Natural Beauty!

Meeting this girl is another reason why I enjoy photographing High School Seniors!!  She has such a natural beauty about her not to mention her gorgeous brown eyes!  Born in Texas, it was essential to incorporate the fun cowboy boots (again, hoping they were my size....j/k.)  She was one of my HS Senior's to luck out with the passing of a train...can't always guarantee that one!  Here's a peek from that gorgeous evening!!

She's a little bit country.....

She's a little bit country and a little bit rock-n-roll classical ballerina!!  I was excited to work with this HS Senior and was even more excited when her wardrobe included cowboy boots which I was hoping were my size....j/k.  We went from a little country flare to the elegant ballet moves and positions capturing her personality.  It was a joy to work with this young HS Senior who was both endearing and gracious!!  Thank you for a fun evening!!

Class of 2013 - Look Out!

I am getting caught up on my blog this week and as I look back at this gorgeous HS Senior I can remember over a year ago talking to her mom about photographing her daughter for her Senior portraits.  Already knowing she was an athlete, we talked about incorporating her love of softball into her session.  With a beautiful summer evening and lots of laughs I had so much fun getting to know this HS Senior!!  Here are a few of my favorites from her session.

Just stunning....

Beautiful inside and out!

This High School Senior is just beautiful!  I love that she is just as beautiful on the inside as the outside.  Her kind heart sure came across after spending an evening together.  The idea of a session at her High School campus was both peaceful and perfect with amazing light that evening.  Between dribbling a soccer ball in heels, a flute concert in the field and ending the night solving a case of the missing shoe, she was a great sport!!!  I LOVE what we captured! 

Stunning High School Senior!

I was so complimented when this stunning girl from Kansas came to see me for her HS Senior session!  She is an absolute sweetheart and we had such a great time during her session(s).  We actually broke her session into two so she could have different hair styles.  I love both of her looks!!  Little did we know that she would be serenaded with mexican music and we would find the hottest teenage summer hangout by the end of her photo shoot!  Thank you so much for trusting me to capture this special time in your life!

a little extra artwork on this one! 

A Perfect Fall Morning!

I'm so lucky in that I've met some very cool HS Seniors this year!  This darling girl was one of them!  With Autumn being her ultimate favorite season (mine too), she waited to schedule her session hoping for some fall colors.  I'd say she picked the perfect week!  The colors and the weather have been amazing!  And how fun to have a morning session!  We captured so many neat images and I can't wait to work on them all.  But for now, here is a quick peek from your session!  

Love love love this outfit!!

Class of 2012!

It's so neat to have the privilege to work with High School Seniors.  They always impress me.  And, this beautiful girl did just that!  Having traveled the world already before she has even graduated High School!  Loving to work with children, it was a perfect fit for her to travel to Korea this past summer and work with a local school.  I admire young people who take opportunities and make them happen!  We had a ball during our evening session.  You never know what you'll get but when the graffiti train traveled past, we knew we had something cool going on!!  Here's a sneak peek!!

She has these stunning green eyes...wow!

Always fun to make a session their own by incorporating their interests! 

I Love Farms!

I am so excited about this project I can hardly stand it!  I have to admit - I have an infatuation with old farms.  I adore large historic barns with all their character.  I've always been drawn to the countryside landscape.  As I drive past farmlands with barns and silos...it’s just picturesque to me.  I snap the photo in my head and promise someday to use an actual camera to capture the view. 

 I have no idea why I have a such a fondness for old farms.  I always have.  I remember being 10 years old begging my parents to move us out to the country so we could live on a farm and have horses!  Sadly, that never happened.

Now that I live in Woodbury.....a town that was once farmland... I am amazed how many gorgeous old barns are still standing.  Of course, I notice and admire them all.  They are each so unique and hold their own story from the past.

You can imagine my excitement when I found myself listening to Inez Oehlke (91 years young) speak of growing up in Woodbury and raising her family on the farm that sits at Co. Rd. 19 and Bailey Road!  Mrs. Oehlke resided in the darling white farmhouse for over 70 years!  It had belonged to her husband's parents before that.  She and her husband raised two children on their dairy farm as well as had a pasture full of Tennessee Walker horses.  Now, why couldn’t they have been my parents so I could have fulfilled my dream of living on a farm with horses?  lol.  

I grew up knowing my own grandparents were raised on farms in the early 1900's and maybe my love of old farms is a way to bring me closer to that time in history and imagine what it was like for them.  There is a photograph or two of both of my grandparents when they were young living in the country.  Sadly, I haven't found one of the farm itself.  That is one thing I wish I had more of - photographs of the farms that belonged to my great-grandparents.  I would treasure photographs like that.

Now that the Oehlke's farmhouse and land belong to a neighboring church, I couldn't help but feel Mrs. Oehlke should have photographs that could be passed down to her family some day.  Images of the white farmhouse, barns and stables can be treasured by future generations .  I offered to capture some unique photos like the ones I wish I had from my own grandparents' farms.   This week I felt like a kid in a candy store walking around the farm capturing the gorgeous country views and a little piece of the Oehlke family's history.  I’m excited to share a few of my favorites:  

Meet sweet Mrs. Oehlke who showed me around the farm this week.

Mrs. Oehlke and her grandson, who also lived in the home and shared tons of memories with me.  The whole experience was so cool!

Stunning HS Senior: Class of 2012

I loved meeting this HS Senior!  She is absolutely stunning.  The camera loved her and her beautiful eyes!  And yes, those eyelashes are the real deal and just amazing!  I swear she could be a model....so natural in front of the camera!  We had a blast during her session and I had a hard time deciding on just a few images for her sneak peek...but here they are!  I cannot wait to process the rest of your images!!! 

Talented HS Senior!

This gorgeous HS Senior has the most beautiful smile.  When she smiles, I feel like her whole self smiles. You can't help but be drawn to her;  not to mention she is so full of talent!  I've been entertained by her acting in the local theaters and enjoyed her amazing voice at church for years.  It's her singing that is very special to her.  Of course, I couldn't let the session go without incorporating her passion.  When she pulled out a song book that once belonged to her Great-Grandmother, I knew she pulled out an amazing piece of history!  The book was aged with old tape and her Great-Grandmother's handwritten name on the cover...so very cool.  To be able to include such a special heirloom into her session.....Oh, I love family history.  I also loved that this session took place in the prairie of wild flowers where she grew up and on the back yard tire swing where she played as a child.  The location can make someone's images extra special!!   Thank you, I had such a fun evening with you!!  Here's just a peek at a few from your session!

HS Senior: Class of 2012

I was looking forward to this session for months!  I had a little edge on this one since I've known this boy and his family for a while now.  We were able to incorporate his interests and talents into his session, which I love to do!  Being an outdoors type of guy, a session in the woods seemed perfect!  He also recently earned his Eagle Scout award which impressed the heck out of me!  And, with working at boy scout camps the past few summers, we were able to bring that part of his life into his session.  With a love of music and many drum lessons later, we pulled the drums outside for a quick jam session!  What a great sport!  Here's just a peek of a few of the images......