The Stephanie Newman Photography Journal

Senior photo sessions are always exciting, but sometimes, a little chaos can make them even more memorable. That was certainly the case for Emily’s session in downtown Northfield. It was the first day of Defeat of Jesse James Days, one of the biggest events in town, and let’s just say I wasn’t fully prepared for the festival vibes to kick off so soon! I had thought the event started the following day, not on the day of Emily’s session. That little mix-up led to an unexpected twist in our plans, but one thing remained constant—Emily’s amazing energy, which kept the session fun and relaxed from start to finish. 

August is such a magical time for senior portrait sessions. The warm sun, vibrant skies, and the anticipation of a new chapter make it the perfect backdrop for capturing the essence of a young person about to embark on their future. I had the incredible opportunity to photograph Allison, a senior from Farmington, at the beautiful Spring Lake Park Reserve in Hastings. Allison is a remarkable young woman who is deeply involved in a wide range of activities—making her senior session an exciting reflection of her diverse passions and talents.

As the world awakens from its winter slumber, spring brings a refreshing burst of color and life—a perfect backdrop for celebrating milestones like high school graduation. Recently, I had the joy of photographing Charlie’s senior session at Whitetail Woods in Farmington, Minnesota. The combination of blooming flora and vibrant energy made for a truly unforgettable experience, capturing both Charlie’s personality and the beauty of this season. Charlie is my son’s best friend and I was so honored to photograph him for his senior year. Charlie arrived wearing a polo shirt, but had a flannel shirt to change into, that reflected his laid-back personality.

Ava was my second to last senior girl of my Class of 2024. I was a little sad that my season with this senior class was coming to an end, but happy that I got to spend it with this beautiful bubbly girl. It was windy and a little chilly the day we met for her session and that didn’t seem to bother her at all. Girl was so used to being outside in cooler temps as a cheerleader. The wind helped create some great Beyonce moments when we were down by the lake. Which sometimes is awesome, others it was a pain in the behind trying to not let her hair get into her face so much.

Earlier this spring when I was advertising for booking summer senior sessions, I got an email from Claire’s mom, Jenny, asking to book a session for Claire. I was soooo excited to hear from her. A couple of years ago I had done Claire’s brother’s senior session, Luke.

I have known Ali since she was like 6 or 10. I know that’s a huge age gap, but I honestly can’t remember when I first met her. I’ve slept since then. Ali and her family used to attend our church and was in Sunday school and church plays with my oldest. So, like I said, I’ve known her for a LONG time.

I’m starting to wind down with my summer senior sessions for this year and one of those sessions was with the beautiful Bella! Bella is a senior from Bloomington Kennedy High School and wanted a little rustic and nature to her photos I suggested meeting at Whitetail Woods.

So this senior is my kiddo. I knew this day would come, but I wanted to be in denial about it all. I actaully was nervous about doing his pictures. Don’t ask why. You’d think I’d be more nervous about doing complete stranger’s senior pictures and not my own kid. But I was. I think we may have both been nervous because we were both giggling and laughing a lot the entire time. I wanted to take maybe an hour to do his pictures and we ended up staying out for 2 hours. It probably didn’t help that he was being a sassy teenager.

Madelyn’s session was a little cloudy and threatened to rain on us. Which clouds are not the end of the world, it actually helps a little bit in diffusing the light. I just didn’t want the heavens to open and downpour on us. Depsite having clouds all around us, Madelyn brought sunshine throughout her session.