When Emma reached out wanting to book multiple sessions for her senior photos, there was so much for me to be excited about: all the ideas for poses and concepts that she had for her gallery, traveling for her shoot, the creativity I knew they'd trust me with, not to mention this BEAUTY of a subject I was getting to work with. I've quite literally known Emma her entire life, so it definitely aged me to capture her graduation session haha!
First stop: my alma mater, South Florence High School, in Florence, South Carolina.
We started on the football field where Emma spent all 4 of her years in high school cheering. (It was actually my first time seeing all the recent add-on's to the field, including two full sets of new bleachers and huge bathroom facilities.) The green grass was showing off with vibrancy that afternoon, the weather was a perfect blend of the upcoming spring and fading winter, and we (mostly) had the entire place to ourselves. We seriously could not have asked for a better day to photograph at the school.
These shots came out so beautifully and are absolutely timeless - I can imagine Emma's future children telling her how much of a model she was back in high school.
Next, it was time for an outfit change. We ditched the pompoms for a more formal outfit and snapped a few on the field before moving to the front entranceway of the building.
Day 1 of senior portraits concluded here, and we booked Emma's second session in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for the next weekend. During that time, the school delivered caps and gowns to their seniors, so we were stoked to bring them along to the beach.
Growing up with Emma's family, we spent countless summers down at her grandparents' beach condo. I was immediately transported to being 10 years old again, climbing the steps to the third floor and walking to the very end of the hallway until I saw the boogie boards and beach chairs outside the door. It was so strange approaching the condo by myself for the very first time as an adult!
After catching up a bit and weighing some outfit options, we made our way down to the sand and got the session started. The wind was hard at work against us, but thankfully the heat was only warm enough to be comfortable, and we were able to grab a big, empty spot to move around in. Emma was a trooper throughout this hour - doing her best to walk through the sand haha, sitting, standing, workshopping together to recreate her inspiration pictures, and meticulously positioning the gown over her dress for the perfect carefree look.
Let this be your sign to book 2 (or more!) sessions of graduate portraits - we managed to capture so many different sides of Emma and gave her a SUPER diverse gallery. So many options for senior slideshows, graduation announcements, scrapbooks, decorations for grad parties, not to mention Instagram posts and profile pics 😍
2025's senior season brought me SO many eager graduates, and it is so special to see the mix of excitement, sentiment, pride and nerves on their faces as they close this chapter of their lives and look forward to the next. I cannot wait for the 2026 batch of seniors. (It's never too early to book your senior portraits 😉)
