Realize they are the unique class that came into high school during the pandemic as freshmen. These resilient students either attended school online or through some hybrid type of in-person and online high school for most or all of the school year.

It was fun to depart from my typical park photo shoots for a location shoot. Location shoots take a bit more effort, but the payoff is a personalized photoshoot commemorating a special place.

This family was anticipating the departure of their oldest as she headed off to college. So the mom wanted family photos of everyone together before their daughter left. Family photoshoots are wonderful milestone markers, and I’m always honored to document them for families.

Extended family photoshoots are always family reunions. Part of this family flew in from halfway around the world! If somebody didn't tell me, I would have never known that some of the little ones might be fighting jet lag. That's how good they were!

Mini shoot photo sessions are perfect for busy senior guys who don’t want much fuss. Which means we didn’t have to brave the erratic weather for too long.

It happens every fall; one week, the beautiful fall leaves are on the trees, and the next, they are down! I planned to start in a different spot, but the trees were like skeletons. Fortunately, we found another area in the park where the leaves were still hanging on.

I was just talking with a friend who wanted family photos. Her oldest is about to go away to college, and they wanted a session while they are all still under the same roof. Must be one of the reasons I am getting the senior family sessions so often.

Young families are the best. I appreciate these parents’ calm resolve and fearlessness. The kids picked up on their parent’s ques and played along beautifully.

This family came with smiles and props! Did you see the cute family pillow?!?! Adorable. And the blanket is theirs. They also brought other things for the oldest daughter’s senior pictures.

Can you believe she was a little reluctant to take her senior photos? Can’t tell, right? Natural beauty, this one. Did I mention she has flawless skin? How? I asked her what her secret was. She credits her grandmother for passing down that genetic trait.

Funny moments between siblings are also perfect for black-and-white photography. The eye is not distracted by color or lighting. It’s a moment in time. And, of course, the simple couple shot goes well in black and white.

A bright, happy day went well with this girl. She was a great sport because I will suggest where to sit or stand and how. Goodness, she can pull off any pose. Such a dream to work with, seriously.

Did we get this little guy to play along and sit down with his family? We sure did! The trick is not to panic. I also bring along my husband, who is excellent at making our session seem more like a big game we are all playing.

Going through this gallery, I thought about strengthening the compositions. I used to deliver horizontal and vertical images. I quickly learned that it’s better to shoot horizontally all the time. That way, if a client wants to fit a photo in a verticle frame, that’s still an option. This means, clients, you can get creative with cropping. Here are a few tips to consider.

The forecast for their day called for heavy rain, and unfortunately, it did just that. Routinely, I book two dates just in case of bad weather. That is Plan B. But later, we realized a family member could not make the 4-hour trip back for the backup date.

I’ve taken her photos since she was a girl and, as far as I can tell, she’s always possessed confidence. Can’t you see it in the pictures? With her kind of poise, success is sure to follow no matter what path she chooses in the future.

Blink is right! Where did the time go? Joy is right too. I’ve enjoyed watching this family grow up for the last 12 years. This year, they wanted to reenact some of their favorite photos. So I had to blow the dust off an old external hard drive to dig out some of the images they referenced.

This kid should be a model. Okay, full disclosure, this is my nephew. But, also, and I don’t type this lightly. Yes, he’s good-looking, but more than that, he can quickly transform his look just with his expressions. Model agencies love that.

Even though teenagers have packed schedules, a Mini Shoot like this only takes a small amount of time. I don’t think this Mini Shoot lasted more than 15, maybe 20 minutes at the most.

The last time I photographed these kids was…11 years ago. It’s fun when clients come back, and I see kids grow. From this far back, I can see I grew too as a photographer! I now notice that I placed brother and sister the same way as I did eleven years ago. Let’s see what else I can dig up….hold on.