Meet the Leylands...One of my favorite families

This session almost got rained out.  I was just about a minute away from their driveway when the downpour began.  

As I maneuvered through the heavy rain, I imagined having to cancel the session (insert my pouty face here).  

I didn't want to show up at their door, see all the kids dressed perfectly, and have to tell Terry that we needed to reschedule.  

So, I thought, let's wait it out a bit.

And not long after I arrived, the rain stopped and the clouds rolled away.  But the humidity hung around.  UGH

So we knew it was going to be a damp session but we decided to give it a whirl anyways. 

Terry, the Pinterest guru, created the adorable floral headbands worn by her granddaughters.  She had everyone dressed to match and I was so impressed!

Time to head outdoors (did I mention Hank was in the kitchen whipping up some homemade salsa and spaghetti sauce?) Oh, yeah...

LOVE this family!

We decided on some areas of their back yard to capture the smiles and personalities of their 4 grandchildren.

Aren't they simply ADORABLE?

Then we ventured down to a local barn to shoot some "country" images.  The barn door was the perfect backdrop!

And we were photobombed a few times by the horses!!! :)

I don't think Terry and Hank anticipated the entire family posing for a picture but it happened.  There was this old tree stump just sitting there....

it was the most perfect spot to pose the family!  And Levi counted 150 rings in that stump!  What an old tree! 

Impromptu, unexpected, and spur of the moment = 1 very awesome family photo

As I finish up my edits and retouches of this session, I smile knowing that this family loves deeply and lives life to the fullest.  (and eats really good pasta)

I am so blessed to know each of them and get the opportunity to capture a time in their lives when the grandchildren are still young.

Godetevi le fotografs, Leylands!

Meet Dalton.

Of course, I am always showing off my gorgeous and handsome senior pics to my coworkers!  They see my blog, browse through my website, and always get to hear the latest photo session scoop.  So, I was thrilled when my friend and coworker, Eric, asked if I could schedule his son's senior portrait session.  We scheduled a date and the rest is history!

When I arrived in Prospect, PA (I found the house without GPS - Prospect is a small town), I was first greeted by the family dog - wagging tail and all. Hesitantly, with no one around, I reached out my hand to pet him and that was it - friends for life! :)  I knocked on the door - no one answered!  Uh oh...and there they came down the street in a classic Ford Galaxy.  Wow, I was very impressed and completely excited to know that car would be one of my best props ever!  It seems my cell phone service sucked in Prospect or I would have known the family was on their way back to the house with the car.  

The Galaxy belonged to Dalton's grandfather who just recently passed away so this photo prop was of the highest emotional value to this family <3

But mom wasn't happy at first.  You know, typical "boy doesn't want anything to do with getting ready for senior pics. Can't I sleep in till noon?" stuff.  Mom was worried.  Dad cracked the whip.  And I worked my magic to make this handsome young man ease into this session.

And my magic wand worked wonders with the entire family!  Dad was the perfect prop driver - moving that relic anywhere I needed it staged to avoid harsh shadows and glaring sun.

Mom relaxed once she saw her son posing and smiling for the camera!

And I was in heaven - classic car, beautiful Saturday morning, friends, and one great model!

We also went to Moraine - who knew there were all these backroads into the park????  The sun was quite direct and harsh most places near the lake so we drove quite a bit until we found a few shaded spots to shoot.

Dalton is a very personable, handsome, and athletic young man.  I wish him well his senior year in all his sport activities.  Enjoy your senior year and thanks for allowing me the privledge of capturing your smile!

Donna

Meet Matthew

Matthew and his family followed my directions to a "T"....when I said scout out some creative and unique spots to shoot the session, WOW!  They delivered.

Now may be a good time to add - this family is related to my last senior on my blog so it shouldn't have surprised me that they would pull through and find some awesome locations!  It's in their blood!  Or could it be they are all firemen? hmmmm....I may have to blog about that sometime!

OK, so I follow dad, Crystal, and Matthew to Distant, PA.  You may not find it on the map.  And I don't know if I would remember how we got there.  But after a few turns on some dirt roads, we stopped at one of the most unique stone bridges I have ever seen.  We hit a slight snag though.  We weren't the only ones who thought it would be a great spot for photos.  Another photographer arrived with her clients, but we all managed to work through it and  everyone was happy.

Except for being bitten alive by gnats and mosquitos down by the water's edge.  Yuk!  After just a few quick shots down there, we decided to move on to another location.

But....now this is where it gets a bit hokey!   A young lad who was there with the other photographer (he was driving the quad) asked if we wanted to see another bridge just up the road before we left.  Who could resist that invitation?  He explained it was a railroad bridge spanning the creek.  So, there we went driving up a dirt road, turning in to a cornfield pathway, and winding our way over to a clearing.  All I could hear in my head was dueling banjos playing that tune - you know the one from THAT movie! :)

After a hike (I thought it was a very long hike), we came to a wide grassy clearing that gave a clear view of the old railroad bridge.  It was very cool.  But maybe not worth the drive through a cornfield and my tinge of nerves and apprehension. But, I must say we had fun.  And the young boy who escorted us was very helpful, considerate, and nice.  Thank goodness for AWD (all wheel drive)!!!

And off we went...

2nd location....Matthew's boss' house

And all I can say is PERFECTION.  This home could have been on the front cover of L.L. Bean or Cabelas' magazine.  The owner was gracious enough to allow us to shoot there even though he wasn't going to be home.  Matthew felt so comfortable there and it really showed in the images.  He was able to relax and pose here and there around the property.  

'Mr. September', as Matthew is now known, is a fireman.  So we had to be sure to capture his "fireman" look!  And it was just about sunset.  Oh, a photographer's dream time! 

I have to say that usually young men are not that in to having their senior pictures taken.  I have literally seen guys just pout up a storm.  But, somehow, through the use of charm, jokes, and trust, I found a way to capture the real Matthew.  And dad and Crystal enjoyed every minute of watching Matthew smile, let loose, and enjoy this special time in his life!  I so appreciate Scott trusting me with his son's senior portraits.  I hope they can look back on this day and recall all the laughter and fun moments they shared together.

Meet Kendra.  

When Kendra and her father first contacted me to discuss her senior portraits, I thought: "OK, it's a high school senior. What can I do to help make this session unique."

Well, to my surprise and delight, Kendra and her dad already knew what they wanted...EDGY!

Now, I am a mom (to a son though) so when I first envisioned 'edgy' with this adorable senior girl sitting in my office, I was a bit nervous.  Would dad be okay with his teenage daughter kinda veering off the normal senior picture route?  Here we were discussing torn jeans, Harleys, and retro brick walls.

But dad was right there - making very "cool" suggestions for locations, poses, and what to wear.  I loved his enthusiasm and pure love and devotion to his very stunning teenage daughter.  Now to find that perfect location to capture her style and beauty.

I gave my clients some homework because they know our town very well since they are both local fire fighters (of which I am very proud of them). Find me the coolest brick wall in downtown Kittanning.  And off they went....

That's when my text notifications went crazy....I was staring right at the coolest wall ever through cell phone uploads from dad!  And who would have thought it was in an alley - in downtown Kittanning - and perfect for Kendra's shoot!  My model was happy.  Dad was happy.  And, boy, was the photographer happy!  ME! :)

And so the planning began....and then the big day arrived!

Kendra wanted to include her new puppy in some photos so we ventured over to the Kittanning Riverfront Park for our first round of photos. 

Then it was off to the "brick wall" in an alley (with a dumpster and an oversized weed).  Thanks to Dad and Ashley the area was spruced up while I set up for the shoot.  Kendra totally rocked this alley...I mean her poses and clothing were spot on! I knew just from peeking at the back of the camera that these shots were going to be awesome.

Then we moved on to the old train station in town.  But when we arrived there was a group of ladies there doing some yard work and minor repairs to the area.  Dad jumped in to action and asked if we could use the location to take a few senior picture photos.  Hesitantly, the woman in charge permitted us 15 minutes. So, hurriedly, we managed to capture just a few shots there.

​Our last location was Kendra's personal favorite.  Her grandfather owns a quaint camp along the Allegheny River near Wattersonville and he welcomed us all there to finish up her senior pictures.  Kendra was in her familiar place and it showed. She was so relaxed and comfortable shooting there. 

This was one of my favorite sessions.  I got it all - fantastic clients, a beautiful model, a very cute puppy, sunshine, awesome locations, and fantastic images.

Thanks to Kendra, Kevin, Ashley, and the grandparents for all being part of this special day!