Zach is graduating this year – congratulations! Such an awesome milestone.

Zach chose Cobb’s Hill as a location because of its view of the city skyline.  Another awesome view of the city skyline is at Genesee Gateway Park.  To see more ideas about how to choose a great location, click here.

Cobb’s Hill is a great place for architecture and steps, which are such a fun feature in photos.  The University of Rochester, RIT and Highland Park are also all excellent locations if you’re looking for architecture.

A lot of senior guys aren’t really into photos, and that’s completely fine. Zach brought two changes of clothes which is enough to mix it up. Three or four is also great. Paige brought quite a few. It’s your session so how many outfits is completely up to you!

I had the privilege of working with Zach’s older sister Bridget a few years ago at a horse farm. You can see her photos here. It was such a joy to be able to touch base with this family again.

Thanks so much for choose me for your senior portrait photography. I hope you have a wonderful year!

Paige just has a few months left of high school and we had a lovely time commemorating her senior year at Corbett’s Glen in Brighton.

Corbett’s Glen is a beautiful location for any type of photography and is one of the top five outdoor locations in Rochester.

One of the best things about senior sessions is being able to incorporate your interests, hobbies or favorite clothing into the session. Paige is a dancer, cheerleader, and skate boarder.

A few outfits for fun is also a great idea.

I had the absolute privilege of working with Paige’s family a few years ago for her brother’s senior photo session, which you can see here. Such a different experience – he did a mini session and had the same outfit and just took off his tie. I love the contrast.

Thank you so much Paige for choosing me as your senior portrait photographer. I wish you all the best in the coming year and all the years to come!

Nick’s mom called me feeling a little concerned about location ideas. She mentioned that her husband works at RIT and that Nick was planning to go there. Is there a better location for a senior photo shoot? It was perfect.

RIT just built a brand new Magic building dedicated to “blurring the lines between the arts and sciences.” Apparently it is one of the more impressive buildings on campus.

Like many men his age, Nick was not necessarily super excited about the actual process of having senior photos taken. Sometimes people contact me and they’re concerned this is somehow unusual – it’s not! Lots of senior guys aren’t excited to be at the business end of the camera. But I think for most people it ends up being a far more pleasant experience than they expected. We have a good time!

We also managed to find some nature on campus.

Nick has an older and younger sister who were very excited about him graduating and they came along.

We also did a quick Christmas card photo. The session is yours and you can use it however you like!

Thank you so much Christina for sharing your beautiful family with me!

Julia and her mom Tammi were absolutely lovely to work with. Tammi homeschooled her two kids through middle school and has a heart for the homeschool community. Both kids successfully switched to high school – something that is encouraging when you’re out on the limb.

Highland Park is a classic location for photos of any kind and is one of the top 5 photography locations in Rochester. We especially had fun behind Warner Castle – there was some beautiful architecture there that I’d never noticed.

Tammi specifically requested some flowers, if at all possible, and we were happy to find them behind the castle and next to the Sunken Gardens.

Another great spot at Highland Park is the Highland Bowl. It has a fun, urban but not completely urban, senior portrait kind of feel to it. Julia was inspired to add this location after seeing Grace’s senior photos.

We also spent some time in the Sunken Gardens behind Warner Castle.

It was a particularly warm day, and so we had a vested interest in looking for shade. The Poet’s Garden across from the Lamberton Conservatory, was also a great spot.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to be your senior portrait photographer Julia! It was an absolute joy to work with you.

Danasia loved the idea of an urban setting for her senior photos so we met at Genesee Gateway Park, which is a park that doesn’t get nearly enough attention. It’s an AMAZING location for gorgeous views of downtown, but note to self – even with a lighting umbrella the sun is super intense late afternoon. If you ever plan photos at this park I highly recommend sunset (or sunrise if you’re ambitious)!

Even with the kind of crazy lighting situation Danasia was fantastic and super patient! She incorporated her brother’s basketball jersey into her session and we happened to also run into a basketball court.

All sessions are wonderful, but the great thing about senior sessions is that you can fit in a lot in a short amount of time because it’s just one person and they’re old enough to be on board (e.g. no candy bribes needed!). This means that you have time to play around with lots of different backgrounds and clothing changes if you want to, or you can keep it short (which is always an option too!). Either way it’s a low pressure, relaxed kind of experience.

And of course, the most important thing about any portrait is that it reflect the personality of the person being photographed. Senior sessions allow plenty of space for that to happen.

Thank you so much for choosing me as your photographer and I wish you all the best for your senior year!

It’s not every day that you can say this is the FOURTH senior you’ve had the opportunity to photograph from the same family. Their mom is a rock star, and her kids are amazing. Meet Kevin – senior #4.

Kevin chose to have his session at Oatka Creek in Scottsville. It was a beautiful walk down to the “creek” (really more of a river).

Bringing a couple of shirts to your senior session can add variety to the images, Kevin brought 3. We were also able to add variety just by moving around and climbing down cliffs and things. The sky is the limit.

When you’re looking for a great location, you can either choose a place that’s meaningful to you, or one with different features like bridges, water, forests, etc. Or if you happen to have a place you love that’s also beautiful, it’s a win win.

Kevin has been busy working the campaign trail with his mom, Judge Nicole Bayly, who also happens to be a super awesome person. While politics tend to be something on my list to avoid, I will paint my car red on her behalf. Be sure to check out her campaign here.

You can also check out their campaign photos by visiting their Facebook page, or by clicking here.

Thanks so much Kevin! I hope the rest of your senior year is amazing.

A few months ago a client was telling me about this beautiful place in Brockport with landscaping and flowers but I didn’t make it out there until Gabi requested it for her senior photos. Sarah’s Garden Center in Brockport even hosts weddings and is free and open to the public (though it will be hard to leave without buying some plants).

One of the elements of a great location is one where you can turn around and have a different background from pretty much any angle – Sarah’s Garden Center is absolutely like that, and with super close parking too!

It’s the kind of place that makes you want to pack up and move in, just to feel like you’re important walking through the gardens each day.

Gabi’s parents and older sister joined her, which is always really helpful when you’re swinging around giant reflectors as the sun is setting. They were so super friendly that when I got home I realized they spent the whole time asking me questions about myself. I didn’t even catch their occupations!

Bringing a clothing change is a great idea even if clothes aren’t your thing since they add variety to the images.

This archway was impressive. When you got up close you could see the supports running through it, which makes you feel a little safer when you’re leaning on it.

And really, no landscaping is complete without a little goldfish pond and a bridge.

Thank you so much Lena, Larry, Gabi and Erica for sharing the evening with me!

What location should you choose for your senior portraits? One you love.

You get bonus points if this location is also representative of your personality.

To learn more about how to choose a great location, click here.

So I have a little confession. It did make me ever so slightly nervous to have strangers ask me to meet them in the abandoned subway tunnels.  Just a little.  But when Jennie drove up and I mentioned that my cell phone was low on batteries and she handed me her charger, I knew we were going to have an awesome afternoon.

We weren’t actually sure where the entrance was, but we drove down to Dinosaur Barbque and saw people walking down the sidewalk and climbing down a ladder we were able to put two and two together.

So if you’re ever looking to get in touch with your adventurous self, urban style, you know where to go.

A good location has background options, a great location is one where you can basically spin 360 degrees and get something different each time. This was such a place.

Christian absolutely gets the creative location award for this year. Well done!

We also took a couple of photos on the steps outside for a little bit more of a traditional look.

For more senior portrait photography inspiration, click here.

Thank you so much Christian for the opportunity to do your senior photos. I wish you the best of luck this year and in the years to come!

Grace’s mom Beth and I first met 13 years ago at the gender segregated Pakistani wedding of a close friend. We learned that our husbands were earning their PhD’s in the same program (which they also were learning on the other side of the curtain). A few years later we started going to the same church and her husband switched gears to become a doctor. They moved away for med school, moved back for residency, and moved away again for a permanent position and we miss them. They made the trek up from Pennsylvania both for Grace’s senior photos and a surprise birthday party for Grace. Happy Birthday Grace!!!

Grace chose Highland Park for her location, which is a popular spot for photos because of the variety of backgrounds including buildings, trees, flowers, stairs and gardens.  To learn more about how to choose a great location, click here. We started off at Lamberton Conservatory, then walked over to the Highland Bowl.  I love the Highland Bowl for it’s urban look.

When you’re taking photographs in a group, changing the background, posing and groupings of people gives plenty of variety. When you’re taking photos of just one person, bringing a few different outfits adds a lot more interest to the photos. Also if you have a puppy you can include them too.

Beth and her husband Matt totally surprised the kids with the puppy. She posted a fantastic video on Facebook of their reactions – Grace said she had no idea.

Photographing dogs is not super different than photographing toddlers, except for that they care way less about me and way more about the treats that are in their moms’ pockets. Nala was very, very excited to be alive and a little quick work with some treats and clicking the shutter at just the right time worked out to some really nice images.

After Nala was picked up we walked over to the Sunken Gardens, another well loved photo location. The key to the Sunken Gardens (or anywhere really), is finding the shade and bringing the light back in. That way you can avoid dappled light and harsh shadows.

Beth snapped this behind the scenes shot – you can see my terrible posture and my trusty lighting umbrella adding in directional lighting while Grace hangs out in the shade.

When I asked her if she had any plans she started talking about the weekend. When I clarified that I meant college she laughed at me. I love this – no need to rush adulthood.

Beth had some very bittersweet emotions about these senior photos. I can only project how I’ll feel that way in a few years. It really is a huge milestone. Grace took the opportunity to troll her mom a little with these images.

Thank you so much Beth and Grace for trusting me with these images. Spending time with you was such a joy.