Sporty & Classic Vibrant Fall Senior Photoshoot | Luke | Alburnett High School

Sporty & Classic Vibrant Fall Senior Photoshoot with luke

Newbo | Pinicon Ridge Park | Alburnett High School

What a fun photoshoot I had with Luke (and his mom/dad)! I don’t do a lot of senior photoshoots for guys any more, but I knew I’d most likely be doing Luke’s senior pictures for a few years now. It all started when I met his older brother Zeb and we had a WHIRLWIND of a time for his senior pictures (his blog here), and then I did his sister Hannah’s photos TWICE for a double senior session (her blog here) a few years later, and then it was Luke’s turn. When I first did Zeb’s photos, I remember Luke mentioning that he was excited for his senior pictures. I wondered if that was still going to be the case several years later (I doubted it), but he WAS!

I know he wasn’t looking forward to the long day that we had planned for him or some of the outfits his mom had picked out, but he was a trooper! We had the perfect, colorful fall day for him, and all worked out exactly as planned - although it COULD have been a low-key disaster as I was {this close} to running out of gas during our travels. But Luke and his mom didn’t know that… until just now! haha - oops!!

Let’s get started on the story of Luke’s senior photoshoot! Now, I usually write these within a month of the photoshoot so it’s fresh in my memory but my hands have been a bit preoccupied while taking care of my baby the last few months and I haven’t had the time to sit and type. So let’s see how well my memory serves me!

I met with Luke and his mom for their consultation and we planned out his session. He wanted to include wrestling and simple low-key outfits, she wanted our Schneider-kid-special with the “Friday Night Lights” football field after dark pictures. And I think everything turned out SO cool (but also low-key) ;)

We started the day meeting at Newbo Market. I knew we would have a lot of stops in the day, so I tried to build Luke’s schedule with as less driving time as possible, AND I didn’t want his photos to look like cookie-cutters of his siblings photos either. So we ventured around Newbo, hit up my favorite spots, but didn’t stay too long. Since it was overcast on his photoshoot day, we decided to mix up the schedule a bit and go right out to Pinicon Ridge Park. First stop: long grass. Luke’s mom has a big canvas of each kid’s senior pictures and we needed something with a similar aesthetic to match the other two!

We ventured up the hill to get to all the beautifully colored trees, and I love how simple and classic these turned out!

After an outfit change, we headed to the main attraction at this park - the bridge! I always LOVE how perfect this spot is in the fall. The rustic red bridge backed by the colorful trees is perfection!

Luke had noted he was interested in water pictures for a part of his session, but in our plan of the day, I wasn’t sure there would be any areas along our route that would work. Boy, was I wrong!! I scoped out this location a few days before Luke’s shoot and I LOVED it. It’s definitely going to be a must-shoot spot at least once this year, too! And even though I wasn’t sure how water pictures in the fall season would work aesthetically, I think they turned out gorgeous!

Next up: Alburnett High School. We started in the wrestling room. Tried some different poses, different lighting techniques and even used the atmosphere spray for some cool vibes. (Note: they didn’t end up picking any with the spray, but this stuff leaves some residue and is stinky. Be prepared for a quick cleanup!) Then it was on to the football field.

We were snapping away, waiting for the sun to set so we could the night-time photos with the stadium lights and we had a bit of a panic set in… we hadn’t seen anyone pull up that was supposed to turn on the lights! So Luke’s mom made some calls, but no success. His dad showed up with the work lights to light the scene - yes, we could have used my professional lighting at this point, but we wanted his photos to match his siblings and if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, as the saying goes. His dad and mom both tried to reach the person who would be turning them on for us. We remember being told that they take, like, 20 minutes to turn on. They searched for the light switches. Nothing! We start coming up with a backup plan for a second photoshoot, JUST to capture these images on a different day. And then, as the sun is officially set, exactly at the time we said we would need them on, the person in charge comes to turn them on. They turn on IMMEDIATELY. We had panicked for nothing and it all worked out, of course, like it always does!

So we took a ton of epic “Friday Night Light” photos and Luke (ok, all of us) were pretty tired and ready to wrap up the photoshoot. We said walked back to our vehicles, reminiscing on all of the crazy photoshoots we have had over the last few years, laughing about my much-needed stepladder upgrade and said our goodbyes. The last of the Schneider’s to graduate - it kind of feels like the end of an era to me. But look at all the adventures we’ve had together! (And I think it’s officially time to plan those updated family photos- haha!!)

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 2025 (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!

Retro-Vintage Colorful Fall Senior Pictures | Stella | Liberty High School

Retro-Vintage Colorful Fall Senior Pictures with stella

Newbo | Analog Vault | Pinicon Ridge Park

This blog has been a LOOOONG time coming! Usually I write these within a month of the photoshoot, but we did Stella’s session on October 24th, and I just haven’t had two hands to type out a blog until now. Mom Life, I think! Anyway!! I’m SUPER excited to finally be sharing her session with you because it was AMAZING! Stella’s amazing, the locations were amazing, the colors were amazing, her family is amazing. You seeing the trend here?! So let’s dive in!

Stella’s mom reached out in July after a referral from her friend, the owner of Pink Umbrella Bakery! (They have DELISH cookies/treats and I did a branding photoshoot for them wayyy back when.) Originally Stella had requested a summer session, early fall at latest but I was on maternity leave until mid-October. To my surprise, they still booked! We met for our consultation, talked about ideas, outfits, etc and I found out Stella’s love for concerts and all things music, including her plans to go to Chicago after graduation to pursue a career in music. Like, what?! That was a first for me and I was INSPIRED! We talked about doing part of her session in a record shop and Stella was pumped for the idea. So the next day, I started looking. None were going to be open on her photoshoot day. (And while it may seem simple to reschedule, it’s really not. We usually have hair stylists, makeup artists, spray tans, nail salons, etc all set up with appointments already.)

I started brainstorming other ideas, and nothing felt as perfect as a record shop. So I tried Analog Vault again. It was the perfect location AND is super cute inside with nice big windows. I offered to rent it out, if they would let us. The owner graciously took time out of her day to let us rent it for 30 minutes. We were/are SO grateful!! And I could also cross “do senior photoshoot in record shop” off my list! Eek!

Fast-forward to Stella’s photoshoot day. The weather was supposed to be decent, a chance of rain for 30-ish minutes, and overcast. We decided to go for it! We started with hair and makeup at Moxie Salon. Justine from Aurora Blush styled her hair and Kasya did her makeup. It turned out perfect! Ok - it’s picture time!

First up was the Newbo District. We planned to just hop around the area until our rental time started at the record shop. Of course, we had to hit up my favorite spots!

It started to drizzle, so we swung into the bookstore nearby super quick after an outfit change. And then back out to the alleyway nearby. We had to do another outfit change before heading to the record store so we had to work FAST!! (Don’t worry, I KNEW we had to use this outfit again. It’s too cute not to!) But when I say we were moving fast, I mean it - we started pictures here at 2:03 and took the last one at 2:09!!

We hopped into Analog Vault as the rain continued. Talk about perfect timing. We met the owner, Stella changed into her CUUUUTE vintage-inspired outfit, and we had SO much fun in this cute shop!! Once our time was up, we headed back to our cars to change locations and snapped some cute photos along the way! Then it was time to change BACK into the green dress outfit - sorry girl! (Are you obsessed with these pictures at the Analog, because I AM!!)

Another side note: I decided our next location WHILE driving from the salon to Newbo. I had a spot in mind originally, but as we drove past it, I saw another location that looked even BETTER, so we decided to chance it and give it a go. I’ll let you decide if it was worth it or not…

Umm, yes. It was. These are some of their FAVORITE images of the day. We spent entirely too much time on this vine wall. hah! Oops!! Next up: Pinicon Ridge Park.

When we arrived, the gorgeous red tree that I had planned on bringing her to that was PERFECT 3 days prior… leafless. Bare sticks on the tree. Not a leaf left on it. Cue the panic. Luckily there was this amazingly orange-leafed tree right nest to us. So we used it, the long grass area next to it and headed into the park. Spoiler alert: all red leaves had fallen from the trees. (Hey! At least the rest of the colors were still there and vibrant!)

Stella even had her grandparents bring her pup, Chanel, for pictures!!! I LOVE PUPPER PICTURES!! How perfect are they?! And that fall color is gorgeous!

Of course we used the beautiful red bridge, which I LOVE for fall pictures, to wrap up Stella’s session. And what a perfect day it was!! It was so fun getting to hang with her whole family - mom, dad, brother, grandma, grandpa AND pup all joined us!!

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 2025 (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!

Casual and Low-Key Seniors Pictures | Sam | West Waterloo

Casual and Low-Key Seniors Pictures with Sam

Mount Trashmore | Morgan Creek Park | Center Point, IA

I met with Sam and her mom at the cutest coffee shop around, Stillwater Coffee Co., and I knew right away that Sam was going to an easy-going, low-key senior! She was definitely looking forward to senior pictures, but I think the thing that excited her most was the free-passes to getting out of school!! (HAHA, totally relatable!!) We chatted about what she wanted from her session, outfits, etc. She really liked the idea of a red bridge, capturing fall colors, and something unique. And of COURSE, bringing her doggy along for some!! (Spoiler alert: Chloe stole the show!)

I told them that I had ALWAYS wanted to try to shoot Mount Trashmore but 100% of the time it’s not worked out for some reason and I thought the fall colors overlooking the city would be the best. They were excited and up for giving it a try… even if the names implies it’s not very aesthetic, I knew it would be. (Being that they’re not from the area, I explained what it was.. reassuring them that they DO have weddings up there, so it’s prettier than the name implies lol!)

Fast forward a few weeks later and we started Sam’s photoshoot day with hair and makeup. Her team consisted of my girls, Aubree on hair and Krysta on makeup! Then we were off to our first stop: Morgan Creek Park.

Sam's flannel outfit was SO cute on her, and was just so HER! So it was my favorite! We even included her drumsticks and soccer outfit (she’s in a ton of extra-curriculars: soccer, softball, basketball, theatre band. But she just picked her faves)!

I loved this location and really got to see Sam’s love for dogs (and animals in general) come out!

Then it was on to Mount Trashmore. We stopped before the entrance b/c I spotted some long grass that I had to try. And then the climb was on. And BOY! I didn’t think it was going to be such a struggle going up that hill!! (Carrying my backpack and ladder is heavy but still - lol!!) We took a lot of pit-stops along the way for some cool spots and eventually made it to the top!

Not going to lie, the way back down was easier. And the sun was hitting all beautiful, too. Sam spotted a caterpillar (or 2 or 3) on the way up so on the way back down while we had some extra time, we got some photos with one. I love that it shows her absolute love for animals and nature. And they turned out beautiful. I also made her stop for some “senior-picturey” ones in the same spot.

At the bottom, we headed to Center Point for the awesome bridge and to meet up with her DOGGY!!! (And also, dad. haha) We really should’ve thought about doing the doggy pictures after we did some photos of just Sam at this location because the amount of dust and doggy-hair I had to edit of her clothes was crazy!! (We we’re excited for Chloe, ok!?!)

We pulled out all the stops to get Chloe to sit, stay, look, etc. At one point Sam actually had a dog treat in her mouth so Chloe would look at her.. and we definitely sprinkled them into her hair for the laying down ones. HAH! We definitely got some laughs in!!!! And SO many adorable pictures.

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 2024 (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!

All the Colorful Fall Vibes Senior Pictures | Bailey | Xavier High School

All the Colorful Fall Vibes Senior Pictures with Bailey

Central City, IA | Pinicon Ridge Park | Xavier High School

OOOH! I’m so excited to show off Bailey’s senior pictures. She was one of my few seniors that requested FALL this year and I was so excited to capture all of that COLOR! I met Bailey’s family a few years ago when I did her sister Maddie’s senior pictures. (You can see her blog here!) So of course I was SO excited to photograph Bailey as well. I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again - it is SUCH a compliment to me to have repeat clients!! And oh my goodness, is Bailey beautiful! I’ve been asked so many times this year how all of my seniors are literally SO dang pretty! Y'all are making my job easy. ANYWAY! On to Bailey’s photoshoot!

Her photoshoot day started as all of my senior sessions do - professional hair and makeup! And it was Krysta and Aubree on the job!

Bailey requested a little bit more glam for fall colors and her final look was STUNNING! We decided to do her whole photoshoot in Central City. And I’m SO glad we did. We had originally picked out 3 locations for her, but after scoped out one of the locations, the colors and scenery just weren’t what we had imagined so we decided to cut it down to 2 spots. Which gave us more time to explore the areas and experiment in more challenging locations. We had FUN!!

We started Bailey’s session in downtown Central City and I had no idea what to expect. I had scoped it out, but until I’m able to stop and walk around and explore, it’s hard to know what you’ll find. I found a few key spots that I was excited about, but it’s a small town so I didn’t expect to find more than that! Oh my gosh! We found a perfect spot for each outfit! And I’m SO glad she wanted fall colors and vibes, because that’s definitely the colors that Central City gave us! Browns, reds, blacks! It was better than I expected!

Our first stop was a plain red wall. No brick like I’d normally chose. I didn’t really know how it would photograph. But I was obsessed! I took A LOT of photos here in our first spot! lol! I love how her outfit popped here, but it was still very “fall” and matched the aesthetic of the rest of the day. And, don’t ask me why, but I LOVE how the red paint just kid of fades off at the bottom of the wall!

Like I said, we took A LOT of photos there, and then we started exploring. We of course stopped outside my friend Sarah Fridono Photography’s studio because it’s SO darn cute! And ventured down to the colorful alley walls that I had used on another senior’s pictures a few years ago (you can see Avery’s blog here)!

While walking around, I came across this really pretty green wall that we hadn’t planned on stopping at but had to get some close ups to show off Bailey’s gorgeous eyes!

After Bailey changed into a more “fancy” outfit, I worried we would struggle to find a more “fancy” spot in Central City. I thought the all white wall with these stairs would look cool, and it did for the most part. As long as the ground wasn’t really in the picture because her cute heels just didn’t match the aesthetic we wanted in this spot and with this outfit. So we continued on!

After a short walk, we stopped at the library! I had seen it briefly when scoping out spots but didn’t think we’d use it. It turned out to be a BEAUTIFUL location for this outfit! Isn’t she just the cutest?! And then as we were heading back for an outfit change, right across the street was a bank with gorgeous brick and that looked perfect with this outfit, too!

After exploring Central City more than I thought we would, we changed outfits into her last dress. I had 2 more spots in mind. One that I use all of the time, the other that I wasn’t sure how it would work at all. And both were similar colors and tones, with reds, browns and blacks. Bailey assured me she loved the fall tones, so we gave the a go. First spot - the “I have no idea if this is going to work because there is a giant vending machine there” spot.

We posed her into so many crunched up and weird positions to try to work around this vending machine AND get the right lighting. It was a STRUGGLE but of course, they turned out adorable - I mean, it’s BAILEY! But, we didn’t spend much time there. It was too.. scrunched lol.

Last stop was the reddish brown brick building that I always love using. We spent some time here trying spots I haven’t used before and they all turned out SO cute. Then it was time to head to our “nature” location (Pinicon Ridge Park), which happens to be right across the street!

Our first stop I had picked out and was pretty unsure about how Bailey would feel about it. It doesn’t scream “fall colors” and she had also mentioned she really wasn’t interested in taking photos in long grass. But I couldn’t help myself. Almost all of my seniors take pictures in long grass at some point in their photoshoot - and they’re always the favorites! So I snuck in this spot on them. I also remembered to bring my mini peacock chair that I tend to only remember to bring once a year. Bailey was a little unsure if she’d like the pictures using it or not, so we only used it for a few. But my instincts were right on - Bailey said the long grass pictures were probably her FAVORITE! (phew!!! And the stuff in our shoes was worth it!)

There was also this brilliantly orangey-red tree right across the parking lot and I knew we had to give it a try. The park this time of year was FULL of color and absolutely perfect!! We STRUGGLED to make my vision come to life in this spot. But because we had a little wiggle room in her schedule, we got to stay until we got it right! And maybe it’s just because we spent so much time perfecting them, but I think they’re so dreamy and beautiful!

We changed outfits and drove into the park to go hunt down the perfect red tree. I knew my vision and it was BETTER than I expected!! How dang cute are these?!

We also, tried this huge orange tree, but there was a van parked in the lot right behind her so we struggled a bit there (and lighting was a little wonky) so with some creative angles (and also photoshop) we were able to get some super cute pictures and then head to the next spot!

The next stop is one of my go-to stops at this park - the path next to the bridge. My GOODNESS it photographs beautifully this time of day! I recruited Bailey’s mom for some leaf-throwing, too! If you’re doing fall photos, it’s a MUST right?!

And the last stop was my FAVORITE outfit of the day on the bridge. I KNEW this combo would be amazing! And she brought the adorable sunglasses I had sent her as part of my “I’m so excited to be your senior photographer” gift I always try to send my seniors! She ROCKED them!!

How BEAUTIFUL did these turn out?! The sun was pretty much set in the park at this time, so we wrapped up and headed home. I KNEW I couldn’t wait to show Bailey her photos in a few days and they LOVED them (so did I!!!)

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 2023 or 2024 (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!

Summer, Fall & Winter Senior Session | Makenna | Wapsie Valley High School

Summer, Fall & Winter Triple Senior Session with Makenna

Wapsie Valley High School | Iowa Senior Photographer

Last December, Makenna’s aunt Dorothy reached out to me to set up a plan for her upcoming senior session. Dorothy is a friend of mine, so she knew she needed to reach out early to start planning AND she wanted to gift her a session. (I was so surprised and excited for Makenna! What a sweet idea!) Dorothy let me know that they wanted to do a three-season photoshoot: summer, fall and winter. I was SO excited!! I had met Makenna briefly last summer when I did an extended family photoshoot for her and her family, so I knew we were going to have some fun! After Makenna wrapped up her junior year, I met with her and her grandma (who arranged the previous year’s family photos with me) and we chatted about what ideas she had for all three of her photoshoots. And after mentioning she liked colorful walls, willow trees, long grass, water and rocks, I came up with a game plan for her summer session! So let’s start there!

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Part 1: SUMMER

Newbo District | Pleasant Creek State Park

Makenna reached out to Nicole at Onyx Salon and set up hair and makeup, who her family had worked with in the past and started her photoshoot day off getting pampered (which turned out PERFECTLY by the way). We met at the Newbo City Market and I learned quickly that Makenna had brought a fan club! Her grandma, her cousin, and her bestie all joined her and I KNEW it was going to be a party! (Senior photo tip: bringing your bestie is a GUARANTEED good time.) We explored some of my favorite spots in the area, and I could tell after showing Makenna the back of my camera that she was feeling. her.self! She was ROCKING it! Of course, the excitement coming from her best friend Chris, definitely helped too!

I knew I wanted check out (or “Czech” out?! See what I did there?!) the Czech Village in Cedar Rapids because of their colorful mural walls. So we hopped over there, changed outfits (I ADORE this color on Makenna) and found some really fun, unique spots.

Next stop: Pleasant Creek State Park in Palo. We took the trek out there and found one of the last remaining willow trees post-derecho. We tried some cool angles with the willow tree branches, found the perfect path through a wildflower field (a fun surprise) and then changed outfits one last time!

This is one of my favorite spots out at the park, because it’s so high up that you get to see the water behind it. And the long grass was super summer and pretty, and had pops of little wildflowers too! We were snapping away (and sweating away, as usual for me) and who shows up?! Aunt Dorothy who had reached out to book Makenna’s session from the beginning. What an exciting surprise!!

By the end, Makenna was a pro and I already knew the next 2 sessions were going to be SO easy and fun for her!!

Part 2: FALL

Downtown Cedar Rapids | Palisades-Kepler State Park

The day we had chosen for Makenna’s fall session ended up being a little dark and overcast, but after some deliberation about rescheduling we decided to just go for it anyway! She had scheduled hair/makeup with Nicole at Onyx Salon right after her first session to get our date/time locked in. I LOVED how “fall” her look was this round!! We decided a location pretty far in advance but the day before her photoshoot I had scoped the Palisades out for another upcoming session and had a feeling she’d LOVE all the fall colors happening here! So the day before her shoot, I changed up our game plan! We met by the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art and used that area, but moved QUICKLY! It was windy and cold, and Makenna had chosen super-cute fall outfits that didn’t happen to be ideal for cold weather. So we just kept the car running nearby and didn’t stay in one place too long!

After a few photos there, we drove down the road to White Star Ale House for their famous vine wall and then hit flew to our last stop in Cedar Rapids: the parking garage across from Eastbank Venue! I love this spot and Makenna wanted more of a city-look for this round of photos. We moved fast enough that we were even able to do an outfit change and get some photos of her in her second outfit here as well!

Then off to the Palisades…one of the photography HOT SPOTS, especially during the fall! It’s been a few years since I had done a photoshoot there so I was excited to try it out again!!

Aren’t the fall colors perfect!?

We drove to another spot closer to the river for some long grass and more fall colors! I LOVE how this whole combo came together. Isn’t Makenna so darn beautiful!? This was my favorite of her fall outfits. I just love that skirt color!!!

Then after picking off all of the burrs (lol) we changed outfits and headed to the famous beaches of the Palisades! We did some leaf-tossing, rock-climbing and dog-wrangling and were able to capture some amazing and fun shots!! The ones with Makenna and her beloved dogs are definitely my FAVE!

After wrapping up adorable puppy photos, we were able to just explore the area and get creative with posing. We had a few windy Pocahontas moments, but Makenna is such a natural in front of the camera and made my job so easy! I was already SOOO looking forward to her most unique session: in the snow!!!

Part 3: WINTER

Wanatee Park

For Makenna’s final senior session, we planned for snow, pine trees and all things beautiful about winter! This is SO hard to plan, because…. well, Iowa weather is known for being unpredictable. ESPECIALLY hard to coordinate and plan when you’re scheduling hair and makeup to be done beforehand. We chose a Wednesday the first week in February when we knew Makenna didn’t have school and crossed our fingers for snow and non-dangerous wind chills. She scheduled hair and makeup with Nicole at Onyx Salon and we waited for the day.

Meanwhile, I planned on leaving for vacation the next day but the flights weren’t lining up in our favor. So we ended up having to change our itinerary to fly out of Des Moines VERY early the next day, which meant we would need to leave the night before to stay in a hotel in Des Moines. Meaning RIGHT after Makenna’s session, I would be leaving for vacation. Talk about a whirl-wind! But as always, it worked it perfectly. I scoped out our location a few days beforehand. My criteria: snow, a spot without buildings in the background but somewhere with an outdoor plug to use my beloved snow machine to make some magic happen. I came upon a lodge out at Wanatee that would work for us! (I LOVE Wanatee for it’s many different backdrops it provides within a small park.)

Makenna, her grandma and her bestie Chris showed up that day ready to make this the fastest photoshoot yet. Sure, it wasn’t dangerously cold but it was PRETTY dang chilly. Most of her outfits were chosen with the cold in mind, but the last was a special idea (that I was pumped about) and would require A LOT of help and fast movements.

We started with Makenna’s photos with Chris! We planned on including him in a few photos from the start, but settled on the winter ones with him. Grandma came up with the idea of the amazing, gold “2022” balloons and bringing sleds. Oh! And the fun senior-year piñata Makenna and Chris made for class. To say we had a blast is an understatement!!

After a quick outfit change into her beautiful green jacket, we hit a different spot in the park for those rich dark greens we were after. I LOVE how this outfit compliments her eyes, skin and hair color. And that she brought her Honor Society metal to show off!!

And the last part of the session that was supposed to be the quickest. While Makenna got dressed in the warmth of her vehicle, Chris and I set up and test the snow machine. We wrap Makenna in a blanket and get her perfectly placed.. suddenly the snow machine won’t work. We LITERALLY just had it tested. After a minute of freezing and frustration, I sent Makenna back to the car to keep warm and Chris and I brainstormed. We decided to try to warm it up in the car and try again. After a bit, we set the blanket-wrapped Makenna back up in the perfect spot and the snow machine started working!! While keeping a blanket nearby, Grandma and Chris alternated on wrapping her up when needed and blasting her with the snow machine (one of them literally blasted Makenna directly onto Makenna that we had to pause to de-snow her… I won’t say who LOL).

When we wrapped up, all frozen, Makenna was SO excited from how much fun she had!! She hugged and thanked me and ran to the car to warm up… and I was off to start my vacation!

Multiple senior sessions are SO fun and we get so close that it’s sad when it’s all done. How amazing is it that you get to have different makeup and hair styles and SOO many different looks?! Totally worth it, I think!!!

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 2023 or 2024 (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.

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!