Annie and I met up for her Bend, Oregon senior portrait session on a chilly day in February, not a typical time for Senior sessions (they are usually in summer or fall) but Annie graduated early, so she got to have that pretty winter light for her session. Annie was open to suggestions for location, she grew up in the Juniper and Sagebrush countryside of Bend, Oregon- and I thought Reynolds Pond would be perfect for her. It’s honestly my lucky spot. If you have read any of my other blog posts of shoots at this location, you’ll know, when I shoot there, I am pretty much always happy with the results.

Annie and I had a lot of fun being creative, talking about books, school, how COVID has impacted her senior year and what her plans were for the future. Of course, I also told her some stories about that time in my life. My takeaway from this session was that I wish I had been more like Annie when I was her age. She is unashamed to be herself, and she is a good advocate for her own best interests. It took me a long time to figure out how to do both of those things, so I see a lot of great things coming for her. At one point, while shooting and gleefully reacting to what I was seeing on my LCD, she said “I hope I love my job as much as you do someday”. I loved that, and I will never forget it. It reminded me how lucky I am, and how happy I am doing what I do.

When I first started shooting, it was almost exclusively with couples for our first company Gallivan Photo so I was a bit intimidated by working with a single subject. Now, years later, it’s one of my favorite things to do. The creative freedom that comes with it is unique, and you actually get to know the soul of the person you’re photographing better. There’s something special about these portraits, I hope you agree.