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!

Outdoor Country Senior Guy Session | Zeb | Alburnett, IA Senior Photographer

Multi-location Outdoor Senior Photos with Zeb

Alburnett | Senior Photographer near Cedar Rapids

I met with Zeb’s family for a consultation and we knew right away this his senior session was going to be an EVENT! While Zeb laid back and just listened, we planned his senior session for November - in hopes for no snow. We lucked out and his senior session day was gorgeous!

Zeb has so many fun hobbies and interests that we wanted to incorporate into his senior photos. They wanted to incorporate their family land including the tree house his dad built, an old barn his dad was working on (his dad’s pretty handy, can ya tell? He owns Schneider Construction in Cedar Rapids), his truck, the gorgeous pampas grass that we see in Iowa during the fall, the Monroe Township fire station he volunteers at in Toddville, his hunting blind set up in a field, and his mom requested a cool “Friday Night Lights” scene on the Alburnett High School football field! Phew!

And we had to do all of that in less than 3 hours. That and 7 outfit changes! (Don’t believe me? Take a look through the photos below!) Luckily, for a guy, that just means changing the shirt out but for a guy who wasn’t particular excited to get his senior photos taken, I knew this would be a miracle if it all worked out. I had it timed down to the quarter of an hour. 30 minutes here, 15 minute drive there, 30 minutes there, 15 minute drive to the next location, etc. I was pretty darn nervous about keeping everything on schedule.

We started at his family’s property:

Then we headed out the old barn. The barn was currently being renovated and was SO cool! And was a great backdrop to Zeb’s truck.

This one was one of their all-time favorites! They decided to order it as a metal print - how cool is that!?

Then we pulled over started heading over to the fire station but made a quick stop at the pampas grass - which is my all-time favorite! I LOVE the look of it in photos!

Pulling off into a little ditch off the side of the busy road… worth it! At this point, we were racing the sun! I had planned for the sun to set while we were at the football field but as we headed to the fire station, I knew we needed to be quick. But once Zeb had put the truck away, I couldn’t resist taking some more shots with the lights all shining bright! Then it was off to the corn field.

The sun was golden and setting faster than I anticipated. I quickly pulled off the road into the freshly harvested corn field for his hunting/hunting blind photos. First things first, Zeb’s dad brought a giant ladder for a really cool “what the birds see” view. And then I finished this part of his session safely on the ground - haha!

Birds-eye-view.

And then it was time to wrap up his session at the football field. It was starting to get a bit chilly with the sun setting… and dark! His mom got permission to turn on the football stadium lights and his dad used his construction light to help us create awesome and interesting lighting for the end of the night. They decided to order their “Friday Night Lights” photo on metal too, which is going to look amazing in their home, or maybe Zeb’s room if he’s lucky! :)

What an adventure this session was! Probably my craziest one to date, and I’m so glad we did it! We got to include ALL of the things that are important to Zeb. but you know what? You're only a senior once, you only get to have your senior portraits taken once, so go big or go home. It was a big undertaking but it was worth it!

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!