Over the past few days I’ve been sorting through hard drives as I prep for the upcoming shooting season.  It dawned on me halfway through the process of just how many sessions I didn’t have a chance to blog last Fall.  I have great memories working with some incredible seniors last year.  After spending an hour or two with them I often felt they were more like friends than clients.  Justice was one of those seniors…she is hardworking, off-the-charts smart, and wise beyond her years.  We connected immediately and had so much fun working together.  She’s only a few weeks away from graduating from high school and I couldn’t be more excited for what lies ahead for her.  She deserves all the success that comes her way!  Congrats, Justice and best to you as you head off to college!

One thing I really love about my job is that I establish relationships with families that I see repeatedly.  It’s fun to watch families grow and change over the years.  I’ve been working with Mallory’s family for the past 4 years.  Her older two sisters are former high school senior clients, I photographed the siblings together, and now Mallory is  a senior at Cretin-Derham Hall High School so it was her turn for senior photos.  Mallory came directly from a school luncheon for distinguished guests where she was asked to speak…that probably gives you an idea of just how smart and well-spoken she is!  We had such a fun time working together and I absolutely loved hearing Mallory tell me about all the activities she is involved with.  She is a motivated young lady to say the very least.  I’m so excited for the future that awaits her.  I have no doubt she is off to do some pretty amazing things in her career.  Here are some of the photos from her session:

It’s been quiet here on the blog for the past several weeks as I worked through what turned out to be my busiest season in studio history.      While it certainly was a whirlwind I can honestly say that I enjoyed every minute of it and feel so grateful to so many of my clients who come back year after year.  I also appreciate my high school senior clients who trust me to capture this significant time in their lives.

Today’s blog post features, Olivia, a senior from Woodbury High School who was an absolute delight to work with.  When she arrived for her session we were all nervous about the incredibly windy conditions outdoors.  Because there had been a spell of rain a few days prior to her session and more rain predicted several days in a row after her session we made the decision to move forward with the shoot as planned.  Olivia was such a natural in front of the camera…not even the strong wind threw her off.  We had such a great time and ended up shooting straight through until sunset.  Olivia, I wish you the very best as you finish out your senior year!!

Abby, a senior at St. Croix Prep, came out to the studio a few weeks ago for her high school senior session and I knew immediately upon seeing the books sticking out of her backpack that we’d be fast friends (The Catcher in the Rye, The Great Gatsby, Ethan Frome…just to name a few)!    After we finished chatting about our “need to read” book lists we ventured out for her photo shoot and had a great time chatting some more about books, school, and her extra curricular activities that keep her incredibly busy.  We couldn’t have asked for better weather and I loved being in her company!

Margaret, a senior at Visitation, is the younger sister of two previous clients.  It’s been such a joy for me to work with her and her siblings.  They are all so bright, well spoken, thoughtful and ambitious…the list goes on and on.  Margaret is certainly no exception.  Not only is she smart, but she is a talented dancer and loves to read which gave us great talking points throughout her session.  We had such beautiful weather to work with so we took our time and enjoyed the conversation between locations.  It was a fun day and I just loved our time together.  Margaret, I wish you the best as you finish out your senior year.  I’ll be anxious to hear about your college choice (I do think you’d love Creighton, but then again I am from Nebraska so I might be a tad biased.)

I have been looking forward to this session ever since Paige and her mom stopped in the studio for a pre-session consultation.  They spent a fair amount of time searching for a photographer and I was flattered to know they had decided on me after reviewing the body of my work showcased here on the blog.  I love that they trusted my vision and gave me free reign over the approach to the shoot..  On the day of Paige’s session I knew within the first 5 minutes that she would make my job easy.  Paige was a natural in front of the camera and required very little direction.  I think you’ll find that her shy, yet friendly disposition shined through the images.  Best wishes to you, Paige, as you finish out your senior year at Hudson High School!

When I opened my photography studio in downtown Hudson one of my main goals was to provide high school seniors with an experience they would remember for many years to come.  I was reminded of this throughout my session with Nicole.  She and her mom arrived for the session and I could just sense their excitement.  Although it started out cloudy and a bit rainy we waited it out and wouldn’t you know…the sun came out in perfect timing. We had a wonderful time and something tells me this is a memory they won’t soon forget.  Nicole and Lori, thanks again for coming out for Nicole’s session!  You were both an absolute joy to work with.  Nicole, you are such a beautiful young woman inside and out.  Have a great senior year!

Meet the lovely, Ally, a senior at Hudson High School!  We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day for her photo session!  I was  glad to venture out to a few different locations as it gave us a lot of time to talk.  Throughout our time together I discovered that she has plans to go to Iowa State to pursue her undergraduate degree in psychology and plans to continue on for an advanced degree in her field.  This gave us a great talking point as my college roommate received a PhD in Psychology and currently works as a chief psychologist in a federal prison (Ann, if you’re reading this I was talking about you!!).  We had a great conversation and I loved that throughout the shoot we went back and forth between our chat and taking pictures…I have a tendency to forget that I’m “working” when shooting seniors.  Nevertheless, it was a great time and as you can see she is an absolute natural in front of the camera!  Ally- best wishes to you as you finish out your senior year!

This year I am photographing a lot of younger siblings of past clients.  It’s always so fun for me to work with families time and time again and I love that it allows me the opportunity to re-connect with former seniors.  Grant is the youngest of three and I absolutely loved photographing his older sisters.  When his mom called to book his session she asked if it would be ok if the girls tagged along.  I jumped at the chance knowing we would have a great time chatting and I was anxious to hear about their college experiences so far.  Just as I suspected we had such a fun time and I took the chance at the end of the session to photograph all three of them together…one last time before they are all off to college.  Grant, best wishes to you and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that all goes well with USC!

It’s not very often that I get nervous about a session, but I’ve been anticipating this session for a VERY long time.  You see, my niece is a 2013 senior and ever since I opened my studio I’ve thought about what it would be like when she was old enough for senior pictures.  At the time it seemed so far off, but as so many of you know…time flies!  Her senior year is upon us so while my sister and her family were visiting a few weeks ago we went out to take her senior photos.  It’s hard to wrap my brain around the fact that my baby niece is all grown up, but  I couldn’t be more proud of her if I tried.  She is incredibly smart (as in REALLY smart…I’m her Auntie so I can brag like that), a talented pianist and artist, she’s witty as all get out, and oh, so fun!  I’m excited about her senior year as we have a few trips planned so we can spend a bit more time together before she heads off to college…NYC and Europe here we come!