Just four days before this session, it snowed.
Walking into the gardens, I wasn’t sure how the plants would look. If the blossoms would be drooping, leaves curled under and black around the edges. Thankfully, everything was showing off for us. The weather was perfect, the flowers were blooming, and even the birds were loudly enjoying the gardens with us too.
Matthew chose the Conservation Gardens for his senior session, and as it turns out, it was the perfect place to explore.
And explore we did.
One thing became clear quickly. He is a huge sports fan. Before long, he was helping fill in all the gaps in my very limited sports knowledge. From football stats to talking through teams and upcoming games, he kept me informed all evening. Hearing him excitedly talk about plans to attend a Chargers game this summer was easily one of my favorite parts of our time together.
A Session with Personality
Senior sessions are always about celebrating a milestone. At the same time, one of my favorite parts of photographing senior photos is getting to capture people as they are right now.
The things they enjoy.
The details that matter to them.
The version of themselves they will one day look back on.
Matthew brought along a few things that mattered to him, and getting to photograph those details felt just as important as everything else. We spent time finding spots in the gardens that felt like a good fit, trying ideas together, and making space for the things he was excited about.
Including a very important appearance from two pairs of Patrick Star socks.
We decided to keep exploring a little longer after we had technically finished and see what we could find. Before long, he came back excited because he had found the perfect spot for another idea he wanted to photograph.
That willingness to jump in, try something new, and make the session his own made the entire evening feel easy.
As we talked and walked through the gardens, I found myself thinking about how much these sessions matter.
Graduation marks such a big transition. The routines that feel familiar now eventually shift. New places, new experience, new versions of life begin.
And somewhere in the middle of all that change, there is value in pausing long enough to remember this version of yourself too.
One of my favorite parts of the evening was getting to watch his mom take it all in. There is something about milestones that makes parents pause. To see not just the young adult standing in front of them, but all the versions of them that came before too.
My hope is that when Matthew looks back on these photos years from now, he sees himself clearly. His interests. His personality. This season of life exactly as it was.
And all that he had already accomplished.
+ COMMENTS
add a comment