While photographing toddlers and babies is an absolutely fun and adorable experience, photographing seniors in high school is both inspirational and rewarding in its own right. As I do with all my families and couples, I take time to learn about the senior I’ll be photographing and what they’ve enjoyed in the last year or what they’ve been most proud of. It’s inspiring to get to know these young adults and to see glimpses into the array of possibilities that lies ahead of them.

This senior photo session took place during the summer season at Idylwood Park in Redmond, WA. I knew that Ethan played saxophone and so I suggested he bring his instrument along in case we could get creative during our session and capture this part of his journey.

We met just before golden hour at Idylwood Park and Mom helped Ethan get buttoned up. I encourage parents to dress for their senior’s photo session as I plan to take photographs with them as well, given that they are such an important part of their children’s journey.

Ethan has his saxophone and starts playing for us and I’m capturing this on both my 360 video camera and my Sony mirrorless:

One of the reasons I love Idylwood Park in Redmond, WA is for its variety in backdrops (learn more about my favorite parks in the Redmond area here). On the way to the beachside of the park is a little foot bridge. We pause here for a few sweet moments with family members, including his adorable puppy:

The sun is continuing its descent and we’ve approached the beachside. We are officially in golden hour and it’s always fun seeing little ducklings in the water during our sessions.

With a clear sky, we’re fortunate to get purples and oranges in the sky as golden hour approaches blue hour:

All wrapped up and this senior now has four different backdrops to choose from for his collection of senior photographs along with black-and-white versions.

A few months later, I’m absolutely delighted to receive an invitation in the mail showing the portrait we took together:

Take a look at the immersive photoshoot experience we captured as well as an extra bonus:

Do you have a high schooler approaching their senior year? I’d love to get to know each of you and help you cherish this milestone in a meaningful way. Click here to schedule a complimentary consultation. I’d love to hear from you!