The Stephanie Newman Photography Journal

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.

As summer draws to a close and the Class of 2024 prepares to embark on the next chapter of their lives, it’s the perfect time to celebrate the unforgettable moments of high school. One standout senior, Isabel, recently had her senior portrait session at Whitetail Woods, capturing the essence of her journey as a vibrant member of the color guard. Nestled in the heart of nature, Whitetail Woods provided the ideal setting for Isabel’s portraits. The lush greenery and stunning landscapes served as a picturesque backdrop, highlighting the beauty of summer. As the golden sun filtered through the trees, it created a warm, inviting glow that perfectly complemented Isabel’s bright personality. Isabel’s dedication to the color guard is evident in her spirit and enthusiasm. As a member of the team, she has spent countless hours practicing choreography, perfecting her technique, and performing at competitions. Her passion for dance and the art of performance shines through in every twirl and spin, making her an inspiring figure among her peers. During the photo session, Isabel brought her color guard flag along, showcasing her love for the sport and adding some extra fun  to the images. 

Just like my own child’s senior year was coming up and me being in denial that he is old enough to be graduating from high school soon. All the feelings and thoughts are copied and pasted for this young lady. This girlie is one of my son’s best friends and one of my bonus children. Luke and G, along with G’s boyfriend, Charlie became fast friends during our church’s Christmas Musical, where the trio played knock off Star Wars characters.

The moment after I led Ryley and her mom to our starting spot for her session and locked in the settings on my camera to start shooting I knew that this was going to be a great session. Little inside info about how I start my senior sessions, is that I ALWAYS have my senior look off to the side and take a test shot. That way they’re not standing there staring at me anxiously. The minute I took Ryley’s test shot and looked at the image, I squealed. And kept squealing with every shot I took afterwards. Which led to some great laughing shots from Ryley. I may or may not have sent a back of camera shot during her session to send to my bestie ( who is also a photographer).

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.

I’m always a little nervous doing shoots with senior guys because they’re either really quiet and it’s hard to have to connect with them during their session or we have a great time and we struggle getting through the shoot because we’re having a good time. At Zach’s session we had a great time! He was so friendly and talkative throughout his session

Sophia is my very first senior for the Class of 2024! I was so excited to get my senior season started and meet Sophia and her mom. I always have my seniors fill out a questionnaire before we meet up, so that I can get to know them a little bit and also, so I have some talking points during their session. It helps making what can be a nerve racking situation for the both of us. Sophia’s answers for the question, describe your personality. She answered with sweet and goofy. And that definitely showed up during her session.