Custom high school senior portrait photography on location in the Tacoma and Seattle Washington area

10 • 03 • 16

Chambers Bay University Place Senior Session| Alex

Let me introduce Alex, a senior with the class of 2017 at Bellarmine Prep! We met at Chambers Bay in University Place recently and could not have asked for a more perfect evening.

These old concrete structures, left over from the gravel quarry days, gave us plenty of open shade to work with while we dodged the sun for a bit.

Alex is one busy guy, and when he isn’t building in the robotics lab, running cross-country or working on his marine chemistry project, he likes to hit the slopes. He even had an “epic” idea for an action shot, but his dad put a quick stop to whatever he was scheming!

I absolutely love this shot! I don’t know how we managed to get a serious look out of him because he had me laughing most of the evening, but he nailed it!

I’m pretty sure Alex was messing with me at this point, trying his best to be goofy, but again, we ended up with a great look!

This “behind-the-scenes” shot is exactly what I’m talking about! He was always doing something unexpected, but his take on Superman had us all cracking up.

Bellarmine Pride! Go Lions!

We finished off at the beach so we could incorporate Alex’s enthusiasm for snorkeling and scuba diving into his senior session. The only thing missing is a surfboard. I don’t know if he’s ever tried surfing, but he looks like he would fit right in on the waves.

Thank you, Alex! You showed up ready to go with such a great attitude, and you made the evening so much fun. I hope you have a fantastic senior year. Enjoy it all! Good luck as you discern your college choices, and I wish you every success wherever you land.

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09 • 20 • 16

Rustic Fort Steilacoom Park Senior Portraits| Madisen

When I was just dipping my toes into the photography world, I shot a senior session for one of my daughter’s classmates. I so appreciated the fact that his mom gave me the chance in the first place and trusted me to do the job. It put such a smile on my face to read a recent email, from this same mom, asking to set up a senior session for her daughter! I was so honored that Cindy trusted me with a second round! This lovely girl is Madisen, a senior with Franklin Pierce High School’s Class of 2017.

I met up with Madisen and her parents, Cindy and Nate, at Ft. Steilacoom Park on a beautiful evening. The weather was perfect and the light…oh, just as lovely as Madisen.

I admit that I love a good eyelash shot!

It’s not all about the clothes, but when clients put some thought into their wardrobe choices, good things happen. I love how Madisen’s dress gives a pop of color against the tall grasses.

She has a smile that just lights up her whole face!

Check out those gorgeous brown eyes!

Time for an outfit change perfectly suited for the barn shots. I hope these historic barns will endure the wind storms for a long time to come.

I’m not a fan of graffiti, and, unfortunately, these poor silos, as well as the surrounding barns, have a lot of it. Madisen didn’t mind incorporating the “2017” someone left behind, though.

I’m so glad I captured this moment! Dad was responsible for getting this awesome laugh out of Madisen, while Mom was crouched behind the tree trunk making sure Madisen didn’t roll off backwards.

Ending our session atop the hill, catching the last bit of golden light. Thank you Madisen, Nate and Cindy! I had such a great time walking, talking and capturing memories with you. Best wishes, Madisen, as you make your dreams of working with special needs children a reality. You have a big heart and a smile to brighten anyone’s day! Have a fantastic senior year!

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08 • 17 • 16

Point Defiance Pond and Gardens Senior Session| Molly

I’m so excited to introduce Molly, a senior at Bellarmine Prep with the Class of 2017. I met up with Molly, her parents and friends, Catherine and Addy, for a gorgeous evening of roaming around Point Defiance Park. There are so many great locations within its borders for portrait sessions, but this place has special meaning for their family. I’m especially glad they chose it for Molly’s senior shoot.

Molly had visited the park earlier, so she knew she wanted some shots around the pond. We loved the colorful reflections in the water!

She also wanted to incorporate the bridge. It looks like we had the park to ourselves, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. We were lucky to get a clean shot without any Pokémon Go players in the background. Molly took it all in stride. Patience is a virtue and being quick on the shutter button didn’t hurt either!

Simply classic and beautiful!

No doubt Molly nailed her session in general, but I have to give her huge kuddos in planning her outfits, which gave a nice pop of color and brought our her eyes.

I love that she brought her Bellarmine jersey. Basketball is a big part of her high school life, but that’s not all. Molly is also involved with ASB, manager for the Lion’s football team, yearbook editor and a Eucharistic Minister for school Masses. I wonder when she sleeps, but I have the feeling she manages it all with a smile on her face.

What better way to end an awesome session than at the beach with your best friends? Thank you, Molly, for trusting me with your senior portraits. I had a great evening with you and your family and friends. Whether college takes you to the east side of the mountains or to Oregon, the healthcare field will be lucky to gain a nurse like you. I hope you have a fantastic senior year, filled with great memories with your family and friends. As alway, GO LIONS!

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06 • 24 • 16

Nisqually Wildlife Refuge and Historic Fort Lewis Senior Portraiture| John

I don’t know what’s more difficult to believe: that the baby of the family is nearing 6′ tall or that he is an up-and-coming senior! John had just finished finals and was packing for Boys State, but with oral surgery set for the day after his return (and the high probability of chipmunk cheeks), we had to get a jump on his portrait session. It had poured rain at our house just an hour before we set out for the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge, so we weren’t sure what we were in for. The skies cleared, though, and it turned out to be a great evening.

I love this first image. The boardwalk disappearing into the trees makes me wonder where life’s journey will take him.

My mom has called John her “deep thinker” for years now, and although he often wears a serious expression, it doesn’t take much to coax a smile out of him. He’s navigated some tough times that left their mark. Experiences change you, but you have the ability to decide how to go forward because of them. He emerged a much stronger person with a firm faith and core set of values from which he doesn’t deviate.

There it is! He has an awesome, genuine smile.

While a portrait session is never on his top 10 list of things to do, I won him over by listening to his ideas, promising to keep it short, and not fussing over wardrobe. We were stationed in the midwest, and you’ll recognize the saying, albeit with my personal twist: “you can take the boy out of Oklahoma, but you can’t take Oklahoma out of the boy.”

I’m a little biased, but my goodness, those blue eyes!

I’m positive that he is contemplating life’s big questions here, not wondering if I’ve taken enough pictures.

The sun was still pretty high at this point, but John wanted to get this shot before we called it a night. I’m glad we went for it!

Once John recuperated from oral surgery, we set out to shoot round 2 of his senior session. We have strong military ties in our family, and it was important to John to incorporate his deep appreciation of the service into his portraits. JBLM was his location of choice, and these gorgeous brick buildings make Ft. Lewis one of the nicest posts I’ve been to.

The main Chapel is another post treasure. It is beautiful inside and out.

We finished off the evening with that beautiful golden light we are so lucky to enjoy here during the summer months. I have the feeling this school year is going to fly by! John, I wish you every blessing as you enter your senior year of high school and begin to navigate the big life decisions before you. You always have our love and support.

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10 • 17 • 15

Wright Park and Iconic Stadium High School Senior Session| Thomas

This Stadium senior is not only a gifted student, musician and cross-country runner, but he also happens to be my very handsome nephew! It made me smile as I listened to his voicemail asking if I would take his senior portraits. Wow! Yes, I would love to! In scheduling a date, though, we were firmly boxed in between his orthodontic appointment to have his braces removed and the school’s yearbook deadline, which left us shooting on what turned out to be a very stormy day. We began in Wright Park battling wild winds and the occasional flying chestnuts (insert “ouch!” here) until the rain showed no sign of stopping. I had to include at least one photo of Thomas’s windswept hair and flying red tie! Plan B took us downtown Tacoma in search of covered areas. I had envisioned some classic city landmarks for this Tacoma guy’s session, and I was just glad we pulled it off despite the torrential downpour and flooded streets. It was so nice to hang out with Thomas, his girlfriend and his mom for a couple of hours, and I appreciated how everyone really embraced the day and just went with it…wet feet and all. I did try to get a serious look out of him, but that awesome smile just kept creeping back in. I also loved that Thomas wasn’t afraid to have some fun either. He has a bit of a theatrical side, so fingers crossed that Stadium has a great spring musical in mind, because it would be fun to see him up on stage. Thomas, we wish you every success and hope you continue to make great memories as you walk the halls of Stadium this final year. PLU, Whitman or even UW (go dawgs!) will be very lucky to have you. We look forward to seeing where your interest in science and math will take you beyond graduation and how you choose to make a difference in this world. The attempt at a serious look gave way to such a great smile.