Anna Lisa Photography » Custom high school senior portrait photography on location in the Tacoma and Seattle Washington area

  • TACOMA & SEATTLE, WA

    Hello and welcome!
    I specialize in high school and college
    senior portraits,
    aim to provide a relaxed, fun
    photography experience
    and strive to deliver timeless images
    that capture your unique
    CONFIDENCE, JOY & BEAUTY.

    Click the INQUIRE TAB for more info!

    Emily is a senior this year at Bellarmine Prep in Tacoma.  I met her, her twin sister and their mom at Point Defiance Park last month on a beautiful August evening.  We started things off at the Pagoda.

    It was a special opportunity to photograph these twin sisters individually as well as capture some photos of them together.  I loved their personalities, their relationship and their energy.

    Emily was such a sport and didn’t even blink when I told her I was going to put her in the bushes.  No flowers were trampled in capturing this girl in this golden light.

    Irish dance has been a big part of Emily’s life for many years now.  Regular practice as well as traveling to compete keeps her busy, so I’m glad she chose to showcase one of her costumes in her senior session.One of the things I really try to bring out and capture during portrait sessions is joy.  This image perfectly captures one of those spontaneous joyful moments!

    Our last stop was Owen’s Beach for a fun series of images amongst the driftwood.

    Like her sister, Emily plays instruments and is involved with band, however, Emily has her sights a little further afield when it comes to colleges.  Trinity College in Dublin is her number one choice and she’d like to study physics, math or maybe something in the field of neuroscience.  Thank you, Emily, for allowing me to photograph your senior portraits!  I wish you all the best for your senior year and am excited to see where your adventures take you!

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    Last month, I met up with Olivia, her twin sister and their mom at Point Defiance Park for such a special senior session.  I have photographed twins several times now and it’s really fun to see their individual personalities shine through.  Olivia was first to volunteer to get in front of the camera and get this session rolling!

    I’ve said this before about my senior sessions.  I’m so impressed with how at ease these kids are in front of the camera.  My goal is always to keep things relaxed and simple so that the senior looks and feels her best.  Olivia was so easy to photograph!

    Twin sisters, Olivia and Emily, who just started their senior year at Bellarmine Prep School in Tacoma.  Go Lions!

    This is one of my hands down favorite pictures of Olivia.  It’s easy to see that she has a uniquely creative personality.  While she used to Irish dance right along with her sister, Olivia has branched off into the world of theater and performing arts.  

    On our way down to Owen Beach, I spied this beautiful golden field and I knew we just couldn’t pass it up.  After a quick wardrobe change, we captured this beautiful series of images.  Olivia is such a natural and photographing her was such a joy.

    Owen Beach is open again after its renovation as is just as popular as ever.  There is still an abundance of amazing driftwood and I love using it as a backdrop.  The beach area was crowded, but a little patience and strategic positioning made it look like we had the place to ourselves.

    Theater and band will keep Olivia busy in addition to classes.  While she’s still making the decision where to go to college, she’s pretty sure she’ll stay in Washington State.  Olivia hopes to pursue a degree in theater.  Olivia, it was such a pleasure to take your senior photos!  Best wishes for a great senior year and every success wherever your dreams take you!

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    This is Kelli and she is going to start her senior year at Puyallup High School this fall.  I met Kelli and her mom at Point Defiance for her senior session.  Kelli spent most of her summer working here at the zoo with the youth development summer camps.

    Kelli says she loves to crochet, play video games, draw and read in her spare time.  My first question was if she made her sweater!

    Kelli has made a few college visits and has narrowed down her top three schools to Central Washington, Western and Southern Oregon.


    Kelli and her mom has hoped to take photos in a sunflower field, but we were too late for one local farm’s “sunflower days”.  I loved Kelli’s sunflower inspired t-shirt and it brought a fun pop of color to the beach setting.Kelli’s mom, Stephanie, also brought this pretty bouquet of sunflowers and they were a fun prop to photograph.

    Thank you Kelli and Stephanie for such a fun evening at Pt. Defiance!  Kelli, have a fantastic senior year, make lots of great memories and best of luck wherever you land after graduation!

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    This is Brooke and she is an upcoming senior at Mount Rainier High School.  I met Brooke and her dad for an amazing senior session at Discovery Park in the Magnolia neighborhood of Seattle.  We started off at the historic houses on the grounds of the former Army post, Ft. Lawton.  Brooke is a natural beauty and has the most genuine smile.  Her joy is ever present throughout her images.  Keep scrolling to see just how easy it was to photograph her.


    Brooke’s mom mentioned that Brooke wanted as much color in her images as possible.  I had my hopes set on finding wild sweet peas and there were fields of them!  I probably spent too much time at this location, which forced us to really hustle to the beach, but capturing these images made it so worth it!

    Who could pass up a few shots in this golden field of tall grasses?

    Hustle time!  Brooke had two more dresses and I really wanted to photograph her in both of them.  The dresses brought out Brooke’s pretty blue eyes and were perfect wardrobe choices for this beach setting, adding contrast to the surroundings and a pop of color.

    Seniors put a lot of thought into their outfits, so It’s so fun to include the details.

    In addition to high school, Brooke is also in running start.  Swimming, track and band keep her busy as does teaching swim lessons, which explains her amazing tan.  Right now, Oregon State is her top choice for majoring in education after graduation next year.

    Thank you so much to Brooke and her dad, who was indispensable throughout the session, for such a great evening.  I had the best time capturing your senior portraits!

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    I’ve been to the Washington Park Arboretum once before, but that was a few years ago.  So, it was really important to me to scout the park prior to this session and see what all the arboretum had to offer.  It’s a beautiful place to enjoy the outdoors and I found so many great locations, starting on this terrace by the visitor’s center.

    This is Luke and he is a senior year at O’Dea High School in Seattle.

    Thanks to Luke’s mom, he had a nice variety of clothing options.  This polo shirt really made his blue eyes pop.  After finishing our photos at the terrace, Luke changed his outfit and we walked a short distance to our next location.  Even simple accessories make an impact in your images and I couldn’t pass up getting a detail shot!

    Luke is obviously a natural in front of the camera and it was tempting to stay in this location because the light was amazing.

    To save time and daylight, we drove to another parking lot that put us right at our next location.


    In my opinion, summer evenings are the best time to get your senior pictures taken.  Golden hour happens about two hours prior to sunset and makes everything look a little bit magical.

    The start of a brand new school year is just around the corner.  We were lucky to schedule Luke’s session before he started twice a day football practice.  When he’s not out on the field, you can find him on the ski slopes, playing tennis, kiteboarding and mountain biking.

    After graduation next spring, Luke wants to study computer science and is considering a number of colleges.  CU Boulder, USC, Georgia Tech and Duke University are just a few on Luke’s list.

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    • Gail - Thanks for such a great session!ReplyCancel

      • lisa.a.gonzalez@comcast.net - Luke did a fantastic job. He was so confident in front of the camera and really easy to photograph! I hope he has a great senior year!ReplyCancel