to different lives. I have a few blurry late 1970's to early 1980's pics of me with my friends. Wish I could have had a photo shoot like this for my memories. These are four lucky girls:) I hope they have the best senior year together. Seeing the warmth, affection, humor, and support they shared during the photoshoot, I'm pretty sure they they will. And I'm pretty sure they will remain forever friends.
Emily ~ Barnes Preserve
I had the honor of photographing Emily's sister when I was first starting out as a senior photographer. Now, three years later, it's Emily's turn turn for senior photos! It is neat to have families as repeat clients. It always makes me happy that they loved the older siblings photos enough to book me again for the younger ones! And I've known her family for a long time. I remember seeing her as a little pre-schooler with her sister at Wayne Center for the Arts and chatting with her mom as we sat in the waiting area for dance classes. Later, I got to know her family better as our paths continued to cross. So I've had the chance to watch her grow up, which made being her senior photographer extra delightful!
We shot the session at the Barnes Preserve. I have never visited the Barnes Preserve before, but was happy to oblige with the location request as it holds a special meaning for Emily. Emily loves to run and it is her favorite place to go when she does her running workout. It is certainly a beautiful setting for a run, with both an open field and also wooded paths, along with a pond and overlook. It was beautiful for photography, too, and I'm glad I got the chance to bring my camera there and capture Emily in her element! I enjoyed the preserve so much, that I plan to return soon to do workouts of my own--though that involves walking and not running, like Emily. Walking is more my pace--ha!
Our shoot began in the morning hours. It was cloudy when I first started clicking away, but before long the sun came out with a strong, bright "hello there" greeting! Luckily, we found a few shaded areas near the wild plants that grew along the path, which provided pretty backdrops and relief from squinting. But it wasn't long before the sun was unrelenting, and so I had Emily lead the way to a path in the woods, where shady areas abound. Emily started off the session with a cool black leather jacket look and then changed into her usual attire she wears to the Barnes Preserve--her running clothes! The pink color fade running shirt looked great and really popped among all the greens and accentuated her striking dark brown eyes. I think senior outfits should truly represent who the senior is and be something they are comfortable wearing. If a senior is uncomfortable, or doesn't feel like themselves, it sort of defeats the reason for senior photos! We are capturing a significant moment in time, after all:) I think Emily's beautiful pics are a fitting tribute to who she is and I hope she loves them and the moments I captured. Moments that are not fleeting that disappear, but that will live on in the form of a photograph to be enjoyed, well, forever!
Emily is currently taking online college classes for her senior year of schooling, so she has a head start on those college credits! She would like to study business. I adored spending time with Emily at the Barnes Preserve. A lovely setting and a lovely senior!
Eleanor ~ Downtown Ashland
When Eleanor's mom asked me if I'd be willing to travel to downtown Ashland for a shoot, my answer was an excited "YES!" I love the challenge and discovery of a new setting for pics. Ashland did not disappoint and neither did Eleanor! In fact, they were the perfect, beautiful combination. It was a hot evening (like real feel 90!), but Eleanor kept her cool and and I think I can safely say we both had a lot of fun that evening exploring all the terrific and quirky backdrops Ashland has to offer. In just a few blocks we had colorful murals, sidewalk scapes, alleys which had the most dreamy lighting, twinkling lights, gray brick walls, a barbie-ish pink door, black iron railings, a green astroturf park, and we even had a lion which Eleanor playfully posed with--ROAR!
Love, love, loved Eleanor's sparkly jacket, especially with the mural backdrop. Eleanor's personality was just as spunky and sparkly as her jacket. Sometimes she would just bubble over and be silly and I adore those impromptu pics. Honestly, looking through her photo gallery just makes me SMILE! But she also nailed her serious looks--just gorgeous. The green sweater/pink print skirt worked so well with the pink door and gray bricks and the orange and cream dress just flowed so wonderfully with the reddish orange brick alley, dark brown bridge with lights in the background, and yellow railing. I couldn't be more pleased with the way her outfits complimented the backdrops. But, of course, it was Eleanor who was the star of the show! Sometimes as I was clicking away, I just knew everything was coming together and I would start shouting "Oh, my gosh!" and geek out a bit. Eleanor and her mom couldn't help but laugh at my outbursts of excitement, but I think her pics are certainly worthy of a whoop and holler!
Eleanor is quite a busy young woman. She is Captain of the AHS Sweet Sixteen Dance team, President of Acapella Choir, performs with Sing N Swing and ArrowDynamics, and plays violin in the AHS Orchestra. She has also been a cast member in the AHS Musical each year since Freshman year, is a Girl Scout Ambassador, a member of National Honor Society, and Tri-M. We are planning a fall shoot as well with a nature inspired backdrop and I'm looking forward to capturing more beautiful pics of Eleanor with the warms tones of autumn in the background! I wish her the best in what sounds to be a whirlwind senior year before she transitions to college life. I have a feeling she is going to savor every moment!
Ethan ~ Arboretum
I had a great evening at the arboretum with Ethan. The weather was warm, but thankfully not too hot and the lighting was wonderful. Ethan's mother mentioned he was not exactly jumping for joy over a photo shoot. But despite him not being super enthused, he handled the session with flying colors. I really enjoyed working with him--he was such a nice, pleasant young man and agreeable to whatever I suggested! He also ended up being quite photogenic, as you can see, too! It was hard to decide which photos to feature in this blog post! There were all terrific. I think he did a fabulous job putting outfits together to give a nice variety of looks. His mom mentioned he was a casual kid, but I think he looks quite snazzy in all his choices. I always advise seniors to dress in something they are comfortable in that they really like and represents who they are in this short burst of time in their lives. Though casual, Ethan looked very put together and handsome! If a suit and tie look is something a senior would enjoy--go for it! But you can also have a wonderful variety with more everyday clothes. And I have to say, I especially love the pink hoodie ones! A nice pop of color among all the greens of the arboretum!
Ethan plays saxophone in marching band and is currently doing a summer internship with Wooster City Schools technology department. He would like to study computer science after he graduates. I wish him all the best his senior year and appreciate being a part of it! It was great having him on the other side of the camera. Ethan, you were awesome to photograph and I'm so glad you made your mom happy by having senior portraits done! Thank you for giving me the opportunity to capture what you were like at this stage of your life and I hope you and your family enjoy these photos for years to come!
