SENIOR SESSION: Brooke CO2017
I have the most amazing and super, exciting explanation and story to tell about a contest I recently entered...What is even more awesome, is that I believe the image is a true testiment to the collaboration of a "subject" and the photographer determining the best way to showcase personality, purpose and the "WHO" of a person...(more on that in a future post)
This is such a worthy challenge for a photographer...for at least one that has the desire to focus on things outside the "runway model" exterior and look to the TRUE beauty, the TRUE identity of a person that is worth so, so, so much more than is ever seen on the outside...We are so much more than the color of our hair or skin, so much more than our mistakes, our grades, and even our successes...We were each created with purpose and a hope...
As a photographer, but more importantly as a mom...I remember the exact moment when each of my daughters were placed in my arms...I can remember the smell of the room, the lights, the sounds of the doctor & nurses scurrying around...and I remember in each case, looking into that tiny little human and knowing that I would be dedicating my life to her journey to independence...walking beside each one of my girls...guiding and slowly letting go...watching them bloom and sometimes fall...
I am only a few short years away from my eldest being in the "senior" category. And when I look at her, yes, I see her beauty in her long dark hair and her deep brown eyes...but, that is but a tiny token to the WHOLE of who she is...and it's the same with each of them...
They each carry with them different strengths and hover on both ends of the personality spectrum...when it's their turn for Senior pictures, you can bet that I'll be focusing on what has made them into the young women that they will have become. I don't want just another cute or even stunning picture, but rather more than that...so that when I look at it, I will be transported in time and remember the "person" they were in that season...I'll hear her laugh...It will remind me of what her goals were when she was just 18 years old...I'll look back and treasure that time knowing how far she came and all that the future holds for her...
That's really my goal as a photographer...
I still am excited about a BEAUTIFUL image, please don't misunderstand, but I want to intertwine it with purpose and personality and MEANING!
Brooke made this goal of mine incredibly easy during her Senior Session...
She came to her session FULL of energy, because that is WHO she is...and so, I took every opportunity to capture her silly and spontaneous and HAPPY...
at the same time, some may not recognize right at first...because she tends to be more "right-brained" and creative & artsy & fun-loving...she also has a calm side (I kid you not!) She is contemplative and introspective...that side just may not surface as typical in the everyday...
I love the Seniors that I have had the privilege of meeting and working with...They are a breath of fresh air at times and other times, it's a whirlwind of excitement, and others still, like taking a walk with an old soul...
My job is to determine which, or in most cases, all the different aspects and showcase them to tell the whole story of an adventure waiting to happen!
