This week's #SeniorSunday Spotlight is on Taylor - a senior at Page County High School. It brings me joy to be able to share my sessions with Taylor with everyone reading, because she is so fun and has a happy spirit which makes my job a breeze! We had 2 sessions - in the fall and the spring, and I feel that all of her photos represent her personality so well.
From Fall Leaves to Spring Flowers
I'll be honest, I think I could write about Taylor all day long, but that would make for a pretty big blog post so I'm going to keep it short and sweet. It's funny how I can only work with my customers for a few hours and still feel like I know them so well, I even consider most customers my friends! Taylor is no different from that, and beyond her senior photos I have also worked with her brother for his senior photos a few years ago and her cousin for her prom photos this year. It means the world to me when customers continually come to me or refer me to family and friends!
We did Taylor's first session right at the peak of fall colors up on Skyline Drive. Her mom works at Big Meadows lodge so this was their idea, and I had another customer who had a session planned up there and it got rained out. I asked Taylor and her mom if they would mind sharing a session (since my fall calendar is always so busy it's hard to reschedule) and they didn't mind at all! They welcome Justice and Kiki into their session and we all worked together to get amazing photos for both of them. Sessions up on the drive always turn out great, but during the fall is my favorite time because you can see the different colors of the leaves on the mountains in every direction you turn. Big Meadows also has a lot of great fall foliage and scenery to incorporate into the session! My favorite spot though was at an overlook that I frequent, where the sun was shining through the trees and created a natural bokeh with an array of different colors. This is where we did the photo pictured above of Taylor - and she always claims she's bad at doing serious poses but rocks them every time!
Taylor's fall session was more short and sweet, but at her spring session was when we got to incorporate more locations and outfits - which means more fun! She did photos throughout Page County, where she's from. We started with a field in Shenandoah because Taylor wanted to get the yellow wildflowers in her photos. She brought 2 super cute outfits that went with the flowers and the mountain views so well! We also grabbed some photos there of her in her prom dress. Taylor is quiet, but if you stick around long enough you'll find that she is always dancing, singing, and creating fun wherever she goes. It was like this our whole session, and I was so happy to capture that lightheartedness in her photos! For her second location we went to the high school where she did her cap and gown photos, and even with a bit of a shoe malfunction she was still twirling and smiling the entire time. I saved the river, because I knew that we were both going to have to get wet for that one. As soon as we arrived I saw a fallen tree that was just begging to be sat on and photographed, so I had Taylor head over to it and we both ended up ankle deep in mud trying to get that shot (which was worth it!) We also got into the water and splashed around some, giving me the chance to capture some candid laughter.
Sessions like the ones I did with Taylor are some of my favorites throughout my business, because for me it's all about enjoying the time while we take photos. If my customer isn't having fun during their session, then they won't be genuinely happy in the photos! Plus looking back at her fall photos have me excited for another "busy season" this year. But I am a summer girl at heart, and I know I have a jam packed summer full of adventurous sessions and of course, plenty of splashing around in the water. I can't wait to get a start on my Class of 2022 sessions and share those with you all!