Darin is one of our senior portrait models from Buena, New Jersey.  He’s a handsome dude who looks great serious or with a smile.  Our senior portrait shoot took us from the Cape May Zoo Park to downtown Cape May to Cape May Point.  Darin’s best friend, Kristen, came along for the adventure and helped us create some nice relationship senior portraits.  Together they raised more than a few eyebrows and puzzled looks from vacationers as we ventured through Cape May.  Surely these people had to be asking themselves “Are they models?”,  “Are these engagement pictures?”,  ”But they’re so young!”.    So should I tell them we are creating relationship senior portraits or just say “what are you looking at?”? 

Shannon was on my short list for senior portrait models ever since she came to my attention last summer during our Waukee Cheerleading Poster photo shoot.  Shannon was the ring girl in the boxing themed poster and the unwitting center of what became a contraversial poster - sounds like a good topic for another blog post.  Shannon, who like most of our senior portrait models has never modeled before, showed a natural talent for modeling and was really comfortable in her new role and in front of the camera.  Shannon’s senior picture photo shoot began in our studio with our make-up artist, Shealynn and took us downtown for urban senior pictures, some relationship pictures with her sister Tommie, and finally to Centennial Park in Waukee for some fashion senior pictures.  We’ll look forward to photographing Tommie and hopefully Shannon again next season.

Rachel is one of our Senior Portrait Models from St. Marks High School in Wilmington, Delaware.  Rachel is a cheerleader at St. Marks and spends her free time riding her horse Sabotage.  Rachel’s senior portrait session began at her home in Wilmington.  Rachel’s yard had just enough color to make some beautiful nature senior portraits.  From there we went to St. Marks High School to create some sports senior portraits of Rachel cheerleading at the stadium.  We ended up abandoning the stadium aspect and found that the hill above the stadium was a great location to photograph Rachel jumping into the bright blue sky since there were no distractions on the horizon. 

Our senior portrait session ended up at Art Santoro’s ranch somewhere in the Corner Ketch part of Delaware where we created some fashion senior portraits in Art’s backyard and some horse relationship senior portraits on the hills above his house.  Art made a beautiful wooden bench swing that hangs from a tree in his back yard and it made a great place to create fashion senior portraits of Rachel.  Art and his wife run a horse stable and training center for equestrian pursuits.  Art is a very smart man who bought his property adjacent the White Clay Creek State Park which will never be developed and provides lots of riding trails for his guests.  Art was also very generous to allow us to use his beautiful home and land for Rachel’s senior portraits.  Thank you Art.

Carlyn is one of our senior picture models and was the first this year of a string of smart, photogenic, athletic and immensely likable seniors from Johnston High School who asked us to create their senior pictures.  Carlyn’s two photo shoots brought us to downtown Des Moines for urban senior pictures, to Johnston High School for sports senior pictures, to our studio for classic senior pictures, and finally to a park in Cumming, Iowa for beautiful nature senior pictures with June wildflowers.   Carlyn plays soccer for Johnston High School and in spite of the drizzling rain, made some outstanding soccer senior pictures at the stadium.  Through all the time we spent with Carlyn in less than ideal weather conditions, she never stopped smiling and is one of our favorite senior picture models.

While most seniors give us a run around town for their money, Madi ran us out of town.  Madi, from Dowling Catholic High School in West Des Moines settled on a single location for her senior portraits - Madison County and it’s famous bridges.  After visiting Shealynn (our makeup artist) at our studio, Madi along with her mom, dad, brother and family dog trucked down to Winterset for a couple hours of nature and fashion senior portraits in the setting of old bridges and even a stone tower atop the hills of a state park.  Smiling, serious, posed or candid Madi was wonderfully photogenic and relaxed throughout our photo shoot.