Senior Portraits with Kate: Sunshine, Flowers & Big Laughs
Culver’s Greenhouse | Wanatee Park | Lake McBride | Calyx Creek Lavender
I first met Kate a few years back when I did her sister Sam’s senior pictures. Kate was just learning to drive and she got lost and it was a bit of a fiasco, if I remember right! haha! Kate doesn’t remember much from that night but she DOES remember that I brought cupcakes, and that’s a win in my book. (Cupcakes from That One Cupcake Place ARE pretty memorable, though, just sayin.’)
Kate’s mom reached out about scheduling her senior pictures later than she normally would of — Kate just really wasn’t feeling like getting senior pictures done. That happens more than you might think. The thought of having a whole photoshoot just of yourself can be a bit daunting and doesn’t sound like much fun for an introvert - I get it! Eventually Kate agreed to do the session and I was determined to make it an AMAZING experience for her.
We met for our consultation, learned a lot about Kate and her style and silly personality (and broken tongue that always falls out of her mouth as her mom would say! haha!) We planned out her photoshoot based on her interests, booked a lavender field to be a little “extra,” got rained out the first time but had the PERFECT day when we finally did it! It was so fun, we had a ton of laughs and maybe even have some inside jokes now.
We started with hair and makeup at Aurora Blush Salon with Ingrid and Lindsey. THAT got Kate feeling herself, I think. I loved how her look turned out! Then it was off to Culver’s Greenhouse.
We didn’t spend too long there, and then we headed out to Wanatee Park for trees and wildflowers. The wildflowers were sort of sparse this year, so we did a lot of mini hikes to get to our spots.
Next we headed to the Lake McBride spillway. I wasn’t sure what to expect here, I’ve only shot here a few times over the last 10 or more years. It turned out to be the PERFECT spot for what I envisioned for Kate’s water/rocks request!
Last, we headed alllll the way to Oxford for the lavender field part of the photoshoot. We got there and there wasn’t nearly as many blooms as we were imagining when we booked it, but we made do and Photoshop will do the rest but we did have the most perfect sunset golden hour vibes! Obsessed!
Your calendar likely fills up as fast as mine does and it’s SO easy to forget to schedule photos! If you are graduating in the spring or next spring (or a parent of an upcoming graduate) - reach out with any questions or to start planning!! Check out my Senior Gallery or contact me for more info!