The Stephanie Newman Photography Journal

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.

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.

Another year with the Mischke family! I see Allesha and most of her men folk on a regular basis through a boys book club we are both apart of, but it doesn’t hit me until their family picture time, that these boys are growing and becoming more mature. Ben was just a little guy when I started photographing their family and now look at him! He’s half the size of his dad! And Brad is a tall guy!

Family is the most important thing in the world.” – Princess Diana

Sarah reached out to me in early spring to book a family session with her her family and in-laws, as a gift to her mother in-law for Mothers Day. I thought that was the sweetest thing ever. Also something the matriarch of the VanBenthusyen family would cherish for years to come.

I LOVE photographing this family. I’m sure I’ve said this before in previous blog posts about them. But they are the kindest, most wonderful group of people that I have had the privilege to work with. Seriously. I’ve photographed Kayleigh and Taylor’s family with her mom, dad and brother at one session. The next year I worked with them again, but with Taylor’s mom, dad and brother. This year, Kayleigh wanted EVERYONE! They were all together to celebrate little Oliver’s 1st birthday and what better way to continue the celebration than to get some family pictures done!