Jaclyn: Class of 2018

Jaclyn, it was so nice to meet you :) Even though there were practically tornado level winds that were tough to work with, you killed your senior session. Fall senior sessions are my new favorite thing... it's not 90 degrees out and humid, there are beautiful fall tones, and fall fashion is the best fashion in my opinion. Which, now that I mention fashion, you picked out the cutest outfits! 

I am so amazed at how much you've accomplished and how humble you are. I wish you the best with your collegiate basketball career, and have an amazing time out east! Minnesota will miss ya! But, before then, I hope you have an amazing senior year!

ALSO - special shoutout to my girl Julia for making an appearance! I always love when a past senior I've photographed tags along for a friend's shoot! 

Guy: Class of 2018

This senior has quite the inspirational story.

Four years ago, Guy was adopted from Haiti. 

Now, Guy has family both in Haiti and the United States. His Minnesota family started a non-profit to build up families and give children educational opportunities in Haiti. Learn more here: http://www.transformedtwelve.org/

While Guy has always been interested in soccer, he joined the team and now he is captain of the varsity team. When he is not tearing up the soccer field, Guy is an amazing brother, friend, and student.

Congratulations on all your accomplishments, Guy! I wish you the best of luck with your goal of playing soccer in college. You are capable and talented!

Ashley: Class of 2018

Ashley!! You are amazing - talented, driven, intelligent, athletic, kind, and friendly! I am happy that we could bond over student council & our obsession with studying in coffee shops. I still have to send you my list of favorites for you to try out :) Anyway, you are going places in life and I cannot wait to see what exciting things your future holds. Best of luck with sports and school this year!!

I am so happy you found me through Instagram and reached out about senior pictures! It was a joy to meet you and your mom :) 

Wyatt: Class of 2018

Wyatt, I had the privilege of meeting your amazing mother this summer. She's one of the most selfless people I now, and when she asked me to take your picture, I was so excited to meet you! Thank you so much for letting me take your senior photos! It was so nice to meet you. I loved talking about Orono & realizing nothing has really changed there since I've graduated. I hope you enjoy the rest of your senior year, and best of luck with your goal of studying computer science!! I can tell you are very intelligent and it will be exciting to see the amazing things you decide to do!

Hannah: Class of 2018

Let me tell you one thing about this amazing girlie. Hannah had ONE request for her senior photos: she wanted to recreate the J. Cole 2014 Forest Hills Drive album cover! That's when I knew she was seriously awesome. She also has the coolest aspirations ever... she wants to go to flight school and be a pilot. Talk about a one-of-a-kind wonder. Hannah, you amaze me, girl!

Not only are you driven and fascinating, but you are sweet, funny, and oh-so-smiley. Not only did I love taking your photos and hanging out with you, but editing your photos gave me so much joy because I can experience your happiness and cheerful presence all over again. You are remarkably easygoing and fun to be around. I truly enjoyed getting to know you!

I hope you have an amazing senior year. I will be very excited to see you chase after your dreams after high school. I have full faith that you are 110% capable of achieving your dreams! 

Shannon: Class of 2018

Miss Shannon, you are quite the exquisite young lady. I am astounded by your confidence and how sure of yourself you are - it is truly a gift. I still have a hard time believing you are only a senior in high school - you seem far more mature! I enjoyed getting to know you throughout the evening! I wish you the best with pursuing your dream of being a teacher :) Enjoy your senior year!! 

Simone: Class of 2018

Simone, your senior session was so much fun! From the get-go you knew exactly what you wanted for senior photos... nothing to do with a field and everything to do with a trendy urban setting. You're a distinguished lady with awesome style and downtown Minneapolis was perfect for you. Oftentimes throughout your shoot it felt like were having a fashion shoot instead of a senior shoot. You could totally model!

We probably walked 3+ miles during your shoot, which means it was also a workout. Senior pics + exercise: killing two birds with one stone, brownie points for us. Also, we definitely confused the valet drivers at Hewing Hotel when we walked past them 7 different times (I counted!), usually with you wearing a different outfit. No shame. Throughout the couple hours I got to hang out with you, I enjoyed talking about life and hearing all about what my alma mater is like three years later! (Keep living it up on student council and golf team!!!) Seriously though, you are so easy to talk to and you have an amazing sense of humor! I'd absolutely love it if you came and visited me at the U of M sometime! (P.S.: we bonded over our mutual love for chai tea, so that automatically makes you ten times more cool then you already were. I'm glad I could introduce you to the chai at Aster Cafe, a.k.a. the best chai on this planet!)

One last thing: you honestly remind me of Beyonce. For real. You are naturally breathtakingly beautiful, confident, and glowing. Iconic, just like Beyonce. As I've been editing in my new apartment now that I'm back at college, my roommates saw your pictures in my editing program. We laughed about how seniors nowadays, like you, are models. I'm pretty sure when I was a senior in high school I was still in my awkward middle school age, lol. Regardless, I am so happy that I got to meet you and take your senior photos. I wish you an amazing senior year!

Kelly: Class of 2018

Kelly!! You are amazing. From the moment our shoot started, I knew we would have so much fun. I am so happy you were down to explore some new locations with me!! I'd been waiting all summer to do that, and I am so happy we did. Field + a barn + a willow tree + flowers... the perfect senior photos setup. Each location complemented your outfits and beauty in a unique way, and it was nearly impossible for me to choose my favorites to upload! 

I'm so impressed by you and I cannot believe you are only a senior in high school. Not only are you a photographer's dream because you are such a natural in front of the camera + stunning (seriously, please model for me again sometime), but you are also so sweet and down-to-earth! I absolutely loved getting to know you. It's awesome how you have big dreams for next year and your future - let them guide you and I am confident that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to. Whether you end up in California or some other cool place, I know you'll kill it! 

Oh yeah... thanks for bringing your lovely momma and puppy to your shoot :) I am glad I got to take some pictures of the three of you!! You and your mom are one of the most photogenic mother-daughter duos I've ever seen.

I hope you enjoy your photos :) Thanks again for letting me take your senior photos, it was an honor!

Meredith: Class of 2018

Oh Meredith, I had so much fun taking your senior photos. It had been quite some time since I'd seen you at the last big Swanson family reunion, so I loved getting to catch up with you and hear all about your life! It was so special that I got to take these photos because I know how exciting this time of your life is. You have so much going for you, and I am looking forward to seeing all the amazing things that you'll do, on and off the soccer field. Which, by the way, I am so proud of you and your commitment to play D1 soccer at the University of Michigan! That is no easy feat and I know how hard you have worked for years to make that dream a reality. You did it, and I'm so happy for you. I'm a very proud cousin to say the least!

As I went through the hundreds of photos we took, I loved how genuinely happy and cheerful you were in all of them. The laughing ones are just too cute... maybe my lame jokes do work sometimes, after all ;) However, my favorite photos by far from this session are the ones with the long dress. Side note: we may or may have not have 'accidentally ventured' into a private residential area for a quick 5 minutes to snap those photos. Totally worth it. What can I say, as a photographer, there is a certain instinct that cannot be ignored when there is a beautiful goldenrod field, golden lighting, and an elegant yellow dress! 

Thank you again, Meredith! This was so special to me, and I hope we can find excuses to hang out more outside of family gatherings :) 

Tori: Class of 2018

Tori!! You are sophisticated and delightful. I loved meeting you and hangout out with you and Nikki for the evening! You have an amazing sense of style and such natural beauty. I love how unique your session was... starting off with your very own backyard, where the photos ended up looking like a Free People advertisement, to driving all the way to Minneapolis just to have to turn around because the clouds looked dark and scary, to talking about life with Nikki in the car, to finally making it to Wayzata where the clouds weren't ominous and we could finish the second half of your session. Despite the weather-induced change of plans, thanks so much for being so easy-going the whole time! 

Nikki: Class of 2018

It was such a joy to take senior photos for this sweet soul. Nikki is one of the most genuine people I know. She's also made an appearance at three of my senior sessions which is totally awesome :) It all started last summer when she tagged along for Mattie's senior shoot when the three of us explored uptown, jammed out in the car, had heart-to-hearts, and ate Mesa pizza. (That's called senior pics done right.) We made a full circle because Mattie came to Nikki's pictures this year! Nikki, I'm so thankful for photography because without it, I probably wouldn't have gotten to know you more or been able to call you a friend! I am so excited for you to come visit Mattie and I at the U of M this school year!

Thanks again for letting me take your photos - it was such an honor and I always love the time I get to spend with you. I hope you have a blast with senior year, and I cannot wait to see the exciting things that your future holds.

Nicole: Class of 2018

Nicole!!

I've known you for a few years now, and I was so excited when I got your senior photo inquiry. Something I really appreciate about you is how genuine you are! You also have a subtle sense of humor which is just awesome!! (Thanks for trying out some new 'silly' poses!!) I had so much fun running around snapping photos with you - even though it was super early in the morning and neither you nor I were awake yet! It was worth it for bright sunshine and gorgeous floral background. 

You are talented in so many ways and it's been fun to hear all about your hockey career and how you are exploring that passion of yours! I hope that you have a great senior year. I know you'll kill it out there on the ice and in the classroom. 

God bless!

Kayla: Class of 2018

Kayla is one of the most cheerful and vivaciously bubbly humans I have ever met!! She is rarely not smiling or laughing! She is one of those individuals who is like an instant ray of sunshine when she walks in the room -- total day brightener whose smile is contagious! Her presence is a blessing to say the least :) I always aim to capture raw and true emotion in my photos, and because Kayla is naturally upbeat and smiley, this was quite easy to do! 

This is definitely my new favorite senior session that I've ever shot, for a variety of reasons! The first time we had Kayla's photos scheduled, we got rained out, which was a huge bummer at first. However, Kayla had the jackpot for weather when we rescheduled! It was overcast for part of the time and bright and sunny for the second part of the shoot. Because of this, we got the benefits of both... photos with rich tones and details from the overcast lighting, and bright and vibrant photos from when it was sunny. Best of both worlds! PLUS... Kayla was my very first senior session with my brand new camera and lens that I had gotten that morning!! I couldn't have asked for a more awesome, genuine, and remarkably stunning senior to use my new camera on :)

Kayla, thank you again for letting me capture your beauty - you are just darling! I had SO much fun hanging out with you for the evening. You're an incredible human and I am pumped to see what you decide to do next year!! 

Sabina: Class of 2018

Alright... story time. I hate snakes. Like, I really dislike them. I'm not too huge of a fan of bugs, either. In fact, I'm definitely more at home in a city than I am out in nature (not to say I don't appreciate it). Whenever a senior I photograph requests the field look, my aversion to bugs and other creepy-crawlies gets forgotten temporarily because I think that field photos are classic, elegant, and timeless, and I love taking that style of photo! BUT... occasionally the novelty of field shoots gets shoved aside and I remember why I am scared of them in the first place. This shoot would classify as one of those occasions. Let it be known that Sabina and I faced the WHOLE NINE YARDS for creepy-crawlies when we were out in that field! Bees, horseflies, mosquitoes, and a SNAKE. Yes, a snake. But, together we held it together and put our fears aside and stayed out in the field and captured some amazing photos. Sabina looked like a total angel, for real. 100% worth it. 

Sabina, you are absolutely darling. This felt so much more like a friend hang-out then a senior shoot!! You even helped me face the fact that I am probably addicted to caffeine when I said I was going to get some coffee after our shoot haha. But I didn't!! A step in the right direction!!) I'm so inspired by how wanderlust you are and all your plans to travel the world and experience life in different cultures and cities across the globe. You are wise beyond your years and it'll be fascinating to see what it is you decide to do after graduation. The possibilities are endless for you! 

Thank you again for letting me capture your beauty. You are remarkably stunning!

Ava: Class of 2018

Ava, you are so sweet and I loved meeting you!! I had so much fun getting to know you and talking about life. Loved loved loved photographing you. Even though I only spent a few hours with you, I totally see your personality shining through in your photos. You have the prettiest dark features. Some of my favorite pictures are the ones of you with the daisies! Thank you for being so down to try out new poses climb through fields!! 

I hope you have an amazing senior year! Maybe see you in Barcelona next spring?!?

Anna: Class of 2018

You know when you haven't seen someone in at least five years and then you're finally reunited!? Anna, it was so nice to see you again! It'd been a few years for sure, and you've grown up into the most amazing person. It's refreshing how you are so unique and confident in your own skin. I absolutely love your style and your hair! And the henna :)

It was so much fun photographing you and Ava! You two are a blast. Thanks for roadtripping all the way to Lakeville for our photo destination!! 

Have an amazing rest of your summer! I cannot wait to see what the future holds for you!

Scott: Class of 2018

Scott, I enjoyed meeting you! Thanks for adventuring around Excelsior with me and telling me all about your trip to Europe! Best of luck with soccer, skiing, and senior year -- I hope you enjoy it while it lasts! 

Here's an interesting story: so, if you've read the 'about me' page, you know that I lost my first DSLR camera in a lake. Here's the full story: it happened at Scott's family's cabin in Duluth! Scott's family is great friends with my best friend's family, and two summers ago, they were so kind and let Ariana and I spend the weekend there before we went off to college for the first time. At that point, I barely even knew how to use my camera and definitely had little to no technical understanding of basic camera functions. One afternoon, I had placed my camera and brand new 50mm portrait lens on my towel on the dock so that the towel wouldn't fly into the lake. A couple minutes later after I had walked onto the beach, Ariana and I heard a gust of wind and I looked back, and to my horror, the towel and camera were gone because the wind had picked up both of them. As soon as I realized what had happened, I dove down and retrieved the camera from the bottom of the lake. For the proceeding week, I went through a sequence of remedial attempts -- rice, silica packets, even 'baking' the camera at 100 degrees in the oven. Long story short that camera was never able to be fixed, but the lens was! In fact, the lens I chose to use during Scott's session is the very lens that was on the bottom of the lake at his cabin! Weird, right?! 

Grant: Class of 2018

Quick sidenote: It's always funny when I have a super random connection to a senior who I photograph. In this case, I learned that I used to sit next to Grant's older brother in Spanish class way back in the day when I was a freshman in high school - what a blast from the past. Chandler, if you're reading this, hello, and I hope all is well :) 

Grant, I had a great time working with you! Loring Park was the perfect location for photos -- we got such a cool mixture of urban, nature, and skyline shots! Some of my favorites are the ones we took in the tunnel that leads to the Walker Art Center Sculpture Garden. The interaction between the blue of the tunnel and the navy in your shirt makes a sweet shot! Also, thanks for being so down to adventure and walk all around to find photo spots. We put on some mileage during the shoot for sure - worth it though! Between shots it was fun chatting with you about your trip to Peru, your athletic careers, and senior year in general. Oh and thank you for bringing along your adorable dog! I am so happy we got to snap a couple photos with her!

I hope you have a great last year of school -- you have a lot going for you and it will be quite exciting to see what you decide to do after graduation. Best of luck with the upcoming football and wrestling seasons! 

Maddie: Class of 2018

MN weather has been something else this summer. Maddie and I had to cancel her shoot not once but twice because of rain. The worst part? Both days it frustratingly went from stormy to sunny, but only after it was too late to shoot! BUT... I'm not complaining, because our third try was successful, and it was absolutely gorgeous out! Also, we had a fun shoot because her adorable puppy, mom, sister, and friend came along for the ride. :) 

Maddie is the perfect mix of sophisticated, classy, genuine, and fun. Super stunning and easygoing! She killed it with her outfit choices: a classy, timeless white top, a teal dress that brought out her beautiful hazel eyes, and a bold red shirt that complemented her brown hair nicely. Also, coming from a family tree of lots of dentists, you have a million dollar smile.  

Maddie, thank you so much again for your flexibility and good attitude about all the rain and rescheduling hoops we had to jump through in order to finally get the perfect senior photo evening! Honestly, I would go through all that weather frustration again though for this shoot because I love the floral theme that you requested, the perfect summer weather we had when we finally got to shoot, and all the pictures we took. Also, it was fun to take a walk down memory lane and take pictures where I had my own senior photos taken 3 summers ago. Anyway, I had so much fun spending the evening with you and your squad! I wish you a phenomenal senior year! 

Julia: Class of 2018

Julia: you are absolutely darling and I had so much fun working with you! You are a natural beauty and honestly resemble an angel - glowing complexion, gorgeous smile, and pretty hazel eyes. You are remarkably beautiful and made photographing you beyond easy and so much fun. In fact, I was so excited with how the photos were turning out that I turned down sleeping on my 6am flight the next morning to edit :)

Also, Hannah, you win sister of the year award for helping Julia pick out some amazing outfits from your own closet! Nicest sister ever!! Still cannot get over the white floral romper from Zara in Spain. It was perfectly summery and the colors in it matched several walls that we found! 

I was super happy when Julia chose St. Anthony Main as her location because it's one of my all-time favorite photography spots with its variety of rich colors and backgrounds. Out of all the shoots I've had, this was definitely the most adventurous. As a brief recap, we climbed down the sketchy stairway by the Stone Arch Bridge to the Mississippi River, got access to an amazing rooftop overlooking the river and the Minneapolis skyline, encountered some very strange people, and even accidentally photobombed an indoor wedding reception that I didn't realize was happening until I looked in the windows. Major oops, but we still got cute photos! 

Julia, thanks so much for your enthusiasm throughout the shoot and willingness to try various poses. I'm also still happy that we both share a mutual love for candid photos. I hope you enjoy the rest of your summer and have an amazing senior year!! 

"She is clothed in strength and dignity and she laughs without fear of the future." -Proverbs 31:25