Each September I take my little sister out for a back-to-school session. Last year we just did it around my parents’ house and in the pear orchard across the street that I grew up playing in. This year, I wanted to go more urban and so we headed downtown.
On our way to Starbuck’s to fuel up, we pulled over in a business complex behind our local Costco and Wal-Mart that had some nice green grass and trees. We spent a few minutes goofing off and I laughed as she tried to walk in our mom’s tall, platform shoes. I got a few great shots of her there and then we found a great little alley downtown with cobblestone bricks and an awesome, glass brick building in the background. We went on Labor Day and it was perfect because there was very little foot traffic and no photo-bombers I had to photoshop out later.
We ended just before sunset at a hidden little foot bridge under the overpass. That part of town is a bit sketchy, but the light was beautiful. I created a floral halo for her to wear that coordinated with a lavender dress she likes to wear.
Overall, my goal with her session was to create as much diversity as possible. I think we were out for just about 3 hours and she wore 3 different outfits with a few different hats and accessories. I’d love to do the same with a high school senior, creating a fun, diverse collection of images during one of the most important and special times of his/her life.
I still vividly remember my senior portrait session and I think every high schooler should get to experience that, but also have the images for later in life. I ended up with just a few small pictures; a set of wallets, and a few 3×5’s and I couldn’t even tell you where those are now. I’d love to have an album of my session now, 12 years later, as I’m sure there were about 50 images to choose from and I only ended up with a few. I want to do that for my clients: capture memories now, but also preserve them in heirloom quality products that will be enjoyed for years, decades to come.
So, check out a few of the images from Michaela’s Back To School Session and consider Crystelle Marie Photography for your next portrait session. I’m running an insanely great special that gets you the whole Crystelle Marie Photography experience starting at just $200. That’s from pre-consultation, session, to Session Premiere! Check out the details here: https://www.crystellemariephotography.com/september-session-specials-southern-oregon-custom-photographer/
.png "Child photographer back to school portrait session. Multiple location tween 11 year old photo session in downtown Medford, OR")