Round two of our castle senior sessions this time starring Kyla, a ballerina.  I will admit, it did take some coaxing to talk Kyla’s mom into a senior portrait session in a dilapidated castle but when she arrived, she knew we were all in for something special.

It took no coaxing at all however for Kyla to dance and float about room to room (yes including the haunted one) and give a stunning performance in front of the lens.  The light and texture of this place is always incredible and it contrasted fantastically with Kyla’s wardrobe.  We photographed until dark (even a bit later than that) and still didn’t even scratch the surface of this enormous building.

Thank you Kyla for your gracefulness and your fearless attitude, it was another magical day for me.

Some faves.

Meet Olivia.  A dancer and a dreamer, she has been an absolute joy to work with.  When I asked Olivia how she felt about having her senior portrait session in a castle, she just replied “What color of ball gown would you like me to wear?”  As you can see, she fit the role perfectly and the session was perfect.  We just walked from room to room (even the haunted one) and found a virtually endless variety of places to photograph.  Olivia really embraced the beautiful decay of the location and  just ran with it.

Thank you Olivia for this unforgettable experience.

Here are some of my faves.

Meet Caitlin, class of 2011.  Caitlin was introduced to us from her mom Lynne, who was introduced to us at our first Ladies Night Out event.  I knew this session was going to be fun just from the time I spent with them at the consultation.  I think Lynne was just as excited as Caitlin!  As you can see, Caitlin had all sorts of great fashion ideas and we ran with them.  Started off in the studio then went outside exploring, another fantastic time.  Thanks Caitlin and  Lynne for the experience.

Some faves.

Meet Jessie – class of 2011.  Jessie had a few different looks in mind for her session so we mixed things up a little.  We started around town and for the most part, I looked for interesting places while Jessie got into the role.  Then it was off to the grassy fields for a softer look.  She brought her older sister Tara along who acted as wardrobe assistant, hair advisor, and yes, a mobile clothing rack.   Tara was also supposed to be an expression coach but as you can see, Jessie did quite well on her own.  I thought she did a fabulous job pairing her clothing with the environment and expressions to match.  The session ended with us literally chasing light before it disappeared, and we caught some magical moments.  Here are some faves.

Meet Bobby – class of 2011.  I’ve been photographing Bobby and his sister for quite a few years now and it’s just crazy to me to see him graduating.  The first few times he came to us he was well, less than excited to be there.  Then as time went on it became something fun for both of us.  When it came time for his senior session however, he was full of ideas and opinions which I am always glad to hear.  So it was off to Folsom lake to some of his favorite hang out spots.  The day was perfect and Bobby just nailed it.  Here are some faves.

Meet Ciara – class of 2011.  A future beauty school student, Ciara really knew how to tailor her look.  She brought the perfect clothing for a mix of some studio drama, and then it was outside to chase some light.  I particularly liked her dreamy look in this set.  Great job Ciara.  And thanks Julia B for the recommendation!

some faves.

Meet Kaitlyn, class of 2010.  Yep, 2010.  When she and her mom found out we were traveling to San Diego for beach sessions, they decided that was worth the wait for Kaitlyn’s senior portraits.

I knew we would be photographing out in the sand & surf, but Kaitlyn had such great outfits and accessories, I just had to make some images inside the Hotel Del.  Since there was no way to be inconspicuous with lights and reflectors, my plan was to shoot as much as we could until we got asked to leave.  We started in the Crown room and just went for it.  Much to my surprise, no one paid attention to us…even with the not so stealthy lighting rig I had strapped to Stef’s back.  So we all just acted like we were supposed to be there and photographed everywhere.

Kaitlyn did a wonderful job and as you can see, had some gorgeous adornments for her hair.  Just a  fantastic session.  Thank you Kaitlyn and Steph(mom) for this adventure!

Some faves.

p.s.  did I mention that I love, love, love, all your accessories?  Have fun at APU!

Meet Jaimie, class of 2010.  Yes…class of 2010.  We were quite surprised this year how many last minute 2010 seniors there were.  Jaimie was referred to us by her cousin Kayla, who is now undoubtedly packing for University of Oklahoma.  Thanks Kayla!

Once again, Jaimie knew the look she was after and planned her outfits perfectly.  It also helped that the sun completely cooperated and was glowing in exactly the right places.  And how about them boots!  Jaimie acted quite shy at first, but in no time at all was easy to coax out some of these incredible looks.  She also brought some friends along to make sure she was being herself.  Thanks Jaimie!

Some faves.

Meet Kate!  We met Kate through Erika who also made an appearance during the session and acted as Kate’s personal stylist and expression coach.  We decided to do her session in her own backyard,  which was a great location with  fantastic views.  There was lots of running, jumping and of course acting.  Erika was particularly good at bringing Kate’s personality out…and also a great singer.  We all lost track of time (of course) and before we knew it, it was getting dark and we were all hungry.  Thank you Penny (Kate’s mom) for the delicious sandwiches and your hospitality.  Another great time.

Faves.

Just a few more 2010 seniors to blog then it’s time for some 2011’s!

Meet Keshia.  She brought mom(Jeri) to the consultation and I couldn’t tell who was more excited about having these portraits made.  They both had some pretty specific looks in mind which made things very interesting for me.  The day of Keshia’s session, the light was just perfect and well…just kind of told us where to go.  In the end we both were trying to out do each other chasing light into some beautiful and sometimes unusual places.  It was a great time.

Some faves.