Casual Cute Fall Senior Photos | Avery | Kennedy High School

Casual Cute Fall Senior Photos | Avery | Kennedy High School

Don’t mind me, I’m just half a year behind on blogging senior sessions! But, like, I couldn’t NOT blog Avery’s GORGEOUS fall senior photoshoot. Avery’s mom reached out waaayyyy in advance to get her scheduled for the fall season because she knows that’s the #1 photoshoot time and it fills up fast. I did Avery’s sister’s senior photos a few years ago and it was frigid cold and snowing. They were unique and turned out gorgeous, but they wanted NICE, enjoyable weather this time around and that fall color - Mother Nature did NOT disappoint!

When I met with Avery and her mom for our consultation and planning appointment, I found out quick that Avery was EXCITED for her senior photos and that there was no shortage of selfies in her life. LOL! I LOVE it because that meant she was already semi-comfortable in front of the camera. I was SO right. She is a natural model!!!

Since the derecho in Cedar Rapids kind of put a damper on the landscape scenery, we decided to hit up the big ol’ town of Central City! When Avery hopped out of the car all dolled up and looking like a movie-star (thank you, Krysta at Make Me Up, for your makeup and hairstyling skills) with her entourage of mom, dad AND boyfriend, I KNEW we were in for a good time. That’s a LOT of people staring at you while you get your photos taken.. and a LOT more people to encourage you and make you laugh. And that we did!

(Behind-the scenes photo courtesy of Avery’s mom!)

We spent some time just exploring the cool buildings and colors of Central City, changed outfits, got inspired, and had a LOT of fun!! I’m sure Avery got SO tired of hearing how perfect the weather was, especially compared to her sister’s senior photoshoot day! LOL!

I loved how her skin tone, hair color and outfit all coordinated so beautifully with the brick wall! Isn’t she stunning?! Then she discovered this cool multi-color alleyway and spray painted ground and we were inspired! It was the perfect aesthetic for her casual and comfy outfit.

Then we went headed across the street to Pinicon Ridge park for ALLLL of that gorgeous fall color and the perfect-colored bridge for fall!! Doesn’t her outfit coordinate perfectly!? And she just looks flawless!! We all had so much fun making Avery feel like the celebrity of the day - as your senior photos SHOULD be!!! And I put Avery’s dad and boyfriend to work as professional-leaf-throwers to make a fun Pinterest-worthy fall photo for her. And there was definitely more than one take. It was a blast!

After a change of outfits, we went on the hunt to find the most vibrant, colorful trees. Apparently, so did everyone else - LOL! We had to take turns taking photos with other families and professional photographers out there just trying to capture all the beautiful leaves as well. It was pretty comical!

(Another behind-the-scenes photo below!)

As I often do, I told Avery we were all finished up about 15 times before I actually meant it. But we ended our session on my trusty (ok, actually I don’t put too much trust in it) old stepladder that has made it into TOO many photos already. I mean, it’s not even cute and somehow it keeps getting it’s photo taken. But I needed a solid headshot of Avery before we left, so I sat her on it and it ended up being one of their favorites!

And I can’t wrap up this blog without showing off the book cover that I custom-designed for Avery. Almost always, my seniors LOVE the photobook and choose to order one filled with their favorite photos, and this is the cover I designed for Avery. Isn’t it adorable?!

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 2022 or 2023 (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!

Spring & Fall Double Senior Session | Reagan | Cedar Rapids, Iowa

SPRING & FALL DOUBLE SENIOR SESSIONS

Newbo Market | Ellis Park | Kennedy High School Senior Photographer

This past Spring as the trees started to bloom with the gorgeous flowers, I HAD to photograph them. In the Spring, snow is still melting and people are just starting to willingly come out of their homes after a long, brutal winter. Let me just put it this way - most people are not booking photoshoots at this time. It’s also graduation season and seniors are graduating while juniors are stressing about finals and the end of the year. They’re not ready to think about senior pictures yet!

I had this vision of a gorgeous (soon-to-be) senior girl in the golden sunset light with these blooming trees, but it had to be done SOON, because these flowers fall as fast as they come. I put out a model call and Reagan answered - and I’m SO glad!! She made my vision come to life!!

We only spent a little time taking photos since I just needed a few to share, but she and her family LOVED her photos and knew they wanted to book a full senior session for Reagan in the fall! So today, I get to share my first senior session from TWO different gorgeous seasons!

Every day when driving home, I saw these blooming trees overhanging the sidewalk as the sun shown through them. It was easy access and would be perfect for my mini-session model call with Reagan.
(A few examples of what I see (photos of Reagan) vs. what someone else might see (cell phone shots))

We even set up my lighting to make it seem like it was sunset-y and glowy for a few photos - it was exactly what I had envisioned!!

I knew I had the photos I was wanting, but I wanted to make sure it was worth Reagan’s time too (since she so graciously volunteered last minute for me) so we played around in the other trees and nature trail a little bit, which made it a great practice run for her full senior session. (And spoiler alert… she NAILED it!!!!)

We scheduled Reagan’s next photoshoot for the end of October, really crossing our fingers for those fall colors! And Mother Nature delivered. The colors were unreal. And with that red hair of hers… OhEmGee.

We threw around some ideas of locations and ended up choosing the Newbo area because of the cute buildings and Ellis Park for the colorful trees and water! Did you know that colorful trees + water = DOUBLE the color because the water reflects the fall colors!? Yeah.. it was gorgeous!

We met at Newbo Market and started our adventures from there. Reagan is SO adorable and awesome about posing. She NAILS the serious face every time. It was like walking around with a model the whole night, she made my job so easy!

After a few outfit changes, we made a pit-stop to get some photos with her pup and brother, and then we were on our way to Ellis Park!

I just couldn’t stop taking photos. We barely had to move around in the park, it was so pretty everywhere! And spending the evening with Reagan and her mom made my cheeks hurt from smiling so much. They’re two peas in a pod, and so much fun!! And it’s Reagan just SO gorgeous?!

We wrapped up Reagan’s senior session as the sun set and I knew I couldn’t wait to get home to go through her images!! It was the perfect senior session: fun outfits to match Reagan’s adorable style paired with a perfect, sunny day to just relax, explore and laugh while capturing some AMAZING images. Best day EVER!!!

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 2020 or 2021, or a parent of a 2020/2021 graduate - reach out with any questions or to start planning!! Check out my Senior Gallery or contact me for more info!

Feminine Senior Photos | Kira | Kennedy High School Senior Portrait Photographer

UNIQUE & FEMININE SENIOR SESSION WITH KIRA

Paramount Theatre | Squaw Creek | Eastern Iowa Senior Photographer

Oh, I can’t wait to share of the adventure we had on Kira’s senior session! I met with Kira and her dad at Hyvee and the excitement she felt about getting her senior pictures done just RADIATED from her. While usually I communicate with the seniors’ parents through the process, Kira had such a vision, her dad just sat back and let the two of us plan her session. The first step, though, getting her braces off! We planned her session for a few weeks after she FINALLY got her braces off - which she was PUMPED about!

Throughout the next few weeks Kira and I texted, staying in contact about her upcoming session. When she sent me a photo of her brand new smile the day she got her braces off, my heart just soared for her!!! And it made me feel AMAZING that she felt comfortable and close enough to me already to send me her super excited selfie. I LOVE my job!

We planned out Kira’s session a few days before her photoshoot, everything was “weather depending.” It had been raining and raining all week leading up to her session, including the day before, so I was a little worried about the outdoor location I had chosen be super muddy. (Spoiler alert: It was.)

Kira and her family chose my “Celebration Package” which includes lots of pampering for the senior. A few days before her session, she stopped by for the BEST spray tan at Sol Sisters in Newbo. (They really are the best! Kira even said “I am so happy with my spray tan! It’s the best one I’ve gotten!! Sol Sisters did so good!”) It happened to work out perfectly because she had Homecoming the next night. The afternoon of her session, Krysta from Make Me Up met Kira at her house and made her feel like a million bucks with her natural, classic makeup look and perfectly curled hair. She was glowing and Kira raved about how much she loved Krsyta!

I arrived at Kira’s house and while she enjoyed a quick meal of chicken nuggets, I started setting up her bedroom for the first part of her unique senior photoshoot. We catered her senior photos to all about her… Part 1 was about her obsession with FUZZY BLANKETS!

This was TOO much fun. I do feel bad about the number of feathers they probably had to clean up after the session was over. But, it was WORTH IT! Next up, Part 2… the Paramount Theatre!

Kira asked me about using the Paramount Theatre for some photos because of her love for theatre, music and performing. I told her I doubt they would let us in but I would look into it. Sure enough, they allowed us to rent it. The WHOLE thing. It was so detailed and gorgeous, but the lights throughout the building were pretty dim… it is a theatre, so that’s expected. But it forced me to get a little creative with lighting and ideas, and boy am I glad we had Kira’s mom and grandma (visiting from Florida) there to help us out!

After a few outfit changes and A LOT of stairs later, it was time to move on to Part 3 of Kira’s unique senior photos.. my backup location at Squaw Creek Park in Marion. The two other locations I had picked out for her were a muddy mess, so Squaw Creek it was! Squaw Creek is were 95.89% of the area’s local photographers go for photoshoots and it was FINALLY not raining. I knew it’d be packed out there, and it was, but Squaw Creek has so many options, I knew we would find some perfect spots.

Kira brought to special outfits that she just wanted a few photos in, because they represented her! 1. Her “Happiness” jacket from her school activities and her UNI outfit because she’s SO EXCITED to be attending UNI next fall!

Kira’s last outfit was my favorite! A classic, feminine two-piece outfit with a bit of a vintage vibe. Right up my alley!

We spend the rest of the daylight finishing up her senior photos as her mom and grandma ooo-ed and awww-ed over the gorgeous golden sky. Kira is SO. GOSH. DARN sweet and I loved spending the day with her, her mom and grandma. I feel like I hit the jackpot that they chose me. What an AMAZING girl, and what a blessing to have gotten to know her!

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 2020 or 2021, or a parent of a 2020/2021 graduate - reach out with any questions or to start planning!! Check out my Senior Gallery or contact me for more info!

Summer Senior Portraits | Maddie | Xavier High School Senior Photographer

Wildflowers & Sunshine Senior Session with Maddie

Squaw Creek Park | Downtown Cedar Rapids | Senior Photographer

If you follow my Instagram (@Seniors_by_Lehia), you know my Insta-game isn’t very strong. I’ll be the first to admit that!! But when Maddie reached out and told me she found me on Instagram, I was so excited! In just the sentence or two that she wrote me, I could tell she was something special. When I met with her for her consultation, I knew I was right - she’s amazing! Maddie loves traveling and is SUPER busy - so much so that we had only TWO days in our calendars that matched up to schedule her senior session on. So we chose the first date for her session, and set the second as our rain date… but luckily we didn’t need it! It was a PERFECT night for her photos - I’m in LOVE!

Maddie senior package included professional hair and makeup with the amazing Krysta at Make Me Up and a free spray tan with my girls at Sol Sisters Sunless Tanning. So when she showed up to her session, I could TELL she felt like a rockstar. It’s crazy how much of a confidence boost a little pampering can give you. And it shows in her photos! I can’t get over how adorable she is!

We started near downtown Cedar Rapids, at Green Square Park (those flowers… swoon!!) and headed on over to the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art. After a quick change of outfit in my handy-dandy pop up tent, we wandered around and used some of my favorite spots in the area.

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Maddie calls these her “power pants” so naturally, we’ve got to do the “power pose!”

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We left Cedar Rapids and headed towards the most popular park in the area, Squaw Creek Park. We drove in and I was in awe! I’ve never seen that many wildflowers there before. I could not WAIT to photograph Maddie here. The outfits she picked out were SO adorable and I knew the cloudless sky was going to give us that ultimate summer-look of golden-glowy goodness! It did not disappoint.

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When I showed Maddie a few of her photos from the back of my camera, she put her hand over her mouth. I got a little nervous but she assured me it was a good thing! (LOL, I’m so out of the “cool” loop now, by the way.) She ROCKED every.single.part of her session, as you can tell.

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We ended her session just trying out model-poses, running around and having fun. It was such a blast and I couldn’t wait to get home to go through her photos. Her family left for vacation a day after her session so I had to wait for what felt like a lifetime to show her the photos for the first time, but it was worth it!

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I definitely over-shared Maddie’s senior session, but I had so much fun during our session. It’s not often you meet someone 10+ years younger than you and feel like you could just chat for hours, but Maddie is SO down to earth and ready to take on whatever challenges and turns her life holds. Good thing I follow her on Instagram, because I’m so excited to follow her post-graduation journey - I know she’s going places!

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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 2020, or a parent of a 2020 graduate - reach out with any questions or to start planning!! Check out my Senior Gallery or contact me for more info!

Colorful Fall Senior Portraits | Olivia | Kennedy High School Senior Photographer

Colorful Fall Senior Session with Olivia

Marion | Cedar Rapids | Eastern Iowa Senior Photographer

Olivia’s October senior portrait session couldn’t have been a more beautiful day. Her mom and I had so many ideas, and Olivia’s only request was that we make a stop at Almost Famous Popcorn Company in Newbo and she wanted colorful trees. About a week before her senior session date, most of the trees lost all of their colorful leaves, and although I know I can create some Photoshop magic and fall color if needed, I still aim to please! As I was driving around, scoping out areas hoping to find ANY colorful foliage left, I came across a giant patch of my favorite tall, plume-y grass that occurs in the fall here in Iowa, pampas grass. I hadn’t gotten to photograph it ALL year and knew I HAD to try it with Olivia. The location wasn’t ideal, it was in the middle of a very public area, but I thought with some creative angling it could possibly block out the busy, bustling background scenery. So that’s where we started, and although it was a challenge to get into the middle of the crazy, deep grass, it was totally worth it!

Since the grass didn’t allow us much movement, as beautiful as it was, we had to move on. The sun was starting to officially come out from behind the clouds, so we headed down to the Newbo District for the next part of Olivia’s senior pictures. Her outfit looked AWESOME with the colors and buildings there. And isn’t her hair gorgeous! (Ya’ll she just braids it while it’s wet and let’s it dry and it comes out all perfect like that!)

As requested by Olivia, we popped (pun-intended!) into the cute little Almost Famous Popcorn Company shop for a mini photoshoot with their popcorn. With their vintage sodas and vibe, I knew the red dress that Olivia had brought would fit the decor well. We made this part fun and quick, I didn’t want to be too disruptive - but the employees were so nice about letting us use their space!

We walked around looking for some more amazing spots (stopping to pet some adorable dogs along the way) and took some classic senior portraits with Olivia’s grandma’s necklace she had brought for her session (as a surprise for her dad!) And yeah, when you have hair like that, you better believe you’ll spend 50% of your session doing hair flips!

As the sun started to get lower in the sky, it was time to head out for our last portion of Olivia’s senior pictures. We headed out Squaw Creek Park in Marion, which is usually FULL of photographers this time of year (because it’s an amazing park, obviously) but there was nobody there! (Maybe because all the leaves had already dropped?!) So we set up camp - sort of literally! LOL. I bring a pop-up changing tent for sessions so you don’t have to get changed in the backseat of your car. It’s pretty awesome. I pulled out my vintage-floral “grandma” chair and it matched Olivia’s romper perfectly!

The sun was setting extra quick it seemed, but oooh man, look at that gorgeous golden glow that I LOVE! And I seriously loved this location!! I wanted to photograph Olivia here forever! She ROCKED her session - aren’t her outfits so adorable?!

Senior pictures are SO fun, and we party until there’s no more sun left in the sky. Olivia’s session was no exception. We did one last outfit change for a more comfy/casual look and finished up her session. We even found a tiny patch of flowers that I insisted she lay in, which happened to be her mom’s FAVORITE photo of her!

A little behind the scenes, courtesy of Olivia’s mom! Thanks, Karen!

I LOVED every minute of Olivia’s senior portraits and her images are some of my all-time favorite senior pictures. We had Olivia’s ordering session, a few tears were shed, and her family decided they’d love a photobook of her photos. I designed her photobook using all of their favorite images, and they had me design a custom cover for it as well, and I just LOVE how it turned out!! Its too cute not to share; isn’t it gorgeous!?

Your calendar likely fills up as fast as mine in the summer and it’s SO easy to forget to schedule photos! If you are graduating in 2020, or a parent of a 2020 graduate - reach out with any questions or to start planning!! It may seem early, but I’ve had so many parents tell me they wish they wouldn’t have waited! P.S. I always run a special deal for Seniors who book their session for the summer. Check out my Senior Gallery or contact me for more info!