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!
Leemit: Class of 2020
Leemit!
What a great time it was meeting you! I so appreciate your cheerfulness and easy-going attitude toward pictures. You were a delight to photograph. Nothing like a great guy to complement a perfect, sunny October afternoon! I love that you’re also a videographer… please keep that up. Even throughout your shoot, I could tell you had an artistic eye and I love the ideas you had for your own senior pictures…. like the ones with your hat on the Stone Arch Bridge! Those are some of my favorite photos, and all your idea too. I encourage you to keep creating, because you have talent!!
Best of luck with all things senior year and post-grad decisions! It’s so cool you’re interested in aviation school and I wish you all the best with that.
Thank you again for making the drive to the Twin Cities for your photos and for being so great! It means a lot to me that you did that, and I feel so lucky that I got to meet you and photograph you! Enjoy the rest of your senior year :)
Mark: Class of 2020
Meet Mark!
He’s my cousin! There is something extra special about getting to photograph my family members. We got to take his senior photos at the peak of October’s gorgeous autumnal colors. You best believe I was internally squealing the whole time out of excitement.
Mark is:
Heckin’ athletic
Captain of the varsity football team!
Determined
Hard-working
Has flow GOALS (seriously… check out the luscious locks)
Handsome…. share the good-looking genes with the rest of the fam, geez
A business mind! We got to talk all about business and marketing at his shoot, which made this marketing major very happy
Funny!!! We definitely took some joke photos which had me rolling with laughter.
I’m so thankful I got to take your photos, Mark!! Thanks for being the best! I hope you are doing well with senior year. You’ve got some fun and exciting times ahead :)
Lauren: Class of 2020
Meet Lauren!
She is the bomb.com. I had such a blast getting to chat with her for an evening. Loring Park was the perfect location: we got flowers, grasses (scroll to see our make-shift prairie), and we even wandered around the sculpture garden. AND we got the best of both worlds: part of her shoot was overcast (hello rich tones) and part of her shoot was bright and sunny. The radar had said storms, so we definitely lucked out. Sometimes Minnesota’s temperamental weather has its perks :)
Anyway, let me tell you about Lauren. She is:
Delightful + down-to-earth
Bright
Independent
Humble
Self-assured
Passionate about biology and zoology — sooo cool!!!
BEAUTIFUL!!!!
Also, we bonded over our mutual love for “dad” music — queue alllll the U2 and Pink Floyd :) That’s a first for me at a senior session.
Lauren, I hope you have an amazing rest of your senior year. You are a brilliant, incredible human and I know that God has amazing plans prepared for you. Keep dreaming big and believing in yourself.
Kendall: Class of 2020
Kendall!
You are just darling. Driven, empathetic, others-centered, and just overall… a sparkling human! I loved our time together! Wanna be a senior again next year so I can photograph you another time?! Please and thanks :-)
I remember when we scheduled your senior pictures way back in late spring/early summer, we expected your October shoot to be full of autumn colors and crisp air… and instead we got a sunny, summery day! It’s funny how, in photo shoots and life too, often our plans don’t work out at all how we would expect… but so often, it ends up better than we could’ve imagined. But no complaints that we didn’t get your classic ‘autumnal afternoon’ for your shoot, because the bright sun was the perfect complement to your beautiful + happy + delightful soul.
Thank you for being willing to take photos in some random places… like the side of Vicksburg. (Haha that was SO worth the confused stares of passersby because we got those orange trees in the background!!! Boom!) Oh and, remember when we got caught up in wind that honestly could’ve just about swept us away? Happy to say that you, your hair, and your dress survived… lol. Only you could make crazy wind like that look so good!!
I am so excited to see what you choose to do after graduation. You are talented, intelligent, and ambitious, and honestly just an all-around star. I can tell you are wholehearted about your involvements and endeavors — friendships, volunteering, academics, the list goes on. I can’t wait to see where your passion and big heart take you. So many people and places are going to be blessed to be touched by you and your legacy!
Happy senior year + beyond! Hoping for you, praying for you, cheering for you, believing in you!
Sophie: Class of 2020
Meet Sophie, a class of 2020 senior!
It was such a privilege capturing this lovely lady’s livelihood. (& beyond easy.) She is just as spunky, energetic, joyful, and fun as her amazing hair.
She is:
Empathetic
An ebullient being
An avid reader
An adventurer and globe traveler
A kickboxer (okay how cool?!)
A writer
Politically savvy
The definition of classy
A brown-eyed BEAUTY!
What a joy it was to spend the morning with you, Sophie! I felt like I got to connect with you on so many different levels — both Spanish speakers, involved in student senate, we’ve both traveled to Spain, we both love Jesus, and talking to strangers fires us up.
Your confidence blew me away. From telling me about the amazing contributions you’ve made toward rectifying the insulin crisis in MN, to sharing the gospel through creativity and theater in other countries, to bravely taking on leadership positions… umm, can I take lessons from you on how to be a well-rounded boss?! I can’t wait to see where your potential takes you, and how the Lord uses you.
Thank you again for choosing me to take your senior pictures, Sophie! You are so so cool and such an inspiring, genuine human. Oh, and P.S., the yellow outfit is my favorite and it’s so YOU!
Also, thank you for the Aster Cafe chai, you are so sweetheart and so generous!
Maddie S: Class of 2020
Meet Maddie!
She is:
quirky
intelligent, brilliant
a creative powerhouse of a human
likely to be found working on theater activities or in Duluth
a talented singer
courageous and brave
and vibrantly, honestly, and inspiringly herself!
We ventured around the some quaint streets of the up-and-coming neighborhoods of Northeast Minneapolis for her shoot, discovering the perfect locations. I am still obsessing over her first outfit, which was the perfect blend of deep shades of green/teal. It complemented the green organic backgrounds so well! And her other outfits too — just perfect!! We totally geeked out when we found a gorgeous purple tree. The majestic dark purple plus her deep blue shirt?! I’m not over it!! Scroll down and see for yourself! Oh and… AUTUMN COLORS. *insert heart eyes emoji!*
At one point, we stumbled upon a field with wildflowers. Talk about some luck! We hit the jackpot! Every aspect of Maddie’s shoot was idyllic.
In between shots we got to talk about allll things podcasts, Florence and the Machine, candles, creativity, and life during her shoot. And it was SO fun! I am so inspired by Maddie’s interest in technical theater. If you need to make a prop out of miscellaneous household items, Maddie’s genius skills can create just about anything.
Oh, and this sweetheart bought me Spyhouse after…. :’) Thank you for your generosity, kind soul!
Maddie, I cannot wait to see you continue to blossom into the brilliant person you are created to be. You have a beautiful future ahead of you!
Nick: Class of 2020
Meet Nick!
He is one dashing & DEDICATED senior.
He not only agreed to take his photos on Labor Day, but agreed to an 8:00am morning session. You might be thinking, “8:00am on a holiday?! That’s crazy!” It is a bit crazy, I’ll admit. But the upside is, you get the Stone Arch and Saint Anthony Main area almost completely to yourself! I mean, check out the photo to the right! Of my four summers of shooting senior portraits, that is the one singular time that has ever happened. Nick, we made Meghan Swanson LLC history that day. Go us!
Nick, you are AWESOME. Aside from being dedicated to the senior picture game, you exhibit a whole host of admirable traits. You seem wise and mature beyond your years. Had I not met you in the context of senior portraits, I would’ve thought you were a recent college grad like me! You have a good head on your shoulders, and a solid sense of direction about what your future interests are. (Much more than I did when I was a senior!) Whatever you choose to do, do it with your whole heart. I wish you the very best with baseball, classes, and college decisions!
I am praying that the Lord will open doors for you and lead you toward a fulfilling and exciting future! He is certainly going to use your character and talent to touch the lives of many.
Happy senior year, Nick! Thanks again for letting me take your senior photos!
Audrey: Class of 2020
Audrey!
So nice to meet you. You are really sweet and I really appreciate your easy-going attitude and sense of humor. You are a one-of-a-kind human and friend. From the soccer field to science class… you have skill and purpose!
You also win the award for the cleanest white shoes. I have brand new white shoes coming in the mail tomorrow, and I’m hoping I can keep them as perfect as your Air Forces.
You are so beautiful, Audrey! You have a warm, inviting smile and the most lush, long, iconic hair. Oh, and deep, gorgeous eyes! A true icon!!
Stay golden, QUEEN!! I hope your senior year is memorable and amazing!
Logan: Class of 2020
Logan!!
It was great to meet you. You are a kind, very smart, and sweet soul. I’m glad we got to bond over our mutual love for plant-based foods! I hope you get to try mango banana ice cream sometime, because that rocked my world during my plant-based days. Pro tip: sprinkle it with desiccated coconut and (dairy free) chocolate chips if you are going all out! Anyway, I applaud you for eating plant-based. It’s such a great move, for your current and future health, for animals, and for the environment. I’m inspired by you to incorporate more plant-based foods into my diet, so thank you for that :)
I really appreciated the clothing you chose for your pictures!! Especially the green bear shirt paired with the green striped button up shirt. As a photographer, there aren’t many things I appreciate more than when people make their senior pictures ‘their own.’ Also, I’m gonna ‘photographer geek out’ for a second… the green totally pulled out the green in your eyes which is so cool!
I hope you have an amazing last year of high school. I believe you are going to do great things with your intelligence. I’m still amazed by your interests in physics, math, and chemistry. Like, hello, future STEM rockstar! Dream big. Much better things lie ahead than anything you could ever leave behind!!
Jordyn: Class of 2020
JORDYN!
Oh my goodness, no one can make a drury, overcast 6:45am shoot look as vibrant and beautiful as you! Although the clouds crashed our ‘golden sunrise’ shoot, this ended up being one of my favorite session of the summer and I wouldn’t change a thing. Jordyn, you are outta-this-world insanely beautiful and I could go on for hours about how much I love your amazing red hair! Your hair, combined with your ice blue eyes, create a killer photogenic combo. You are a STUNNER! But what makes you the most beautiful is your heart and what’s on the inside. (Yup, I know that probably sounds corny, but anyone who spends even a small amount of time with you will experience how refreshingly confident and kind you are!)
I wouldn’t have wanted to break in PSL season at Starbucks after the shoot with anyone else :) All in all, I loved meeting you and taking your picture. Hanging out for the morning totally filled up my cup. You inspire me so much, with the resilience you’ve shown despite difficulty and bumps in the road. Your positive attitude shines like a bright light and I know for a fact, it impacts more lives than just your own. Keep shining!
Also, your career aspirations are AMAZING. Keep working toward your goals and doors will open up for you. God is so gonna use your talents, your compassion, and your heart for others in BIG ways. Please post lots of updates on your instagram so I can live vicariously through your posts and be your proud senior photog :-)
Enjoy senior year, Jordyn! You’re the best!
Zack: Class of 2020
Meet Zack!
Zack is:
able to make anyone laugh and brighten any room he is in
kind-hearted
a talented hockey player
determined and goal-oriented
Thank you so much for letting me take your senior photos. You were a blast and a half to work with and photograph. I’m not kidding, I’ve never laughed more at a senior shoot than I did at yours! You are so hilarious and a joy to be around! So glad we could re-create a few memes during your shoot…. “Road Work Ahead? I sure hope it does!” And, I’m thinking Starbucks should probably sponsor us, haha.
I loved chatting about all things hockey with you. I feel pretty cool now that I get to say I’ve met someone who was featured in the infamous MN State Hockey Hair video! Also, I’m almost certain I’m not using this term correctly, but… go… boomtown…??? I tried. In all seriousness, I wish you ALL the best with senior year and your upcoming hockey season! You are incredibly dedicated to the sport and I know your hard work will bring you very far! I am certain you have a very bright future ahead of you!
Also, thank you Kayla for coming along! It was so much fun for me to photograph twins. You two are so much fun and so sweet.
“Road Work Ahead? I sure hope it does!”
Hey Starbucks #sponsor us plz
Valentina: Class of 2020
Meet Valentina!
Independent, adventurer, world traveler, Rihanna fan! Confident, bold, quirky, resilient. You are an incredible person and I’m happy to have met you.
You have such a timeless, classic sense of beauty. And the most angelic complexion ever!! Thank you for letting me take your senior pictures. I had such a fun time with you! You have a great laugh and I appreciated your light-hearted approach to senior pictures :) My senior portrait sessions are never serious (I don’t think I could make them serious if I tried, that’s just not in my personality, haha). Thank you for going with my humor and being willing to try some new poses!! As we saw, sometimes my camera can make even the most unassuming, non-photogenic locations look really good!! Remember how we were pleasantly surprised with the grassy location by the steps and then later with the green wall?! The green wall + green dress photos are definitely some of my favorites from your session! I love how they complement your beautiful amber eyes and your hair color!
I admire you for your adventurous spirit and your desire to get out there and see the world. The fact that you took a semester abroad in high school?! So brave. And it’s even cooler that you are taking a gap year to travel after you graduate high school! Sometimes I wish I would have done something like that! In doing so, you will garner experiences and memories that will set the foundation for the rest of your life. Please post all your adventures on Instagram so I can follow along vicariously :)
Have an amazing senior year!!
Maddie: Class of 2020
Meet the beautiful Maddie!
I met her parents two Septembers ago at the U2 concert, and now I am so lucky to have photographed their lovely daughter! There’s nothing better than having a breathtakingly beautiful Minnesota morning, coupled with a photo shoot with a breathtakingly beautiful senior!
Maddie is the whole package, really. Creative, smart, athletic, observant, compassionate. She’s the most down-to-earth, genuine girl. It’s no surprise to me that she has been chosen as captain of the dive team for TWO years in a row! That speaks volumes to her athleticism, character, and leadership skills. When she’s not in the pool, Maddie has a knack for biology and aspires to be an international marine biologist. How intriguing is that?! Maddie, I’ll be mostly happy for you and only a little bit jealous when you are living it up in a warm state for college, and us Minnesotans are freezing, haha.
With Maddie’s love for all things water/ocean/lake, we started off her shoot at Lake Harriet. The bright morning sun matched Maddie’s shining personality so well. Her lemon dress was also the CUTEST thing and it’s taking some serious will power on my behalf to not go order the same dress for myself. Then we went to one of my personal favorite locations, the Lyndale Rose Gardens, because there’s no better spot for elegant, colorful photos. Plus, the gardening grounds crew had just come to tend to the gardens and deadhead the rose bushes, so there were clipped roses all along the pathway. It was almost like they were elegantly set up just for Maddie! The cherry on top for this wonderful and fun shoot was getting to take home rose bouquets :)
Thank you so much for letting me take your photos, Maddie! You are truly a stunner, a wonder, and a world changer. I hope senior year is your absolute best year yet!
Lauren: Class of 2020
Meet Lauren!
She is independent, artistic, musical (a flutist and a harpist!), a writer + mathematician, a selfless + generous volunteer, heckin’ stylish, multi-faceted, feminist, a yogi + boxer, a leader + courageous initiator, passionate, and an extremely dedicated + hard worker. Talk about a well-rounded, unique lady boss!
I mentioned she is stylish. I’m also gonna add ‘shoe queen’ to that. I am still not over the amazing bright magenta heals and suede pink boots she wore. I mean, check ‘em out. I was seriously obsessed!!
For her location, Lauren had two simple requests: floral and secluded. A harp isn’t exactly the most subtle photo prop, so in our best interest, we thought a rather private location would be best! I recommended a location for Lauren that I’ve been to many times, and that almost always been completely uninhabited by other visitors. (The Perennial + Border Gardens in Lyndale Park!) I got to Lauren’s shoot a little early, and to my surprise, found several people holding what looked like tourist guide signs. Turns out, the Minneapolis Garden Club was touring the gardens at the same time of Lauren’s shoot. Like what are the odds?! Nonetheless, Lauren and her intricately beautiful harp did great despite there being some passersby :) Even when things don’t go entirely as planned, it always ends up working out. Every single time.
Go take your future by storm, Lauren! I can’t wait to see all you do with your passion and strong work ethic. The sky is your limit!
Cam: Class of 2020
Meet Cam.
THIS GUY. Meet one of the coolest, most adventurous, boldest seniors I’ve ever met. He is:
the definition of easy-going,
huge lake guy,
wake surfing extraordinaire,
car fanatic,
self-assured,
so friendly!
It was a pleasure to meet you and work with you! You totally knocked the whole senior pics thing outta the ball park. My goodness. Multiple times throughout the shoot I forgot we were taking senior photos and not editorial/fashion photos. On that topic, your style game is STRONG… holy moly. I had a photographer’s hay day matching your clothing to the locations during the second half of your shoot. That blue and that red wall? Matched with your blue jacket + eyes? I mean come on!!
Your life is marked by an exciting amount of passion, adventure, and spontaneity. I commend you for ‘going against the grain’ and taking a gap year! Coming out of high school in which the only option really presented is to hurry off to college, a gap year is a brave choice. You are going to do great, and you’ll have stories and adventures under your belt that will shape the rest of your life and give you priceless memories and stories to tell. Like we talked about multiple times throughout your shoot, it always works out!
Have the best time senior year and in Costa Rica. I can’t wait to follow along your exciting adventures on insta!
