Lauren - Purdy High School
When I first met Lauren a few years ago I knew immediately she was someone special. She was light-hearted and fun-loving, her laughter was completely contagious. I was so excited to see her application come through to be a part of the MOD Squad. It was a total no-brainer to include her! She’s grown into a beautiful young woman who’s strong and grounded and still has that amazing laugh!
Being her senior photographer has not only been an honor but so much fun! Here are a few of my favorite portraits of this young lady and how we created them….
As with all my Senior MOD Squad we started in studio to break the ice and get her comfortable in front of the camera…
In studio warm up photo session with Lauren
If there’s one thing Lauren takes seriously it’s softball. She has been a passionate player since childhood and her work ethic on the field has led to a scholarship with Cameron University. A big part of senior photography is highlighting what each senior is passionate about so our priority was to spend time on the field creating some cool images of her pitching and hitting. Instead of softballs, she hit water balloons. Guys, I don’t think she missed any! But, it took a few tries to time my capture perfectly. Yes, I was completely soaked afterward and it was totally worth it!
Lauren throws the heat on the softball field for both her high school and travel teams.
Lauren hit a 5 gallon bucket full of water balloons to create these fun images.
Softball is supposed to be fun so there were plenty of smiles captured. Oh and, by the way, these are a few of her home run balls!
Lauren is all smiles playing the game she loves, softball.
Lauren with a few of her homerun balls in the locker room.
She’s a hometown girl with roots deep in her community so we captured that as well.
Lauren is a hometown girl at heart.
Our next session was summer at Jolly Mill.
Summer at the Mill.
Summer session at the Mill.
In the fall we visited the Botanical Garden, Japanese Garden and Downtown Springfield.
Fall in the Mizumoto Japanese Stroll Garden
Fall in the Mizumoto Japanese Stroll Garden
Fall in Nathaniel Greene Park at Golden Hour.
City lights of Downtown Springfield
We were even lucky enough to get some snow day fun!
Snow day fun!
Lauren also participated in Project Beauty where we focused on what makes each senior girl truly special. You don’t want to miss what she had to say about true beauty!
“Maybe you have to know the darkness before you can appreciate the light.”
We’ve spent all year admiring the outer beauty of these young ladies through their senior pictures. But I always like to close the year by refocusing on what makes them truly important and valuable. Project Beauty starts with a very short interview asking them to reflect on what true beauty is to them and what value they give to this world. Then, I invite them to stand in front of the camera one last time…
They are each a ray of light in their own way. Even in the face of dark days the light is always there if we choose to see it.
This is Project Beauty: No Makeup, No Photoshop, All for Charity.