My senior portrait style tends to be bright, colorful, and polished. Sometimes a little arty, and almost always sun-filled. That is what I love and that is what I want to do for my high school seniors.

But as a creative, and someone who is drawn also to the art of photography, I sometimes want to do something very different from my normal. I feel so free when I can create for me, and go where ever my mood takes me. 

In May I went with Sylvia, one of my Class of 2026 seniors, to photograph in a small Kansas town. This wasn't her actual senior portrait shoot, but one I dreamed up, so I chose the location and outfit.  I had initially wanted to put Sylvia into a sparkling silver gown, but changed at the last minute to this romantic, corseted dress. Heavy clouds would not have given me the sparkle I wanted from the silver dress; and this lacy, romantic dress brought just the right feel. Also, Sylvia is amazing and not shy in front of the camera, and happily went with me on my dark journey. 

Sylvia and I had so much fun doing these as townspeople drove past and looked - even the local police officer slowed down to see what we were up to. It's not every day that someone looks quite like this at the grain elevator! 

Click here to see a reel on Instagram of these cinematic images, set an equally cinematic song.