A FULL-CIRCLE MOMENT BEHIND THE LENS
There are some photography sessions that you remember because of the photos. And then there are the sessions you remember because of the story behind them. This one falls into the second category.
Long before Isabella was born, I stood on that very same property as a brand-new newspaper photographer covering a story about the restoration of a historic log cabin. It was 2004. I had just graduated from college, I was new to the job and I felt like I had everything to prove. I remember following the reporter around while experts explained the reconstruction process. I was taking photographs, trying to look confident and professional, when I suddenly started to feel sick. Not a little sick. The kind of sick where you immediately start looking for the nearest place to hide.
I quietly slipped away and ended up getting sick in the bushes, hoping no one would notice. I was absolutely convinced the reporter was going to think I was hung over. I was mortified. A week or two later, I found out I was pregnant with my daughter, Mallory.
Fast-forward 22 years. There I was again, standing on that same property, owned by her family, a place Isabella spent playing growing up, with my camera in hand. Only this time, I wasn’t a nervous 22-year-old trying to prove myself. I was photographing Isabella’s senior session. And somehow, without either of us planning it, we ended up using that exact log cabin as the backdrop for some of her photos.
People often think photography is about freezing a single moment in time. But after 24 years behind the camera, I’ve learned that it’s really about collecting stories. Sometimes those stories stretch across decades. Sometimes they connect complete strangers. And sometimes they bring you right back to the place where your own story was just beginning.
Standing in front of that cabin, I couldn’t help but smile. Because life has a funny way of bringing everything full circle.
Or should we just call it the day I accidentally marked a future senior photo location by throwing up in the landscaping? 😂
WHO IS ISABELLA?
She’s the girl who will spend the morning at the gym, the afternoon hiking with her family and the evening finding a festival, going for a drive or hanging out with friends. She’s equal parts cheerleader, church volunteer, theater kid and psychology major-in-the-making. But more than anything, she’s someone who genuinely wants to make people happy.
She’s optimistic without being unrealistic, confident without needing to be the center of attention and grateful for the life she’s living right now. In a generation that’s constantly being told to have everything figured out, Isabella is perfectly comfortable admitting that she doesn’t have all the answers yet. She just knows she wants to help people, and honestly, that’s a pretty incredible place to start.
Her playlist jumps from Mac Miller to Stand By Me. She shops at TJ Maxx, Aerie, Hollister and Brandy Melville. She loves CAVA, ice skating, long walks and spending time with the people she loves. She’s also the girl who once tried to pet a rabid raccoon because she thought it was a cat.
Basically? Isabella is proof that happiness never goes out of style.
READY TO PLAN YOUR OWN SENIOR SESSION?
If you’re looking for senior photos that feel natural, reflect your personality and capture this season of your life exactly as it is, I’d love to work with you. Whether your vibe is wildflowers, downtown streets, football fields, coffee shops, vintage trucks or a historic log cabin with a story to tell, we’ll create a session that’s uniquely you. Because your senior photos shouldn’t look like everyone else’s.
They should look like your story. Ready to start planning? Reach out, and let’s create something you’ll still love long after your senior year is over.
