My senior and the location. I traveled to New Mexico for the shoot since the senior is my niece Robyn. It was my first time shooting in this location, and there were constantly backdrops that inspired me. The lighting was also pretty awesome that day. 

In my sister’s yard and a wildlife refuge they lease for their dairy farm in a rural area of New Mexico. 

Yes. We went shopping as soon as I got in from the airport. It was a really fun experience getting to be there and help her pick out clothing and see what she really liked. Also, she had that awesome orange couch in her room. The moment I saw it I knew we were going to use it in some of her photos. My other niece is a hair stylist, so she was able to do her hair styling, and yours truly did her makeup right before the shoot. 🙂 

I used my Sony a850, 50mm f1.4 most of the time, and 70-200mm f2.8 for a few of the shots. 

We started the session at 6pm, which was about 2 and a half hours before sunset at that time. 

I used lightroom 3 for all of my editing and MCP Quick Click Collection presets. I love that set.  

Besides my gorgeous niece as a subject, I would have to say the props and location. Since it was a whole new location for me, I was so continually inspired by my surroundings. 

My goal with every session is to make the senior realize how beautiful they are and get them comfortable in front of the camera. I want to convey their personality and true beauty. I think that theses photos convey Robyn’s inner sweetness, and it is clear that she looks gorgeous. 🙂 I want this session to convey that my photography style is vibrant, clean, and full of variety. 

Keep the conversation going and give positive feedback. If I ever feel like my senior is lacking confidence, I will show her a great shot on the back of my camera. That usually makes them feel a lot more confident, because they know they look great. I also usually can’t shop telling them how great they look throughout the shoot anyway. 🙂