salem senior photographer
This senior’s adorable style made my 90s teen heart so happy! I’ve known her mom for nearly twenty years and while I have watched Madeline grow up online, this was my first time actually meeting her in person. She’s as sweet as can be and like I said, I love her style! From her hair, to her outfit, to her shoes…so cute!
I’ve been photographing this kid since he was FIVE! I can’t believe he’s done with high school (graduated in January) and living his adult life now. His mom is my dear friend and I’ve watched her help him overcome some major challenges throughout his life. It wasn’t easy, but they did it! Congrats, Royice (and Michiko)!
Sam’s mom contacted me, when she was referred to me by another photographer (shoutout to Rebecca at Noses Tails Paws! Click HERE to get more info about her awesome pet photography!). We communicated through email for a bit before meeting up for the session, so while we didn’t know each other, I don’t think we felt like total strangers, either. Sam was a great kid, who was quiet, but so friendly and respectful. His mom was awesome and I’m afraid we spent a little too much time chit-chatting throughout the session (Sorry, Sam!). Anyway, we took a short walk through Minto Brown Park, on a beautiful fall day, to get these shots.
In keeping with tradition, a couple of smart Moms decided to book a mini session for these besties. You see, these two had their photos taken professionally in Kindergarten, as well as 8th grade, so it only made sense to do it one last time, as they entered their senior year of high school. We even replicated some of their previous poses, such as the “infinity” shot. Kassie & Ryan are not only beautiful, but they’re cold weather troopers too! We met up on a sunny, but CHILLY morning last summer. Despite the low temps, these two were full of energy and smiles.
Time has been flying by like crazy lately and I just can’t believe that these girls are less than two months away from graduating high school! Kassie and Rian…I hope your senior year has been as magical as it could be, all things considered!!
I’d only met Owen once, in passing, a few years ago, but I was not at all surprised with how nice and friendly he was. See, his dad is my department chair, where I teach, and he is also very nice and friendly. Anyway, we met up at Joryville Park this past fall, as it’s a favorite park for Owen and his family.
I had so much fun photographing this senior. She’s plays guitar and sings…both of which I had the privilege of hearing during our shoot! We walked around the downtown Salem area with her parents, who were SO sweet, while laughing, chatting, and snapping photos. More from this session to come very soon!
Okay, so the moms (as in me and this kid’s mom) basically had to force this session, but it was totally worth it! My son and this guy have been best friends since middle school, so of course he had to come along as an assistant (this was pre-Covid). I even got a behind the scenes shot of him assisting with wardrobe. ;) It was a very early morning session and nobody was really awake, but we got a few real smiles! Aside from the early hour, it was quick and painless…and Mom got some senior portraits!
As usual, I’m always way behind on blogging. To be honest, I think I might have blogged this session on my old website, which crashed about a little over a year ago. Anyway, this is Cameron and he graduated from West Salem High School a while back now, lol. Nice kid, adorable smile, and he obviously plays water polo.
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!
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!
Well, it’s official…the class of 2020 is officially DONE with high school. Pretty anticlimactic for these kids and their graduation is delayed until who knows when, but hey, they’re done!! This guy, who I’ve known for over a decade, is one of these special seniors. Congratulations, Jordyn!
P.S. Notice we grabbed a family photo at the end? This is totally a thing you can do in the fall, during a senior portrait session! I mean, we don’t want the whole fam dam there the entire time, but having them all show up right at the beginning or the end is easy peasy!
Can I just take a second and give a shout out to all of the high school seniors, who have no idea what the next few months looks like for them? With this pandemic, it’s entirely possible they’ll have bizarre graduation ceremonies, with no audiences and the graduates spaced awkwardly far apart. It’s even possible that they won’t get to have graduation ceremonies with their peers. They may finish the school year (their entire K-12 school career, actually), without seeing their friends or teachers. Whatever the future holds…I think these soon-to-be graduates can handle it.
Anyway! This is Garrett. He’s a senior at Blanchett High School, here in Salem. I’ve known his parents for over 25 years (wow, just did the math on that and am kind of shocked), as we went to college together. His mom and I were even pregnant together (her with this kiddo and me with my middle kiddo, who is also a senior)! We did Garrett’s senior portraits at his family’s home, which is situated on some beautiful property, out in the country. Hang in there, kid, you’re almost done!
