SPORTS, FLOWERS & WATER SENIOR SESSION WITH KIAH
Brandon, Iowa | Center Point, Iowa | Eastern Iowa Senior Photographer
I first met Kiah and her family a few years ago when I did some photos of her and her sisters. When her mom reached out in May, I couldn’t believe she was a senior already!!! We met for a consultation, talked about Kiah’s ideas and made some plans. During her consultation, she told me she LOVED tall, grassy fields, water, and would love her pictures on a bridge. She also wanted to do some track and volleyball photos as well. And that’s exactly what we did!
I scheduled Kiah’s hair and makeup to be done at her house by my good friend, Krysta at Make Me Up. (Kiah later told me that she loved how her makeup turned out SO much that she wants her to come do her prom makeup too!) Then Kiah, her mom and little sister all met me in Brandon, Iowa for the first stop of what we planned to be a 3.5+ hour photoshoot. It was a HOT day. Like at one point, I was sweating so bad I couldn’t see out of my eyes. I mean.. I always sweat when I do photoshoots, but when it’s 100 degrees out - phhhewwwy! For me, it reminded me of being on the beach in Aruba in August for a wedding without any cloud or shade coverage. Sizzling! We were all a bit concerned about that, but her mom brought snacks, drinks, and a face-blotting town to ward off any shininess. And it all went perfectly!
Kiah had 8 total outfit changes, poor thing! I knew it would be tough to get them all in (not to mention changing that many times when you’re already a little sweaty from the weather0) but we JUST couldn’t narrow down her adorable outfits. So I set my phone timer to go off every 20-30 minutes to keep us on track and we began!
(Behind-the-scenes and “what you see vs. what I see” comparison photos, courtesy of Kiah’s mom!)
We started by exploring the cute, old buildings on the main street in Brandon. Her dress looked adorable on her! After a little wandering around, forgetting my entire camera bag down the road (what in the world?! I’ll blame it on the head I guess) and taking some seriously adorable photos of Kiah, my alarm went off. Time for an outfit change! We chose a more casual outfit to explore some areas off one of the side roads with some barnwood, vintage truck, and gorgeous lighting.
Then it was time for Kiah’s volleyball outfit. Not only had she brought her entire uniform, but she brought 3 volleyballs and a game net. I knew I wanted to do some photos in the sandy, indoor horse arena on a friend’s property but we also wanted some variety, so we did some with the old buildings as a backdrop as well. They turned out so cool! Then we hurried and left for the horse arena for some unique pictures!
The horse arena was cooler than the outside and we were so thankful for that little break. With mom standing on a ladder, holding a reflector and little sister as the professional sand-thrower, we took some really fun, unique volleyball senior photos!
The sand arena sits on beautiful farm land and it was the perfect, effortless setting for another outfit change and to add some variety to Kiah’s senior pictures!! Then we rushed off to Center Point to keep on our tight schedule!
We met at the Center Point track for some photos of Kiah in her track uniform. They brought a baton and a hurdle and we did this portion of her session as fast as we could - in less than 15 minutes!! Kiah even had a little fan-club for the remainder of the night, because her mom’s friend and her daughter showed up to cheer her on! Talk about a party!
Right on schedule, we headed to a new location I’d never tried before. Although it took us a while to get to our spot through all of that looonngg grass and the heat (now I know for next time - haha!), THESE were the photos Kiah had been waiting for! Her long grass and flowers! Isn’t she beautiful?!?
Then we headed to the famous bridge in Center Point. I’m sure people were wondering what was happening since we had 6 of us out there in the middle of the bridge. But we had so much fun and these sunset photos are PERFECTION! Kiah’s requested bridge photos… check!
Then off we went to our last stop of the night. The sun was pretty much set, but I knew that this location had wide open skies and it would be that soft, pretty light. But it was a location I’d never used before and something I had never done before for senior photos… you’ll see what I mean if you keep scrolling ;)
We started off in traditional senior picture poses and Kiah looked adorable!
Then I asked her if she was up for trying something a little EXTRA unique and crazy. She said she was and we went for it! They turned out so amazing and I’m SO glad she let me try this with her!
Overall, Kiah’s senior photoshoot lasted about 4 hours, which is insane! But it was worth it and we had so much fun while creating some seriously epic and beautiful images!!
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!