High School Senior Client Stories

It's hard to believe my little niece Dani is already all grown up! I've had the pleasure of taking photos of Dani throughout her life since I started photography back in 2012... so it was an honor when she asked me to do her Senior photos.

She wanted to do something elaborate, so we chose a Traveler/Seasons session so we could do photos during the spring, summer, and fall. She wore 2-3 outfits per shoot to keep things pretty manageable. She wanted to do all of her photos outside to take advantage of the natural beauty here at my home studio location.

In the spring we scheduled her session at the same time as the flowering fruit trees were all in bloom. The result were some amazing photos of her with gorgeous, colorful backgrounds.

During the summer shoot we hit a few places around my yard with fun landscaping and took advantage of the birch trees along the lakeshore. 

Dani loves music and can play 3 different saxophones (wow!), so we incorporated that into the fall photo session. She brought her instruments and we took photos by the lakeshore with the red sumac in the background and the sun shining through behind her, lighting it up like fire. She looked amazing!

We used Dani's favorite photos to create a special Photo Guest Book, a set of Tin Mini's with custom printed lid, Double-Duty 5x7 Graduation Invitations with her favorite photo on the back, and about 10 poses she liked as wallet prints for her graduation party. I gave her archival ink marker pens for her book so family & friends could leave her notes in the spaces I left around the images. 

After her party, she brought her Photo Guest Book back with all the signatures and best wishes from family & friends written inside. I digitally archived it with my high-quality scanner. Now if it is ever lost, stolen, or damaged we can have it re-printed with all the notes & signatures.

I'm so happy that we were able to capture these special moments and this huge milestone with photos that she is going to love forever. Someday she will proudly show her photos to her own children and I'm so glad that her Archival quality photo book will still look as good as it does today. 

Class of 2022's very own Lily Gort is a star athlete with a love for learning. We designed a Traveler/Seasons Session Experience that captured all the sides to her personality and story using 3 different locations on 2 different dates. 

We started off her session during late summer on the Rocori High School softball field in Cold Spring, capturing her in motion. We did some shots that showed off her athletic ability and I specifically picked poses that would go together in a dynamic composite collage.

The second location was shot the same day by the water at a nearby park. We captured Lily in three different outfits that showed more of her individual style and personality. 

The final location was a couple months later at the Fairhaven Mill Dam Park. Here, we shot images of Lily in two different outfits during her fall session. The natural beauty of the setting perfectly surrounded Lily and her outfit choices were beautifully complimented by the colorful backdrop of nature.

The dynamic sports collage was designed with her school colors and meant to be printed as Wall Art. Her other images were perfect for a Photo Guest Book and Graduation Invitations.

Lily is an amazing student-athlete I was honored to be able to capture her story in all its glory. She was so much fun to work with and I wish her the best in her next chapter!

Hailey Carlson is an inspiring 2021 graduate and was an absolute joy to work with! She's one of my bonus nieces and I was so excited she wanted to do her Senior photos with me. She wanted to do her shoot both in the summer and the fall, so we designed a Traveler/Seasons Session Experience that gave her exactly what she was looking for.

The first session was early summer, in the beginning of June. It was a beautiful time of year to shoot at my home studio location and we took advantage of the nearby flowering fields, lakeshore, landscaping in the yard, terraced gardens, and trees. Hailey, with her glowing complexion and bright eyes, was a perfect fit for the vibrant colors and lush settings. We shot her images 4 outfits total that day.

The second session was in the fall, when the light was even softer and we specifically wanted it during the golden part of the day. We chose two different outfits for her to wear, and ventured out into the fields and woods for the shoot. We were able to capture the perfect poses and lighting for her, and the results were breathtaking.  

We used Hailey's photos for a Photo Guest Book, a set of Tin Mini's, Graduation Invitations, and Wallet Prints for her graduation party. She just loved it that she was able to put foil embossing on both her book and invitations, a classy touch that made her smile ear to ear.

I'm so proud of Hailey and all of the milestones she has achieved in her journey to graduation. I hope that Hailey will continue to enjoy her photos and that she will always look back on her graduation season with fondness and pride. Congratulations, Hailey! 

Cade Ortquist is a Dassel-Cokato Class of 2020 Senior who's graduation plans were interrupted by world events. However, we were able to shoot an awesome photo session the fall before; so he had amazing images to remember his Senior year, even if life didn't go as planned.

He wanted to do photos at his family home/farm and I thought it was a wonderful idea. It's been a part of his family for generations and he was so proud to represent his heritage in his images. They had beautiful scenery, nice landscaping, and enough variety that we were able to capture a range of photos.

We started off with photos that had the farm elements in the background. Then we did some images behind the house with the golden fall color and leaves. Cade of course had to incude his best friend and loyal companion in many of the photos. Such a great dog!

We did more images on the front porch which turned out fantastic. The contrast of dark wood made his lighter complexion really pop in the photos. After that, we ventured behind the property to the woods area. There we did a set with his Grandfathers pick-up that he inherited. He was so proud of the work he had done to it! We also did another outfit in the trees and along the path that leads to the back field. 

I enjoyed working with Cade and his family so much! Congratulations young man; you have a wonderful life ahead of you and the personality to make the most of it. 

Derrick Flachmeyer wanted to do a session that incorporated his love of music and showed off his personality. He also wanted it to be short & sweet (very common in guys, especially if they are a little camera shy). We decided that shooting his photos in a beautiful park right in his home town would be the perfect fit.

We started out by the fountain and Derrick pulled out his gorgeous acoustic guitar. It made a stunning addition to the photos and really showed off his charming nature. 

Next, he changed his outfit and we took to the wooded area nearby. The white shirt was a great contrast to the darker tree line and ended up looking very good! He really loved the results.

The final outfit was a teal shirt that suited his complexion and made his brown eyes really pop. Some quick shots around the pavilion rounded out the session. 

He loved it that we were able to incorporate all the things he wanted and shoot it in a short amount of time. He got exactly what he was looking for without a lot of fuss.

Derrick used his images for Graduation Invitations and some prints for family & friends.

Congratulations, Derrick! I know that your next chapter in life will be just as amazing as you are. 

Sabrina Cudd is my niece through marriage and a beautiful young lady, so I was honored when she asked me to shoot her Senior photos!

We designed a session that incorporated a lot of outfits and used her grandparents farm as the setting, plus one other location in nearby Fairhaven.

She is so beautiful and charismatic, so it was easy to capture stunning images of her. We started at the Fairhaven Mill Dam Park where she wore 2 different outfits. The coral dress was amazing against the backdrop of the waterfall and her other outfit made a great addition to her photos around the old mill building. 

When we went back to the farm, we shot a few images of her with her horse. We designed her outfits so that she could change quickly and easily on the fly while we had the horse saddled and available. 

After that we ventured out into the back fields. The overcast skies that day had tons of texture and a blue hue that really set the scene for some of the images. She chose a couple more outfits that represented her style and I chose poses that captured the mood just the way she wanted. 

Sabrina used her images for a Photo Guest Book, Graduation Invitations, and some Wallet Prints for her party. 

She was such a joy to work with and I'm excited to see where her journey in life takes her! She has tons of potential and the world is her oyster. Congratulations, Sabrina!

Brittany is a relative through marriage that was looking for something different when we met to discuss her Senior photo plan. She wanted to be able to do photos at her home, her grandparents nearby farm, and a location almost an hour north of there. I said, you bet! Let's do this! 

We started at her grandparents farm about a mile from where she grew up. They had the tractor all washed and ready for her. Her outfit was a wonderful compliment to the farm theme and made her look very cute. 

After that, we headed back to her house where we did a couple more outfits around the yard and house. Her 2 dogs made an appearance, so we took advantage of their attention for a couple shots. We also did a few photos with her car, a cute red sedan that she was very proud of.

After that we packed up and headed to Holdingford where the longest covered bridge in Minnesota resides along the Woebegon Trail. There were plenty of scenic areas for photos and I was so excited to get started when we got there!

She did a few outfits at the bridge area, and another one that we shot in the nearby railroad park. There were a couple other amazing photo opportunities along the way, and I loved that they just stopped wherever the mood struck them. It was truly an adventure!

Brittany used her favorite images for a Photo Guest Book, Graduation Invitations, and prints for her family & friends.

She is truly a unique young lady and I can't wait to see what the next chapter has in store for her. Congratulations, Brittany!