Laina and Kameryn ~ Downtown and 4-H Pigs
My specialty is seniors. But sometimes it is good to expand your horizons. And besides, why should seniors have all the fun? When I had the opportunity to do a "Tween and Teen" shoot with my great-nieces, Laina and Kameryn, I jumped at the chance. And why not bring animals into the mix as well? Not long after the Tween and Teen shoot, I was asked to come to their family farm and capture these cute sisters with their 4-H pigs--Rico, Pedro, Rosie, and Paprika. Let me tell you, as a photographer, I was in hog heaven!
But let's get back to the sister session in downtown Wooster first. I have taken my great-nieces pictures before at my parents' house in Circleville and at Secrest Arboretum here in Wooster. This time for something different, I suggested downtown Wooster when they came up for a visit. And I'm so glad I did! The twinkling lights, wood stairway, brick buildings, and alleys made the perfect setting and was such a nice contrast to the country farm shoot coming later. The only problem was that it was a chilly spring day--only in the upper 50's. But Laina and Kameryn were troopers and did such a great job in front of the camera. Pretty, pretty sisters make pretty, pretty pictures! I was really proud of these girls--they were model perfect and did a great job posing up a storm in the cold. Honestly, you would never know looking at the pics how cold it was. They were pros!
Our next session at the farm with their 4-H pigs was much warmer and sunnier, thank goodness. But I was actually worried about the strong sun. I usually take photos an hour or two before sunset to avoid harsh overhead light, but needed to take these in the afternoon. Luckily, we found some nice shady spots. The problem was, how do you steer a pig to the spots needed? Especially pigs who have their own agenda about things. But somehow my great-nieces managed to get them to where they needed to go. And they managed to get them to stand still as well! Long enough for some hugs and kisses:) Really, how sweet and precious are these shots? I actually got about 100 great pics. Way too many to share here--though I was tempted!
When Laina and Kameryn were little, I literally had to bribe them with trinkets in order to snap a few pics. But no more! I had a blast clicking away at both the downtown and farm setting. Before I know it, I'm sure they will actually be seniors--sniff, sniff. But in the meantime, I'm grateful to have captured their growing up years. If you scroll all the way down to the end, you can see a pic from the first photo session I ever did with these two!
Good luck at the fair with the piggies, Laina and Kameryn! And I hope you invite me back to the farm next year with your 2026 fair pigs! I am finding that I love 4-H shoots--and tween and teen shoots as well!
Eliza ~ Arboretum
Eliza is the last of my 2025 seniors, but definitely not the least. A little late to the party, maybe, but as you can see she made a spectacular entrance! And I think her pictures were worth the wait! Also, late spring at the Arboretum had plenty of new blooms and was so pretty. I think the timing worked out perfectly.
Most of my clients are from Wooster, but I really love it when word spreads and I get the chance to work with seniors from other schools, like Eliza. It is such an honor when a senior travels to come see me. Eliza and her mom found me when they saw photos I took of a family friend of theirs, Brianna. The friend and her mom recommended me and since they thought the photos were stunning, they reached out to me. I have to tell you, it warms my photographer's heart when that happens. I don't do a lot of advertising, so word of mouth is really important to my business! (Thank you, Brianna and Brianna's mom!)
Eliza is my first senior from Highland High School in Medina. She is also my first senior to bring her cap and gown to a session. I think this is such a great idea. So nice to have at least a few professional images in your cap and gown!
After the cap and gown shots, Eliza changed into a lovely little white dress with puffy sleeves and an empire waist--she was so striking among the greens and various colored flower blooms. I had way too much fun with her in my viewfinder. She looked like a princess from a fairy tale in an enchanted garden! I went a little crazy snapping away--click, click, click, click, click! This angle, that angle, far away, up close. Eliza was just an absolute delight to photograph. She has such a gentle, elegant way about her, and I think this comes through in her photos. Eliza in her white dress was simply exquisite.
After the princess-y shots, it came time for an outfit change. I love when a senior brings both dressy and casual outfits. And Eliza was just as beautiful in her jeans and sneakers! She went from princess to fresh faced girl next door with ease. One thing the camera really noticed about Eliza is her eyes. The close-ups on the butterfly bench and stone table are some of my favorites because of the focus on her beautiful blue eyes. Her eyes are mesmerizing, I tell ya! I think they cast a little spell on my camera with those shots!
With graduation right around the corner, Eliza already knows what college she is headed to--Ohio State! I told her I heartily approved--both my husband and I graduated from Ohio State, along with one of my sons. Go Bucks! She is wrapping up high school as a Summa Cum Laude graduate and has kept busy during high school years with marching band, National Honor Society, and Unified Sports. I wish her the very best as she heads off to Scarlet and Gray Land in the fall. And I am very thankful I had the opportunity to capture her in that all important stage as she is transitioning from high school to college. I adored having you in my viewfinder, Eliza! You were pure magic!
Wesley ~ Arboretum and Football
It was a gorgeous and warm October day for Wesley's shoot. I had done his brother, Logan's, senior pics at Secrest Arboretum a few years ago, and he chose this setting as well! We were able to capture some of the fall leaf colors--golds, browns, and oranges. I love how fall 'softens" the greens of summer and adds splashes of warmth in the background. It was a very bright sunny day with very little clouds, so we had to chase shade for most of the shoot to avoid squinting and harsh shadows on the face, but luckily there were plenty of spots that created the nice even light that photographers love. Wesley did such a nice job with all my posing requests and was so patient and good natured to work with. I really enjoyed my time with him and I got the sense that he enjoyed the shoot, too--even though I'm pretty sure playing model for the camera is not on his list of favorite things to do:) Though Wesley only had one outfit for the arboretum, I was able to capture a nice variety of looks with the addition of his cap and glasses. I thought his black plaid shirt was very sharp and crisp and perfect for a fall shoot! Not too dressy and not too casual and definitely something he felt comfortable in. I always suggest that seniors dress in a way that they would enjoy even when not in front of the camera and that represents who they are! And, actually, another pretty cool outfit change that truly represented Wesley was in store along with a new location as I will describe next!
Wesley also wanted a football shoot at his high school's football field, so we headed there just in time for the "golden hour" before the sun set. I was super excited about this part of the shoot as I had never done football pics before! I had an absolute "ball" snapping away at Wesley in his purple jersey in and around the large green field. Really, my job as a photographer does not seem like work at all. It is always fun, but gosh did I enjoy playing around on that field with my camera and handsome Wesley! It is always a thrill and a challenge to shoot in a new location; I love the way it spurs me on to be more creative, and I have to say, I am more than pleased with the way these football pics turned out. Wesley scored big in front of the camera! Yay, Wesley!
Besides football, Wesley is a percussion player in the marching band, member of the Triway GFA, and a member of the Clinton Lads and Lassies 4H group. He plans on attending welding school sometime in the near future. Wesley, I wish you many "touchdowns" in life after graduation and I'm so happy I got to take your senior pics! Thank you for allowing me to capture these images and I hope they bring back fond memories in the years to come!
Brooklyn ~ Arboretum and Mini Downtown Session
I am friends with Brooklyn's mom and her sister was one of the very first seniors I photographed, so I was quite excited for this shoot! When the day came there was rain in the forecast, so we discussed rescheduling, but ultimately decided to go ahead and give it a try! I am so glad we did! A total of about 5 little drops fell and it ended up being the perfect fall day--warm, but not hot, and sunny with just enough clouds passing through to make the sun not too harsh. We even had some wind coming around now and then that created the windblown looks I love so much.
We started the session at Secrest Arboretum. Once I get my seniors set in a pose, I tell them I can guide them through head tilts and expressions and such--or they can improvise with each click if they feel comfortable doing that. Brooklyn was a pro at posing, so improvise away she did as I snapped away! Wow, was she ever good, at ease, and so much fun to photograph. I had an absolute blast during the session. Having a stunning model who is fully enjoying the camera sure made me one lucky photographer! She was an absolute rockstar in my viewfinder.
I also happened to love the outfits Brooklyn chose. The white dress was so dreamy and elegant in the shots with the marble table and bare branched trees in the background. She looked like she could be on the cover of a romance novel! The pink dress was as cute as could be and looked lovely with the flower blooms still sticking around in October. And the olive cargo pants and crop top was perfect for the golden hour glow with the tall brown-toned field. After we had our fill of the arboretum, we made our way downtown for a short shoot before sunset, just to add a bit of variety to the shots we got.
Once I got home, it was time for selecting and editing photos. Boy, did I have my work cut out for me with the amount of beautiful photographs that came up in my Adobe Lightroom program! But creating her gallery was a true joy and I couldn't be happier with the way everything turned out. For my blog, I try to showcase a nice mixture and limit the number of pics I post, but--oh, man--I wish I could have included every single shot I had in her gallery! There are many more just as gorgeous.
Besides being a wonderful model, Brooklyn is quite an accomplished student. She is plays Varsity Volleyball, is Student Body President, Vice President of NHS, Cover Editor and writer for her school newspaper, mentor/Secretary for Best Buddies, and active in NAACP. I am surprised she found time for a senior session, but am grateful that she did and I'm grateful as well that I got to be her senior photographer. Brooklyn, I wish you the very best senior year ever and am looking forward to hearing about college and beyond from your mom. I know you are headed to much success in whatever you do! And maybe some more time posing in front of the camera is in your future, too. I hope so as the camera certainly loves you!
Brianna ~ Arboretum and Downtown
I was super excited when Brianna's mom contacted me to be her senior photographer. I have taken ballet show and publicity photos for a number of years, and she was one of the dancers I've had on the other side of the camera. She is an accomplished ballerina, having played the lead, Clara, in The Nutcracker this past winter. Trained dancers have an elegance and grace in the way they carry themselves, so I had a feeling this would be a beautiful shoot. But OH MY GOODNESS! It ended up spectacular! I was actually tempted to post every single picture I snapped in this post. Boy, did the camera ever adore Brianna!
We started the session at the arboretum. We had an unexpected cool spell for August and the temperature was comfortable and not humid, which was a plus, but the sun was very strong and harsh at first. So we went around chasing shady spots for a while. Even with the sun getting in the way, there were still plenty of great backdrops at the arboretum. As you can see from the pics, we definitely made it work! Her floaty print dress really complimented all the greens and flower blooms. And I was so happy that she brought her pointe shoes! Got some great shots of her on her toes! Towards the end of our time there, the sun softened enough I was able to catch a shot of her with the sun on her face and lots of dramatic pink blooms behind her. Just breathtaking!
Then we were off to downtown Wooster. Brianna's change into casual clothes (jeans and shorts) really added to the variety of shots we got. We captured a few with her pointe shoes again (love, love, love, the point shoe shots on the stairs) and then she switched into some pretty cool converse shoes. And, really, how dang adorable is the alley shot of her on the black metal chair with her knees drawn up and her converse on?!!! The lighting was so nice and perfect the last hour before sunset. Good thing it became dark, though, otherwise I'd still be there snapping away. I have a problem that once I start taking photos, it is hard to stop, especially when the lighting and subject are so gorgeous!
Brianna is finishing up most of her senior year at Akron University Wayne Campus, getting ahead start on those college credits. Though ballet keeps her busy, she has found time for other activities. She sings in her high school choir and last year appeared on stage with her school's drama club production. She's been a member of "Just Write" team, a writing competition, for several years as well. She's been a straight A student throughout her school years. Her college plans include attending Baldwin Wallace and majoring in psychology with the goal of being a child psychologist. It was an absolute pleasure photographing her. Not only was Brianna photogenic, but she was so good natured and pleasant throughout the shoot. I enjoyed meeting her wonderful parents, too--what a lovely, lovely family.
Brianna, you were a dream to work with! Thank you for including me in your senior year. Hope you love your senior pics and that they bring joy to you and your family for years to come!
