Classic “fun with camera” photo…

With her love of photography, Kylie also enjoys fashion magazines…

It is my own personal opinion that Kylie could have her choice of being behind or in front of the camera.  Loving these casual fashion portraits in front of the school…

So beautiful…

This next image is pretty quirky but I just love it…

Last, but certainly not least is this adorable portrait of Kylie and her dog…

Thanks so much to Kylie and Sue… you are awesome!  xoxo

Jordan is the kind of girl that seems completely at ease being dressed up and is as equally comfortable in her favorite jeans and flip flops…

Since Jordan loves the water and the natural beauty of this area, we strolled down to the Erie Canal….

I don’t think I can pick a favorite image, because I love each and every one of them.

Jordan you are so beautiful…

A lot of the seniors I’ve photographed have been involved with a sports team.  Jordan for example is on the track team.  I love photographing portraits of these teens in their actual environments, as opposed to the studio.  In fact, I refer to these types of images as the senior’s “personality portraits.”

How cute is Jordan with her signature white head band…

While she is stunningly beautiful, Jordan also definitely has a silly side to her.  She also has a SERIOUS passion for Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream (and who can blame her)!  Towards the end of her portrait session, Jordan’s dad showed up with a surprise pint of one of her favorite flavors, Chocolate Fudge Brownie.  I’ve never seen a spoon move so fast…

Thanks for a great day Penny, Jordan, Sara, and Jeff.  xoxo

With this in mind, I’m happy to share with you a quick peek from my recent portrait session with the Nelsons.  Love this shot…

Thanks guys!!  xoxo

Lauren is so gorgeous and so much fun to photograph, that we went a little over the usual two hour session.  By the time, we got to the school to photograph her “track” portraits, the wind was blowing us everywhere!  We decided we would come back another day, when it wasn’t so windy.  Great decision, I must say, because these images from our recent revisit to the track are some of my new favorites…

This is a reminiscent of my early photo years… black & white… funky wall… classic…

Stttttrrrrrreeeeeeettttttccccchhhh….

Lauren runs something called the steeple race.  I don’t understand jumping over a giant hurdle into a big bank of water, but I bet it’s fun to watch.  Lauren is leaning on the hurdle in this next shot…

Drum roll please, no make it a marching band… I want a soundtrack for this super cute shot…

Go Bees!

Whether I’m photographing weddings or portraits, I love exploring the same subject  with multiple perspectives.  Here is a fun black and white candid of Charles…

If you are familiar with my work, you know I love to throw in some fun processing.  I love this digital action that takes inspiration from faded photographs from the 1970s.

Charles has those classic good looks.  I think that may contribute to the timeless feel of this next shot…

Wait a minute!  Charles brought along an awesome “prop”…. his beautiful gecko… Greco!

I am so enamored with Greco the gecko, that I’m going to give her own blog post in the near future.  For now, I leave you with this super fun shot…

Thanks Charles (and Greco)… you’re (both) awesome!

No really, photography makes Aubrey smile…

Jump for joy…

Strike awesome model like poses…

Now that we have her love of photography established, let’s just take a moment to admire Aubrey’s beautiful eyes…

I think this next shot is adorable…If you have been following my blog, you know that I love me some funky back drops.  Luckily, so does Aubrey.  We both thought this bridge looked super cool…

In addition to taking pictures, Aubrey is also cross country runner.  I get tired just typing the words “cross country runner,” but I never get tired of taking pictures!  Here is Aubrey outside a practice trail…

These next two shots are super cool because of the location.  It’s called “The Wall.”  When the boys team runs a race, the girls sit on top of the wall and cheer them on.  Of course the boys do the same for the girls.  Fun!!

I climbed up the back of the wall to get this next portrait.  I’m cool like that…

Thank you Aubrey… good luck with your upcoming races!!

I’m loving the opportunity to create some of these fun “fashiony” portraits.  (By the way, there is a new trend in the photo world… we photographers get to make up our own words for our blogs)  Luuuvvvv Sara’s super cute dress…

This happens to be a very appropriate location choice, as it is Sara’s high school!

I’m jumping around a bit this time, but here we are back at my home studio with glamorous Sara…

Sophisticated Sara!  Seriously, how many violin players do you know that can pull off amazing heels like this…

Okay, I’m calling this one a hybrid… sophisticated with a splash of cute as a button…

Sara is captain of her gymnastic team.  So I’m going with cute as button meets adventurous…

Sara’s dad had an awesome surprise during her portrait session.  He had gone out and bought her some fantastic NY Yankees gear (including bat).  They are both passionate about this team, so you can guess this one right?  Spirited…

Last but not least.  Straight up, cute as a button…

I rest my case.

If you’ve been following along this summer, you already know that I understand the importance of the yearbook image…

My philosophy, however, is that everyone deserves more than just that studio photograph to mark this special age in life.   So I’ll take this opportunity to shamelessly plug my passion (and hopefully talent) in creating these lifestyle portraits!

Love the casual elegance in this next shot.  The combination of Jamie’s classic red, white, and blue clothing with the leather chair reminds me of a Ralph Lauren ad…

These next two shots have such gorgeous colors going on…

Jamie was a real sport.  I wanted to get this shot of her looking over the back of the porch swing.  In order to get this pretty background, however, we had to take the  swing off and hang it in reverse.  Not only was Jamie sweet enough to help me lug the porch swing around, she helped me put it back in place when we were done.   Personally, I think our hard labor paid off…

When I am working, there is a lot to pay attention to!  I’ve got to make sure the background looks nice, the lighting is correct, the hair and makeup are doing good, not to mention all of the technical settings on my camera.  So every once in a while, I find a surprise in an image that I didn’t notice when I was taking the photographs.  While I was editing these photographs, I was blown away by Jamie’s gorgeous eyelashes!  I couldn’t believe I didn’t notice them during our session.  Next time I photograph Jamie, I’m going to have to use my macro lens on those butterflies!  Just take a look at this next shot, you’ll see what I mean…

Jamie loves to play soccer.  I love her hand written name combined with the classic Nike logo on her soccer ball… just do it!

Guess what my new favorite prop for soccer portraits is?

More beautiful color, texture, and oh yes fabulous eyelashes!

Thank you Jamie!

Meet Ashley… you may see her name in Broadway lights, after she pursues theater and performing arts in college. These next two photographs remind me of  candid celebrity portraits taken on Hollywood film sets.

I think Ashley has an amazing iconic profile…

These days, no senior photo session seems complete without the ever present cell phone.  It’s hard to imagine that these little gadgets will be obsolete someday… I can’t conceive what the next evolution will be.  Ashley is sort of an old fashioned teen… she not only sends text to her friends, she also actually speaks to them too :) …

School is almost back in session.  Hey seniors, don’t forget your Senior Portraits for your yearbook are due soon!   Be sure to book your session now, so we can meet your school’s deadline.  Here is one of the yearbook images, Ashley will get to choose from…

Now back to our regular programming… fun shots!!  Sometimes, it’s interesting to find a funky wall to use as the background.  I love this next shot…

Summer was very much on our minds for these next few images.  Here is Ashley and Riley.  Can you tell who loves his toy?

Look at the incredible view from  her parent’s home…

Yes, life can be very good!  Sometimes all we need are the simple pleasures:  a hammock and a quiet summer day….

Like I said, life can be very good!  Thank you Ashley!  I’ll let you know when the rest of your photographs are ready.