Casual and Low-Key Seniors Pictures | Sam | West Waterloo

Casual and Low-Key Seniors Pictures with Sam

Mount Trashmore | Morgan Creek Park | Center Point, IA

I met with Sam and her mom at the cutest coffee shop around, Stillwater Coffee Co., and I knew right away that Sam was going to an easy-going, low-key senior! She was definitely looking forward to senior pictures, but I think the thing that excited her most was the free-passes to getting out of school!! (HAHA, totally relatable!!) We chatted about what she wanted from her session, outfits, etc. She really liked the idea of a red bridge, capturing fall colors, and something unique. And of COURSE, bringing her doggy along for some!! (Spoiler alert: Chloe stole the show!)

I told them that I had ALWAYS wanted to try to shoot Mount Trashmore but 100% of the time it’s not worked out for some reason and I thought the fall colors overlooking the city would be the best. They were excited and up for giving it a try… even if the names implies it’s not very aesthetic, I knew it would be. (Being that they’re not from the area, I explained what it was.. reassuring them that they DO have weddings up there, so it’s prettier than the name implies lol!)

Fast forward a few weeks later and we started Sam’s photoshoot day with hair and makeup. Her team consisted of my girls, Aubree on hair and Krysta on makeup! Then we were off to our first stop: Morgan Creek Park.

Sam's flannel outfit was SO cute on her, and was just so HER! So it was my favorite! We even included her drumsticks and soccer outfit (she’s in a ton of extra-curriculars: soccer, softball, basketball, theatre band. But she just picked her faves)!

I loved this location and really got to see Sam’s love for dogs (and animals in general) come out!

Then it was on to Mount Trashmore. We stopped before the entrance b/c I spotted some long grass that I had to try. And then the climb was on. And BOY! I didn’t think it was going to be such a struggle going up that hill!! (Carrying my backpack and ladder is heavy but still - lol!!) We took a lot of pit-stops along the way for some cool spots and eventually made it to the top!

Not going to lie, the way back down was easier. And the sun was hitting all beautiful, too. Sam spotted a caterpillar (or 2 or 3) on the way up so on the way back down while we had some extra time, we got some photos with one. I love that it shows her absolute love for animals and nature. And they turned out beautiful. I also made her stop for some “senior-picturey” ones in the same spot.

At the bottom, we headed to Center Point for the awesome bridge and to meet up with her DOGGY!!! (And also, dad. haha) We really should’ve thought about doing the doggy pictures after we did some photos of just Sam at this location because the amount of dust and doggy-hair I had to edit of her clothes was crazy!! (We we’re excited for Chloe, ok!?!)

We pulled out all the stops to get Chloe to sit, stay, look, etc. At one point Sam actually had a dog treat in her mouth so Chloe would look at her.. and we definitely sprinkled them into her hair for the laying down ones. HAH! We definitely got some laughs in!!!! And SO many adorable pictures.

Your calendar likely fills up as fast as mine does and it’s SO easy to forget to schedule photos! If you are graduating in 2024 (or a parent of an upcoming graduate) - reach out with any questions or to start planning!! Check out my Senior Gallery or contact me for more info!

Greenhouse Summer Senior Photoshoot | Kenna | Kennedy High School

Summery Greenhouse Senior Pictures with Kenna

Culvers Greenhouse | Downtown Cedar Rapids | Wanatee Park

Wayyyyy back in the winter, Kenna’s mom reached out about senior pictures. I had started getting inquiries for senior pictures SO early compared to normal and I was impressed!! Kenna and her family were referred to me from a friend and past client of mine, which I always love to hear. We had talked about sunflowers, more of a modern urban look and a greenhouse so we set a date for August (when their friend’s sunflower patch was supposed to bloom) and then stayed in touch until our first in-person meeting.

When we met up, the sunflower idea had been veto-ed but everything else was a “go!” And what a small world it is, because when talking to Kenna about her spray tan, and professional hair/makeup I had set up for her (part of my senior package) she knew the spray tan artist (Katrina at Bare Tones) AND the hairstylist (Aubree at Moxie Salon) already! She had yet to meet her makeup artist, Krysta (Make Me Up) but I KNEW she’d be obsessed with her makeup. Spoiler alert - she was!

We started our day at Moxie Salon for hair and makeup, and then headed to some cute spots around downtown Cedar Rapids for a clean, modern urban look.

(Enjoy some behind-the-scenes pictures, courtesy of Kenna’s mom and bestie)

I LOVE how this outfit looked in this library location!

Next, we hit up Culver’s Greenhouse (with their permission, of course) - which I haven’t been to in FOREVER, so I was a tad nervous about how that would go. The lighting was bright and trickier than I thought it was going to be but Kenna was patient and we LOVED how they turned out!!

I’m not going to lie- this close up was semi-accidental!! I was standing WAY to close for the shot I was trying to get, but snapped one anyway and it ended up being one of their FAVES!

Laying down on these empty tables was pretty much an after-thought. We had taken all of the photos we were wanting to, were walking out and I decided to give it a go! I saw them empty as we walked in but thought that Kenna would feel weird getting up there in a dress in a public space. They joked about using them and I told them my idea and they were down for it! I KNEW I’d love these!!

Our last stop for the night was the park for some nature shots and the wildflower field I had scoped out. We had a few outfits to do here, which was perfect because I have a LOT of spots I love at this park! Walking into our first spot, the grass was wayyyyyyy longer than it normally is. It was a trek, but it was definitely worth it! And extra-worth it to find flowers back there!

Next spot was the middle of the tree-lined road - a senior fave. Aren’t these shots the cutest!?

It was a beautiful day. The sun shining the whole day, until RIGHT as we headed to the flower field. Sunny flower pictures are my JAM and I was a little bummed, but Kenna assured me she was still loving the images and after I agreed - I loved them too! And they have such a magazine-model-or-something vibe to them, too!

Doesn’t she look darling in a hat, too? Kenna’s summer session turned out so pretty and ended with a few TikTok creations in the sunset. Does a senior session get much better than that?

Your calendar likely fills up as fast as mine does and it’s SO easy to forget to schedule photos! If you are graduating in 2023 or 2024 (or a parent of an upcoming graduate) - reach out with any questions or to start planning!! Check out my Senior Gallery or contact me for more info!

Sunset Wildflower Senior Photoshoot | Olivia | Prairie High School

Sunset in the Wildflowers Senior Pictures with Olivia

Newbo | Wanatee Park | Iowa Senior Photographer

Olivia’s mom reached out to me and I was so excited!! I had photographed her older sister’s senior pictures a few years ago (see her blog here) and enjoyed their family SO much. I have a younger sister so I KNEW not to expect the sisters to be exactly alike. While they’re both super-duper cute (obviously), Olivia seemed a bit more extroverted than her older sis and seemed excited to be in front of the camera… and felt comfortable doing her own thing!

After we met for our consultation, Olivia expressed interested in doing something a little more unique and fun. So I planned out our locations and threw a sprinkle of fun into the mix… literally! We stopped at Almost Famous Popcorn for some ice cream halfway through. But I’m getting off track - let’s start from the beginning.

We started off our day with hair and makeup. Since Olivia lives out of town, we decided to get ready at the makeup artists and we all ooh-ed and ahhh-ed over her home and beautiful photos on the wall. With Chelsea on hair and Lindsey on makeup, I knew she would look perfectly natural and fresh-faced! Isn’t she a stunner!?

Our first stop was exploring the Newbo area. We stopped at all my favorite go-to spots and discovered some fun, gorgeous spots along the way. Right away, before we started taking any photos, I told Olivia to not worry about “holding a pose” and keeping still - to feel free to keep moving a little if she felt like it. And she immediately went into model mode and I LOVED it! Do you love this green as much as I do??!

View fullsize

View fullsize

(Behind-the-scenes photos, courtesy of Olivia’s mom!) I love show examples of “what I see vs. what you see!”

And look at that ADORABLE ice cream picture!!

After ice cream, we changed outfits and discovered JUST how dang windy it was that day. Or maybe it had just picked up at this point. I don’t know, but I DO know that it was a struuuuuggle to get Olivia’s hair to stay where we wanted it. But you’d never know looking at her pictures!

View fullsize

View fullsize

I had to keep the next image just because it was too funny not to! I was snapping photos of Olivia and her mom got curious about the grape vine behind her and went to check it out, without knowing she was directly in the shot. Of course I snapped this photo and included it in her slideshow during their ordering session (when I come to their home and show them their photos for the first time). There was definitely some laughs!

Have you noticed how GORGEOUS her eyes are yet?!

We were struggling with the wind but ended up getting some good shots just in time to leave. And off to Wanatee Park we went! We tried some new spots, and wrapped up with my favorite go-to locations. It was hot and sweaty but that lighting was perfect! And how cute does she look in that color??

My seniors LOVE the tree-lined roads out at Wanatee. I mean, I do too! So after an outfit change, we did some quick pictures in the road (you have to be quick here, because even though the cars go slow, the park is always busy).

And the last thing we had planned for Wanatee - the reason we were there - was the flowers!! Out at Wanatee, the sun seems to sink below the horizon faster than any other place. So to save time, we just jumped across the street to the little patch of flowers next to the road. And honestly, I actually LOVE how the sun looks filtering through the trees. Magical!

We actually had one more stop planned for Olivia’s day. We rushed out there as the sun was setting, but in the end, she just didn’t LOVE that location/outfit as much as these and we veto-ed them to keep these ones! So none of those are shared here, but it was worth it just for the crazy adventure.

Your calendar likely fills up as fast as mine does and it’s SO easy to forget to schedule photos! If you are graduating in 2023 or 2024 (or a parent of an upcoming graduate) - reach out with any questions or to start planning!! Check out my Senior Gallery or contact me for more info!

Natural and Unique Senior Pictures | Chloe | Union High School

Casual & Natural Senior Pictures with Chloe

Downtown Cedar Rapids | Center Point, IA | Iowa Senior Photographer

Chloe and her mom reached out in May about doing her senior pictures. They were purposefully looking for someone outside of their school’s normal senior photographer and wanted to travel outside of their area so she could have some fresh locations and a different look to her senior photos! I was so excited they found and chose ME! We planned out every detail of her session, scheduled hair and makeup (always a good and FUN choice), and anxiously waited for her photoshoot day. The day of her photoshoot was a little warm (not rare for July) but breezy and ultimately, PERFECT!

While Chloe got pampered with hairstyling by Chelsea (from Acacia Salon) and makeup by Alyssa, her mom and I planned out which outfit would be used at each of the locations we picked out!

Then it was off to start the night! We parked outside of Eastbank Venue in downtown Cedar Rapids and walked around, explored, tried locations I’ve used before and loved, found locations I’ve never tried before and changed outfits MANY times! It was a blast!! Chloe’s style is more natural, casual and comfortable, so while we DID do some dressier outfits, we did also did a lot of casual, true-to-Chloe styles. Starting with her go-to sweatpants! She laughed when she asked me if we could do a few in them, but I was excited to try something new! She was nervous to start but I posed and reassured her, and the first time I showed her the back of my camera,= she KNEW that these were turning out WAY better than she imagined they would and I watched her confidence sky-rocket. It was amazing!

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

We stopped for a quick outfit change and did some with her dance jacket. Dance is Chloe’s main sport, and I could definitely tell throughout the rest of her session! Especially when I asked her to walk towards me like a model a few times. SOO poised and perfectly postured!

View fullsize

View fullsize

After her dance outfit, we headed to the building I’ve never been to OR photographed at before, but have been wanting to try. So she put on her more polished outfit and went for a little (long-ish) walk. The windows made it an amazing place for photos, and the road at the end was only used for a parking lot so we were able to get our road shots easily and safely. I think they turned out amazing!!

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

Then we headed back to our cars, hit up a parking garage and changed into Chloe’s FAVORITE outfit. I loved the grunge-y vibes I got from it, but wasn’t sure we were close by anything that matched that aesthetic. We WERE right next to a construction site but I thought to myself, “if you ask them to shoot there, they will think you’re a crazy person.” But then, Chloe’s mom asked what I thought about using it.. so it was fate! I showed Chloe the back of my camera to make sure what I was capturing was what she was looking for, and she loved them! So, I think we nailed the “unique” portion of her senior pictures!

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

(Behind-the-scenes photos, courtesy of Chloe’s mom!) I love show examples of “what I see vs. what you see!”

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

We wrapped up our urban/grunge part of Chloe’s session and headed to Center Point. I’ve been taking SO many seniors to my hometown and it’s been wonderful. The bridge is always a bit hit and something a lot of my senior ask for, which is perfectly fine with me because it photographs BEAUTIFULLY. And I think this outfit in this location was SPOT on!

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

And last, but certainly not least, is the continually-requested flower field! Chloe wanted white flowers, which was easy-peasy and just off the main road coming into Center Point. The sun was low enough now that it was hiding behind a building which gave us these soft, pretty colors for the last portion of Chloe’s senior pictures, perfectly matching the soft colors of her dress.

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

Chloe’s family loved all of her photos so much that they decided to just get them all, which is amazing because I can share them all with you guys! I hope you enjoyed a little glimpse into her gorgeous summer senior photoshoot!

Your calendar likely fills up as fast as mine does and it’s SO easy to forget to schedule photos! If you are graduating in 2023 or 2024 (or a parent of an upcoming graduate) - reach out with any questions or to start planning!! Check out my Senior Gallery or contact me for more info!

Casual Cute Fall Senior Photos | Avery | Kennedy High School

Casual Cute Fall Senior Photos | Avery | Kennedy High School

Don’t mind me, I’m just half a year behind on blogging senior sessions! But, like, I couldn’t NOT blog Avery’s GORGEOUS fall senior photoshoot. Avery’s mom reached out waaayyyy in advance to get her scheduled for the fall season because she knows that’s the #1 photoshoot time and it fills up fast. I did Avery’s sister’s senior photos a few years ago and it was frigid cold and snowing. They were unique and turned out gorgeous, but they wanted NICE, enjoyable weather this time around and that fall color - Mother Nature did NOT disappoint!

When I met with Avery and her mom for our consultation and planning appointment, I found out quick that Avery was EXCITED for her senior photos and that there was no shortage of selfies in her life. LOL! I LOVE it because that meant she was already semi-comfortable in front of the camera. I was SO right. She is a natural model!!!

Since the derecho in Cedar Rapids kind of put a damper on the landscape scenery, we decided to hit up the big ol’ town of Central City! When Avery hopped out of the car all dolled up and looking like a movie-star (thank you, Krysta at Make Me Up, for your makeup and hairstyling skills) with her entourage of mom, dad AND boyfriend, I KNEW we were in for a good time. That’s a LOT of people staring at you while you get your photos taken.. and a LOT more people to encourage you and make you laugh. And that we did!

(Behind-the scenes photo courtesy of Avery’s mom!)

We spent some time just exploring the cool buildings and colors of Central City, changed outfits, got inspired, and had a LOT of fun!! I’m sure Avery got SO tired of hearing how perfect the weather was, especially compared to her sister’s senior photoshoot day! LOL!

I loved how her skin tone, hair color and outfit all coordinated so beautifully with the brick wall! Isn’t she stunning?! Then she discovered this cool multi-color alleyway and spray painted ground and we were inspired! It was the perfect aesthetic for her casual and comfy outfit.

Then we went headed across the street to Pinicon Ridge park for ALLLL of that gorgeous fall color and the perfect-colored bridge for fall!! Doesn’t her outfit coordinate perfectly!? And she just looks flawless!! We all had so much fun making Avery feel like the celebrity of the day - as your senior photos SHOULD be!!! And I put Avery’s dad and boyfriend to work as professional-leaf-throwers to make a fun Pinterest-worthy fall photo for her. And there was definitely more than one take. It was a blast!

After a change of outfits, we went on the hunt to find the most vibrant, colorful trees. Apparently, so did everyone else - LOL! We had to take turns taking photos with other families and professional photographers out there just trying to capture all the beautiful leaves as well. It was pretty comical!

(Another behind-the-scenes photo below!)

As I often do, I told Avery we were all finished up about 15 times before I actually meant it. But we ended our session on my trusty (ok, actually I don’t put too much trust in it) old stepladder that has made it into TOO many photos already. I mean, it’s not even cute and somehow it keeps getting it’s photo taken. But I needed a solid headshot of Avery before we left, so I sat her on it and it ended up being one of their favorites!

And I can’t wrap up this blog without showing off the book cover that I custom-designed for Avery. Almost always, my seniors LOVE the photobook and choose to order one filled with their favorite photos, and this is the cover I designed for Avery. Isn’t it adorable?!

Your calendar likely fills up as fast as mine does and it’s SO easy to forget to schedule photos! If you are graduating in 2022 or 2023 (or a parent of an upcoming graduate) - reach out with any questions or to start planning!! Check out my Senior Gallery or contact me for more info!