senior portraits

Salem Family Photographer - GCU sendoff!

If this family looks familiar to you, it’s probably because I’ve photographed them a lot. I mean, I’ve known Loui (the mom) for 30 years and Travis for nearly as long. Anyway, they have the cutest tradition for their family. Whenever one of their kids goes off to college, they all dress up in that college’s swag and do family portraits. Kyle is the 2nd oldest, but I’m so behind on blogging that he’s almost a junior in college and they sent another off last year!

Anyway, these were the photos we did (at their home) for Kyle’s sendoff to Grand Canyon University!

Salem Portrait Photographer - 80s sitcom inspired family session!

This family is a hoot. They like to have fun with their family portraits and I am totally here for it. in the past they’ve worn giant googly eyes, super hero t-shirts, and latex animal head masks, so when Erin told me they were doing an 80s TV sitcom theme, I couldn’t wait to see what they came up with. After a trip to a local thrift store, they were all set. From the giant glasses, to the Dad slippers, to the blacksheep of the family… I love it all! They even made a cute little video to look like the full house intro, featuring their “cast members.” I also felt the need to create a truly 80s inspired image, using photoshop, which I’ve titled, Mother. Haha!

Omaha Senior Portrait Session - Em, Class of 2020 (part 2)

In case you missed it, you can CLICK HERE to see part one of this senior portrait session. I had the privilege of flying out to Nebraska in August of 2019 to not only visit my friend of 15+ years, but to also do her daughter’s senior portraits. I first photographed Emeliann when she was in Kindergarten (and we all lived at the Oregon Coast), so it was an absolute honor to do her portraits for both her first year and her last year of school!

Em is a great kid…okay, she’s not a kid anymore, but I don’t want to call her a woman just yet because it makes me feel old AF, okay?! Anyway, she’s in college, on a scholarship , kicking ass and taking names.

Oh, fun side note: I recently had someone contact me and ask for recommendations in my area for places to stay. I asked if she meant Oregon in general or specifically in Salem. Turns out she was traveling to Omaha and after having seen my photos from Nebraska, she thought I was located there.

So, while I do not live in Omaha, I do travel there every couple of years for various reasons. If you want referrals to photographers in that area, I’m more than happy to give them to you! Just ask. If you want to work with me, while I’m on a scheduled trip to Omaha (or if you want to pay for my travel expenses to get there), let me know and we can arrange something!

Omaha Nebraska Senior Portrait Session - Emeliann, Class of 2020

The very first time I photographed Emeliann was when she was in Kindergarten! Em and her mom said it was only fitting to have me do her senior portraits, so they flew me out to Nebraska to do them. It was a fun-filled few days, which included a decent amount of coffee (they introduced me to Scooter’s, which has an insane peanut butter something or other coffee drink that I ordered multiple times, while on my trip), some midwest steak, and a whole lot of laughter.

I met Amy (Em’s mom) 15+ years ago, through an online mom’s group. We eventually ended up living 20 miles away from each other and met in person. We haven’t lived near each other in over a decade, but we still keep in touch and I love watching her kids grow up.

We did this session in two parts, which is typical for my full session, as it allows for multiple locations and the ability to switch up hair and/or makeup. This is part 1 of Em’s senior session, which was held in The Old Market neighborhood of Omaha. I’d heard about it and knew I’d eventually make my way there (we didn’t get a chance the previous time we visited Omaha), so this was perfect! It was overcast and rainy, but still warm, and we had a blast! I love her sense of style and the way she laughs!

Oh, and because I’m posting these a year later, I’m happy to say that this beautiful senior received an academic scholarship to University of Nebraska-Lincoln and is currently enjoying her first semester of college. It’s not what she thought it would look like, but I am sure she’s rocking it anyway!

Omaha Senior Portrait Photographer - LGBTQIA+ senior, rocking the rainbow

Em is an awesome human. She’s incredibly smart and obviously adorable, but she is also sarcastic and funny, with a big heart. I am happy to say that her parents have completely embraced her since coming out to them as bi-sexual. They’re literally the only house in their neighborhood that flies an umbrella flag all year round (actually, I don’t think I saw a single other umbrella flag the whole time I was there). Em told me she wanted to incorporate her bi flag into her senior portraits, as well as her umbrella belt (which I loved so much that I bought a matching one to keep as a client piece) and I was like, “Yes! Game on!” Sometime after that conversation, I decided we also needed to use a rainbow umbrella (and that she needed to own one), so I had one shipped to her house prior to my arrival.

Happy Pride Month!