Senior pictures + puppy?? Yes please!!
Anytime any senior asks if they can bring their pet for their senior portraits, the answer is ALWAYS YES!! I absolutely love documenting the sweet bond between a girl and her dog. Weather it's an older dog or a puppy, it's still special to capture who they were at this time. When Grace and I met up for her first senior session, they surprised me with the CUTEST, and I mean cutest (hope my dogs don't see this), puppy ever - Mabel! She was just a little thing and she looked so cuddly. I instantly fell in love!
Grace is what I like to call the perfect senior client. In her senior questionnaire, she mentioned she wanted a wildflower field, water, and the garden at Sedgwick County Park. ALL in which is right up my alley when it comes to photographing seniors! If you've seen my Senior Style Magazine (free download available btw), you know this vibe goes along with every other senior session in that guide! From the locations, to the outfit inspo, I knew we were going to get amazing images from this!
My Senior Style Magazine is something I give to all of my seniors. It's over 40 pages long and it is FULL of information you need to start planning your senior session! Location ideas, outfit inspirations from previous sessions, hair and makeup tips, when to arrive, it takes the stress out of planning! If you haven't grabbed yours yet you can download it from my senior page here - https://www.magnoliamomentsllc.com/Seniors/
it's not about recreating, it's about making it your own with a little guidance from the photographer you love!
Grace loved Sedgwick County Park's garden on the west side of the park. It's got a beautiful wooden arch when entering the garden, tall english evergreen trees, and tons of flowers, making it the perfect floral location in Wichita KS for senior pictures! Plus, it's completely free! We started here with this adorable pink dress with a little detail to the sleeves, something simple yet elegant that really elevated her senior pictures! Some seniors have no idea how to pose, and I'm 1,000% ready for that, but Grace was a natural! It probably helps knowing that she and her friends take pictures of each other all the time for Instagram, so if your a shy senior reading this, it's okay if you don't know how to pose, I got you!! Grace was so giddy and cheerful, and didn't really take the pictures so seriously, which is why they came out completely unique and personal to her! We spent our time frolicking, running around, taking portraits with Mabel, it was so hard to leave. But I knew more amazing locations were coming!
If you love The Notebook, I have the perfect location in Wichita just for you... North Riverside Park! Along the Arkansas River there is a wooden dock under a tree that overhangs above the water with the sun setting directly behind your senior giving the most DREAMY light possible in a beautiful location that reminds you of a romance novel! This is where Grace wanted to do her water photos. Now we didn't get in the water (have you seen the Arkansas River??), but just being on the water on the wooden dock was enough. Her blue dress contrasted beautifully with the rich tones of the wood and the green from the trees. We did have to work quickly because the sun was fading fast but I work very well under pressure and we got a pretty wide variety of images from this location, including a few splashy ones which are always a fav!
On our last stop we had to drive 30 minutes south to A to Z Flower Farms, one of my favorite flower farms to rent from for senior pictures! The owner is incredibly sweet and she get's just as excited about seeing the pictures as we do. They offer a variety of flower fields to choose from and has plenty of props, including an old barn, to make your senior pictures different. However, this one prop completely changed the ending of our session and I had no idea it was about to happen. The owner noticed Grace's bible, I love that a lot of seniors are including them now days, and asked if we wanted to add something that added so much meaning and emotion to her pictures.. a giant cross.. in the sunflower field. It was so beautiful! It was so meaningful! It was by far my most favorite part of the session. THIS is what going above and beyond for your clients mean. A to Z didn't have to offer that, but they saw the vision and wanted to help, and for that, I will always recommend them to anyone wanting flowers in their pictures!
your senior pictures deserve to be uniquely yours! from puppies, to having your own vision, to adding personal items like your bible, this is what makes a great senior session! don't recreate, find a photographer who will help you make it personable while creating the style you love!
