Amid the COVID-19 crisis, I was able to spark some joy both for me and for my client, Doyline High School Senior, Emily Watson! We rushed to schedule a senior session before Governor Edwards was forced to put in place even more restrictive measures. Even in our rural part of the world, there is an underlying fear of the virus coming to Webster Parish.
But on this day, we put those fears aside and went even deeper into the country to capture this moment in a young lady’s life: graduation season, the culmination of years of work, laughter, tears, and milestones. After scouting both the location and the weather, we planned it for Thursday, giving the ground enough time to dry. We met before the sun was up at Deli Stop in Sibley. This was our first meeting but we had been in touch via text and email. Emily’s mom had contacted me through Facebook and in the way a mother of a senior should do, she gave the decision-making power to her daughter. Emily was so polite and agreeable to everything. She said she wasn’t picky but in my mind I thought, “Oh, Boo, senior pictures should be incredibly special!” and I determined to wow her with her portraits!
I was delighted to see that she had brought (or dragged) her boyfriend of 5 months, Frankie Mixon, along for the shoot. Fortunately, he was wearing a nice gray color shirt because he got put in front of the camera. Looking back, I should have taken some of just him because Frankie is also a senior at Doyline this year. Frankie, if you’re reading this, Emily has my number! Let’s book a shoot!
We started out in Heflin at the old school. My husband played ball for Sibley in the late 60s when the school was still standing. Many seniors have taken portraits there because they left this lovely archway standing. The morning sun makes it a wonderful location! By 8 a.m. we were done here and moving on to our next location. The camp had a place for Emily to change outfits. She had brought bright orange stripes for her outfit change and you will see them near the end of the blog. The top actually looked great against the moss, but for the wisteria bushes I had scouted out, I knew we needed soft colors. I had come prepared! I brought this lace cardigan (I have three!) and the top. They went perfectly with her denim skirt for this romantic country setting.
Finally, one more outfit change and we moved out to the pier before the sun got too high in the sky. We were finished by 9 a.m. and I had snapped over 600 shots! Emily was a natural at posing, but I am always ready to give advice and there are certain core poses I can teach anyone so don’t ever think you “always look terrible in pictures.” I am a professional, trained to bring out the best in you!
What I thought was so interesting about Emily is that when she did the “model face” I asked for (no smiling, eyes looking up slowly at me) her face is so very different than when she smiles and different again when she wears her glasses. In some ways, it was like looking at pictures of three different girls. How fortunate for her that she can change her look so easily!
If you are in need of senior portraits, and you are not sick and have not been exposed to the virus that you know of, let’s book a session. Sorry, but I won’t be handing you my camera to see your pics on the back. You’ll just have to trust me. And we will drive in separate cars. I will bring hand sanitizer!
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