…How Sweet the Sound
I have a confession to make. At the beginning of the year, I was very hesitant to start shooting Senior portraits because I felt so out of touch with that age demographic. I’m a mom of babies, and my oldest niece and nephew are ten years old. The direct exposure that I have of the whole teen age group gets skipped right over to college aged young adults and newly engaged couples, and then into families with young kiddos. I believed the sterotypes that are out there about “today’s youth.” Self obsessed, entitled, with little respect for anything or anyone. I don’t know if media just has it completely wrong or if I totally lucked out and got in with the best group of kids anyone could ask for. Every time I leave a senior session, I come away feeling inspired by their post-high school plans and bright-eyed, genuine excitement for their future. Grace was the epitome of sweetness, and beauty, and well, (to be completely clichéd) grace. This girl cannot take a bad picture, and selfishly, those are my favorite people to be in front of my camera. But she was also just an all-around pleasure to hang out with, so that’s just an extra bonus to top off a great evening.
When Grace’s mom, Deborah, and I were chatting about potential locations, they both knew they wanted something colorful. I love small towns and all of their endearing charm, so I was ecstatic that they were excited about the idea of strolling around downtown Brenham. Unique textures, historic spots, spring florals, glowing light, and no shortage of colorful buildings…it was the perfect recipe for a fun, unique, and beautiful senior shoot.
Her outfit changes were a photographer’s dream. I couldn’t have styled anything better if I tried. Flowing fabrics and the bright colors complimented our location and that gorgeous face perfectly.
The crazy wind was a bit of an obstacle the entire evening, but you couldn’t pay any amount of money for this perfectly blown tendril, that in my opinion, makes this entire shot.
Grace is heading to Nashville in the fall and will be studying opera at Belmont University. I did a quick google search on Belmont (honestly…because I wanted to make sure I was spelling it correctly), and I can’t help but share their mission statement. “Belmont University is a student-centered Christian community providing an academically challenging education that empowers men and women of diverse backgrounds to engage and transform the world with disciplined intelligence, compassion, courage and faith.” So…basically a parent’s dream for their kiddo? Luckily for Grace, she has family nearby in South Carolina, so she’s all set. Plus, she gets to experience all of the amazing music and culture that Nashville has to offer. I’m super jealous of all of the open-mic nights she’ll get to listen in on at the Bluebird.
I sure hope I get to hear about all the great things that you experience in Nashville. I won't be surprised one bit, when I see your name in lights very, very soon. All the very best of luck to you, Grace. And, good job, Momma; you've raised yourself one very sweet girl :-)
