Sam: Class of 2021

Ella: Class of 2021

Maggie: Class of 2021

Lindsey: Class of 2021

Lindsey!!!

Oh my word it was a BLAST to work with you!! I can’t stop thinking about how much I laughed at your photo shoot. It was totally worth messing up our sleep schedules for that 5:45am sunrise shoot :)

After we started the shoot with the perfect prairie sunrise photos, we decided to ‘explore’ for the second shoot and went on an urban safari to Edina. We typed in the address of a random Starbucks and decided to just go with it. Once we got there and walked around for a few minutes, we randomly stumbled upon one of the most beautiful locations I’ve shot at within the past 5 years. Such a win!

Now, let me brag about Lindsey. She is smart, sweet, driven, HILARIOUS, and has a good head on her shoulders! I’m confident she can do anything she sets her mind to. There’s a trend on the internet right now where people walk a marathon. Lindsey did this!!! And then that wasn’t hardcore enough so she biked a marathon the next day! Lindsey, I’m pretty sure that if you can motivate yourself to walk for 8ish hours, you can reach any goal you set for yourself. Keep dreaming big. I’m so excited for you as you embark on your future! And I have no doubts you will make waves within the medical community. You have what it takes!

Lindsey, thank you for agreeing to be my senior rep! After working with your sister last year, I knew it would be amazing to work with you as a rep. And I was right… you two are the best! (Special s/o to Morgan for waking up bright and early to come to the shoot too! I am huge fans of both of you and I really wish you had another sister so we could continue our two-year tradition of summer photoshoots.)

You are gonna crush it as as senior and in your adventures after high school. I can’t wait to see where your ambitions and goals take you. It’s gonna be great!

Audrey: Class of 2021

Meet my first senior rep, Audrey!

What a blessing it was to meet and work with this amazing senior! There are so many things I could highlight in Audrey, I don’t even know where to begin! She’s a leader, a helper, a friend. She’s a hard worker, full of ambition and dedication, and has a heart of gold and generosity. She’s one of those people who is simply a sweet, sweet soul… genuine, bubbly, and down-to-earth! In our facetime calls during Minnesota’s lockdown when we were preparing for her upcoming session, we bonded over being gymnasts and dachshunds. (Audrey is the proud owner of the CUTEST miniature dachshund! Anyone who knows me knows I have an obsession with dachshunds. Just wait to see my phone case at photo shoots.) Given all the the similarities, I truly felt like this was a photographer-senior rep match made in heaven!! I knew I’d found a real one when Audrey sent me dachshund tik toks :)

Audrey, something that sticks out to me about you is your courage! You follow your passions and you don’t let fear hold you back, no matter the bumps in the road that you encounter. You have the resilience to make the most of unexpected struggles and recognize the good in each situation! These are gifts and they will serve you very, very well in the future (and the present)! I cannot wait to see what your future holds for you. God has big plans for you.

As I continue to reflect, I couldn’t have asked for a better first senior session to kick off my 5th summer of senior pictures. Audrey, thank you for working with me and for reminding me why I love this job so much. It was so great to meet you and I can’t wait to continue forwarding each other dachshund tik toks!

Sophia: Class of 2020

This is Sophia! 

She is a delightful, vivacious, talented young lady + my fourth Class of 2020 senior rep! I feel beyond lucky to have had the opportunity to photograph such a lovely upcoming senior. 

Aside from being my amazing rep Sophia is:

A joyful and smiley ray of sunshine,

A talented alpine skier, 

A team leader, 

An esteemed yearbook editor, 

An avid history + literature lover,

An adventurous soul,

A caring + compassionate friend,

+ so much more! 

She is the SWEETEST and felt like a long-lost sister to me, even back when we first met for coffee months ago to begin discussing what being a senior rep would entail. On the day of her shoot we ended up spending 5 hours together and had so many heart-to-hearts as we commuted to her different photo locations. (Part of the 5 hours long part may or may not be because we got lost trying to find the last location… ooops.) I’m not mad about it because I loved every second with Sophia!

Her session was the diverse + perfect mixture of bold, bright, elegant, and feminine. Her photos feature a wide variety of floral elements, deep greens, both dramatic, high-impact lighting and also soft and elegant lighting, delicate organic details, complementary background elements and more. We maximized the day and shot just until the sun fell beneath the tree line. It was a successful shoot to say the least. Trying to choose my favorite images has been an impossible feat. Sophia’s beautiful soul and personality shine through in each photo in a different way. Some of my favorite photos are the candid black and white ones we took at the tail end of the shoot when the sunlight was pretty much gone for the night — scroll to the bottom of this blog post to see!!

Miss Sophia, thank you thank you thank you. You are a delight to work with and I loved getting to know you so much! I can tell you have a high amount of influence in the spheres you are in. You have the ability to brighten any space you are in and impact people’s lives in deep ways. You are a true inspiration with your big heart and deep sense of care for others.

I know you have a thrilling future ahead of you, no matter where you choose to go or how the cookie crumbles, so to say! Also — you can count on me to be your penpal if you go far from home. I still can’t believe I found someone my age who likes snail mail as much as I do :) 

Gabby: Class of 2020

Meet Gabby, my third senior rep!

When I met Gabby in March, I immediately realized she is an absolute GEM of a human, someone who is wise well beyond her years. She is incredibly down-to-earth, driven, humble, and genuine. She’s the type of human who is like a breath of fresh air to be around. I knew I wanted her as my senior rep because who she is embodies everything I want to represent with my photography - REAL, genuine, joyful. 

Gabby is ambitious and has a big calling on her life. She has goals to be a doctor or surgeon someday and I have no doubt she is going to achieve her dreams and even more! She has the passion, the work ethic, and definitely the discipline to get her there. Her mom was telling me how Gabby is organized and a good time manager. That might be a strange thing for me to add in a blog post, but I’m going to because WOW - I don’t think there are many young adults of her age who have that aspect of life down. Gabby, I am pumped to see how your gifts, talents, discipline, and hard work carry you throughout the next exciting years of your life. (Also, Gabby, I might be calling you up sometime for all your time management tips because that’s an area of my life I’m not a pro at ;) ) 

Another thing about Gabby is that she is well-rounded and talented in so many areas. She excels in hard classes like calculus, anatomy, and chemistry, crushes it on the soccer field, has artistic talent with drawing, and she is always making those around her laugh. Like WHAT! Talk about a multi-potential lady BOSS!

I’m also giggling to myself because each of my senior reps so far have been exceptional soccer players - Gabby for sure is one! She’s helped carry her varsity soccer team to state two years in a ROW! I’m believing for a third :) 

For Gabby’s shoot, we started out at the Peace Garden and finished her shoot in Saint Anthony Main, where we (literally) chased the last few moments of the perfect, ethereal sunset we were blessed with on the night of her shoot. (We got some awesome golden hour shots that I am LOVING.) Plus, her cute pup made an appearance at her shoot which made everything even better. Seniors, pro tip: bring your dogs!! 

Thank you for being my rep, Gabby! I believe in you and I cannot wait to see what you accomplish. You’ve worked so hard to get to where you are and I know it will pay off big time. But aside from anything you do, you have a heart of gold and you are so easy and fun to be around. Who you are on the inside is remarkable Chase after your dreams and keep pouring into those around you. 

And never forget, you can do ALL things!

Julia: Class of 2020

Meet JULES!!!

It is my privilege to have Julia as my first Class of 2020 senior rep. She is vivacious, bubbly, down-to-earth, spontaneous, humble, and so so so kind. I can barely believe that it’s my job to hang out and photograph amazing people like Jules. Even better yet, her amazing older sister Becca (who is also my good friend who I met at the U last semester) hung out with us for the morning of Julia’s shoot! Lucky me!

Within the first five minutes of meeting Julia, it felt like we had been close friends for years. Her energy and light, cheerful personality are totally contagious. We had deep, meaningful conversations about faith and life in between taking candid, spontaneous photos that captured her lighthearted and energetic personality. Some of my favorite moments were when Jules pulled out her inner Beyonce. You know how Beyonce exuberantly struts in her yellow dress in the “Hold Up” music video?! Jules pulled that off flawlessly and it was incredible. Another highlight of the shoot was introducing Becca and Jules to the world’s best chai (I’m actually convinced it is) at one of my favorite spots in Minneapolis, Aster Cafe. 

It was the PERFECT morning. Mornings like that, spent with an amazing senior, soaking in MN’s beautiful weather, and having deep conversations are truly soul food to me. I. Love. My. Job.!

It was so great to get to know Jules and her heart for others, the Lord, and her many unique and awesome dreams she has for her future. I’m very happy to know that this world has Julia’s brilliant presence in it. Something that impressed me a lot about Julia was her astounding sense of confidence yet remarkable humility. She is a humble and gifted leader who is not afraid to take on difficult challenges. She is also a definite people person who has a knack for putting others at ease and inviting them to be their true selves. She is a delight to be around. She is also incredibly motivated and hard working, and excels in so many spaces: the soccer field, in the classroom, playing the piano, and so many other areas. In other words, she is a multi-faceted, multi-potential SUPERWOMAN!

Jules, thank you so much for being one of my senior rep. I am so thankful and my heart is overflowing with gratitude. I had a blast with you and I am so happy to have a new amazing friend :) I cannot wait to see what the Lord has for you and your bright, exciting future. However, I do hope your future holds many coffee dates with me and afternoons spent discussing our recent favorite podcasts and learning modern calligraphy ;) 

Abby: Class of 2019

Darling Abby!

You are like a sun... not even a ray of sunlight. You are the whole dang sun. Everything about you is bright, cheerful & brilliant in many ways. Your beautiful smile lights up the whole room! I adored every minute I got to spend with you. You may or may not realize it, but you inspire me so much in so many ways! You are a phenomenal friend, sister, daughter, artist, and encourager. Plus, I'm totally in awe of how many unique talents you have - whether its singing, the piano, photography, or leadership, I have full faith that your passions are going to make your life an thrilling adventure as you continue to explore them. I can't wait to cheer you on as you embark on these next exciting and new chapters that are coming up. There are beautiful and great things in store for you - this I know. Keep your dreams big!

I had the best time hanging out with you, your lovely mom, and Derby and Ruby. You are a remarkable young lady: you are thoughtful, sweet, oh-so-bubbly, humble, and genuine. I feel like we could be long-lost sisters since we are practically the same person. I loved talking about music, life, school, and literally everything in between! Also, you are so easy to talk to, I pretty much told you my whole life story and testimony haha. 

Can't wait for coffee dates and photo adventures to come. Stay golden, friend :) 

Andy: Class of 2018

Mr. Andy B. Where to begin?! This guy is an innovative mind and well beyond his years in just about every aspect! He's a fantastic student, son, brother, friend, athlete, public speaker, student senator, the list goes on. Let me shine the spotlight on him for a minute. Andy was an innovator and entrepreneur starting in the 7th grade. He came up with an actionable idea on how to maximize lawn care while providing personalized service, and then followed through with his plan. If you need landscaping or lawn care, Andy is your guy! In between snapping pictures, I got to nerd out and talk about marketing and business strategy (aka my major and one of my areas of interest) with him. Heck yeah! Oh, I might also add that ANDY, an incoming senior in high school, was giving ME, an incoming college junior, time management advice on how to manage a multitude of classes, sports, and extracurriculars. There's much to learn from this guy, no matter your age! 

Andy's entrepreneurial spirit is only the beginning of all that makes him incredible. I've known him and his family for over a decade now and even several years ago I remember how he would strike up complex conversations about various topics with my parents. Politics, foreign policy, international affairs, social issues, you name it. It takes a special type of maturity to be well-versed in such issues at a young age. But, that's Andy for you. His insatiable curiosity and desire to stay informed will no doubt be advantageous as he ventures off to college and beyond! 

(Even though Andy is mature beyond his years, he's also a chill, down-to-earth, humorous guy. Notably, we spent a considerable amount of time laughing about memes and funny tweets. My type of conversation.)

He's been a loyal, godly friend to my brother Andrew, and I know that my parents (and I!) are very thankful for their friendship. Andy, you've been a great role model throughout the years! One of my favorite memories with Andy, his family, and mine is when we went to Costa Rica to volunteer at an orphanage a couple years ago. As some of the few Spanish speakers on our trip, Andy and I were translators for the week!

Well, Andy, it was an honor to photograph you. Thanks for letting me take your senior photos! Even though we battled some intense heat, you killed your senior photo shoot. I had the most interesting time talking with you throughout the evening. You have so much going for you, and I hope you enjoy your senior year. This is going to sound corny, but never stop dreaming big. You're the type of person who can accomplish anything you set your mind to! 

Lukas: Class of 2018

I've had the honor of knowing Lukas and his amazing family for many years now -- since Lukas and my younger brother were in 4th grade! At this time, his older sister Ariana became my best friend. In fact, fast forward a few years, and Lukas and I were even on the Orono Cross Country Running team when I was a senior and he was a freshman. (Side note: while he was running varsity with quite impressive times, I was on the team solely for the pasta carbo loads. No regrets.) Aside from his running ability, Lukas is a very talented wrestler and will embark on his 5th season on varsity wrestling this year! 

Only talking about Lukas' impressive athleticism wouldn't do him justice. What is really the most impressive about Lukas is how mature, humble, and thoughtful he is. Even as a high schooler, he is interested in studying economics in his free time. I always remember seeing intricate concept maps on his family's kitchen, outlining certain economic principles and policies, all drawn by Lukas. He also has a knack for building up those around him. His mom says that one of the most admirable aspects of Lukas is that he encourages other young men his age to be comfortable in their own skin. It's safe to say that the world needs more courageous, kind-hearted gentlemen like Lukas.

Lukas, thank you so much for allowing me to take your senior photos. You're confident and handsome and I hope that these photos will help you commemorate your high school years! I quickly realized that you pull off the serious face quite well (even if it took getting some laughs out first!) and they make for some killer black and white edits. Congrats on your successes thus far, and best of luck with senior year!