Olivia ~ Arboretum
So this was an extra special session. Olivia's mom and dad are wonderful high school teachers and one or the other or both taught my three now grown up kiddos! So lucky to have had them as teachers. They really are the best! Her dad is also involved with community theatre and is now the teacher leading high school drama club and, with my daughter's involvement in theatre, our paths have crossed that way as well. In fact, my first memory of Olivia is when she was a little tyke sitting on her mother's lap playing Wacky the ventriloquist's doll in a production of Annie. She was such an absolute cutie then and it was so great to see how she has grown into such a lovely and poised young woman. I love, love, love her unique sense of style. Such great outfits with a bit of a classic "Annie Hall" vibe for those of you old enough to remember those days. I was a teenager in the late 70's and have a great fondness for the very cool fashion trends that have come back! Olivia put her own spin on what she wore, however, and I could tell her outfits were an an organic choice and very much HER and it made me a bit giddy to start snapping away! Sometimes you just know a shoot will turn out beautifully before the first click and this was one of those times. The arboretum was just beginning to get its warm fall tones and it complemented her earthy tan sweater and tweed blazer perfectly. Just a great early fall backdrop combined with her look and it made my photographer's heart very happy indeed!
The weather was comfortable and the company delightful as Olivia, her mother and I explored all the arboretum offered. I think I could have shot for hours there if not for the fast approaching sunset. Olivia did great and both her serious and smiley looks were stunning. Sometimes it is hard to have a natural smile, but Olivia's smile just made me smile, too, as I was clicking away. Warm and genuine and and kind and it lit up every spot we stopped at. I was excited to upload all the pics when I got home and as you can see they did not disappoint. Of course, the arboretum was picturesque, but Olivia is what made the pictures GORGEOUS! She has a quiet and calm nature (not an ounce of diva attitude to be found), but something about her outshone the beauty of her surroundings.
Olivia is a very accomplished and active senior. She is on the Varsity Cross Country and Varsity Lacrosse teams, is the Editor in Chief of the Blade (her high school newspaper), and is a member of National Honor Society, Green Club, and NAACP Club. I'm so glad I had the chance to spend time with her as her senior photographer. She was a dream to have on the other side of the camera and I wish her all the best in her last year of high school and much success as she transitions to college and beyond!
Eleanor ~ Arboretum
I have been soooo looking forward to my second shoot with Eleanor. She is a whirlwind of fun and personality wrapped in the most adorable package. Loved the way her downtown Ashland shoot turned out and I had an inkling she would sparkle and shine in this nature inspired shoot as well. I was right--sparkle and shine she did! As you can see from the pics, she truly was like a beautiful gem in a beautiful setting. And a funny story about one of the shots that is especially sparkly and glowy. There was a wedding earlier and some bottles stuffed with twinkle lights had been left along one of the public pathways. I didn't think anyone would mind us borrowing the bottle for a few seconds, so on the spur of the moment I had Eleanor pick it up and place it near her cheek. The glow of the bottle matched the glow of the light filtering through the tree behind her--it ended up being stunning and I'm so glad we spent a few seconds with that bottle! Ha!
Being out of town, Eleanor and her mother had never visited the arboretum before and it was so great meandering along the paths, being their tour guide and showing them the wonderful backdrops available as I snapped away. So much variety, no matter the season at the arboretum and I am a grateful photographer that it is only minutes away. And even though I am familiar with all the arboretum has to offer, I still couldn't help but geek out over framing Eleanor in my viewfinder among all its splendor. I know at Eleanor's first session she and her mom were amused by all my exclamations right before clicking the shutter button, and this session was also filled with me constantly going "Wow!", "So pretty!", "Love this!" and "Oh, my goodness!"--I overflow with emotion sometimes when I know an image will turn out spectacular. And spectacular is the word for how Eleanor's gallery turned out! She was such a great model and I loved her outfit choices. Bright, spunky, and stylish with quirky little touches. A perfect reflection for who Eleanor is! My seniors have been nailing it lately with what they bring to wear! I also loved how she had a different vibe from her first session by curling her hair and wearing more dramatic make-up. Both versions still true to herself and just as beautiful! I think that is the benefit of having a double session. Not only can you have images capturing different seasons (summer and fall), but you can rock a different look as well! For those who have not seen Eleanor's downtown Ashland blog post, you can visit it here and learn about all her many impressive school accomplishments: https://www.marlanekennedyphotography.com/blog/2022/8/eleanor-downtown-ashland
Eleanor, I had the best time being your senior photographer and have enjoyed getting to know you and your wonderful mom! Thanks so much for trusting me with your senior portraits and I hope they bring a smile to your face for years to come!
Ishaan ~ Downtown
Ishaan originally had a late August shoot scheduled. But it ended up being terribly hot and so we rescheduled a late September date. Well, it wasn't hot when that date came around, but we had to cancel again--this time due to rain! In the five years I've been taking senior pics, I've never had to cancel a session due to weather, but I guess my luck had run out with Ishaan--twice! It took some scrambling around to find another date that would work--Ishaan is a very busy senior and I was almost fully booked for the fall, but fortunately he happened to have a morning off from school around mid October and the weather ended up finally cooperating, so a morning weekday shoot in October it was!
I'm happy to report that the third time was a charm. I was worried that the sun would pop out too strong during our session, but it thankfully waited until the very last picture was snapped to come streaming down, so the lighting conditions ended up being perfect. Just the right amount of cloud coverage to create soft, flattering light. And not only was the lighting conditions perfect, so was Ishaan! I though he looked quite dashing and on trend in both of the outfits he brought--so handsome! Plus, with his beautiful thick hair and spectacular swoon-worthy eyes, the camera truly did fall in love with him. I think it is hard to take a bad picture of Ishaan. He made my job easy. Well, except for picking out which photos to feature in this blog post. They were all sooooo good, it was hard to narrow down and decide which to include! I imagine it will be difficult for his mom to pick out favorites to print as well!
Ishaan's school activities include Key Club, National Honor Society, Speech and Debate Team, Student Council, Drama Club, Tennis Team, and Band--whew! His calendar must look pretty crazy--no wonder it was a challenge finding time to squeeze in a photography session. But I'm so glad it all worked out and he now has lots of wonderful portraits to document this all important time of his life. He plans to major in cognitive science in college and has not made a decision yet as to which college he will attend, but I'm positive wherever he ends up, this accomplished senior is headed for a very bright future!
Ishaan, it was a pleasure working with you and meeting your lovely mother. Thanks so much to both of you for your patience as we worked through the weather and scheduling difficulties we encountered. I think your portraits were worth the wait! And I'm looking forward to perhaps capturing some tennis pics to add to your senior gallery this spring!
Laura ~ College of Wooster and Ramseyer Farms
Laura selected the College of Wooster for her main shoot and we also did a little side jaunt to Ramseyer Farms a few days later to snap some pics in their pretty sunflower fields. We started off the College of Wooster session capturing a few images with her adorable pooch. Her doggie did great--even got her to look at the camera! We then moved on to find some shadier spots on campus, as the early evening sun was still coming in strong. Love the cute shots with the yellow Adirondack chair! When Laura was a child, she had posed with a statue of a young girl with birds that can be found on the grounds. So, of course, we had to find the statue and recreate the childhood shot of her mimicking the stature. So sweet! Laura did a great job posing like the statue. I think you can tell she has had some prior ballet and dance training in her past--her arms have good, elegant lines as they say! We also found a rock that she climbed on as a child. She reminded me a bit of Ariel on that rock--except with dark hair and glasses:) Almost expected her to break out into "Part of Your World". And fun fact, she could probably belt that tune out nicely. This girl can sing! But more on that later in the post!
After the rock pose, it was time for an outfit change. Her luminous green dress was a beautiful choice and showed off her luminous dark eyes! Her mom calls them Sophia Loren eyes and wow did they ever pop with that glorious shade of green! Laura truly does have the most striking eyes, doesn't she? We lucked out with some beautiful lighting as the sun descended and softened. Lighting is so different with each day, but this light was so glow-y and magical. Combining the lighting with the architecture and those lovely eyes, Laura looked like a princess from a fairy tale.
We had another sunny bright day for the sunflower shoot at Ramseyer Farms. Laura works at Ramseyer, so this was an extra-special place for her to have her senior portraits taken. It was near the end of sunflower season, but still plenty of bright and beautiful flowers dotting the extensive fields. Loved the sunflowers that look like pompoms in the second sunflower pic. I've never seen any that look like that before! We took full advantage of golden hour, especially with the piano pics; the lowering sun streaming its rays on the side of Laura's face and framing her beautifully. The blue truck looked so pretty with her flowery dress as well! We ended the shoot at sunset under the Ramseyer Arch, the sun now orange and dipped just below the horizon, creating an orangey cast on the surroundings. As we made our way out, we passed by the areas where they put Laura to work--she helps with their kids activities. There was a fenced in area with goats and Laura had to stop and pet her favorite goat. I was tempted to have her jump over the fence and join the goat for a few pics, but alas did not want to get her or myself into any trouble--ha!
Laura is interested in majoring in journalism when she goes off to college. Her current activities include working on the school newspaper and drama club. And speaking of drama club, you know how I mentioned she can sing? In November Laura will be playing Deb in Elf the Musical. Deb is a featured role and she has a great solo song. So break a leg, Laura! I enjoyed spending time with you during your senior shoot and hope you have an amazing senior year!
Eric ~ Arboretum
I love that I get to work with siblings. I had the pleasure of taking Eric's sister's pics a few years ago and so was quite happy to hear it was time for her younger brother to spend time with me and my camera in tow. Like many senior guys, Eric's mom mentioned he wasn't exactly over the moon about having his pictures taken, but what a great sport he was. He was thoughtful and took my posing prompts to heart and did a terrific job as you can see! He might have felt awkward at the time as I was calling out "put your foot here, your arm there, lean in, tilt your head" and a sting of other instructions, but boy the end result is a very confident and self-assured look! A couple of times he even reminded me a bit of a young Tom Cruise as I framed him in my viewfinder! He is a handsome dude for sure and I had a pretty easy job capturing some striking images.
I thought Eric did a great job with outfit choices, too--looking dapper in a dress shirt and tie, outdoorsy in his plaid, and casual cool in his hoodie. And varsity jackets will never go out of style! By wearing the same pair of jeans for the second part of his shoot, he was able to make a couple quick changes that added a nice variety of looks! I am a big fan of quick changes--especially when covering a large area such as the arboretum. I give him an A+ for the thought he put into how he wanted to look and could tell he felt like himself. I always recommend clothing that seniors not only like, but also that they are comfortable wearing!
Eric keeps a very full schedule as a senior. He is involved with swim team, cross country, National Honor Society, and plays trumpet in band. He is also an Eagle Scout, earning the rank last spring. Plus he has worked as a lifeguard for the past two years! As far as future plans go he is interested in scientific research and is planning on majoring in biology or biochemistry.
I enjoyed meandering around the beautiful stirrings of fall at the arboretum with Eric and his mom. It was such a pleasant evening weather wise and they were pleasant company! Eric has two younger siblings, so perhaps I will have a chance to repeat the process a couple more times again in the future with this wonderful family. I hope Eric has a fun-filled senior year and much success as he heads off to college in the fall!
