Olivia's Lake Chelan Senior Session: Nine Years in the Making

There are sessions you shoot, and then there are sessions that feel like a full circle moment. Olivia's senior session is the second kind. I've had the privilege of photographing this family since Olivia was a little girl, nine years ago, and getting to stand behind the camera for her senior year felt like closing a chapter I got to watch unfold from the very first page.

Almost Didn't Happen

Wildfire smoke had been rolling through the Chelan and Wenatchee area, and for a few days it genuinely looked like this session might not happen at all. Instead of scrapping it, we stayed flexible. We pushed the date, watched the air quality, and ended up shooting first thing in the morning when the smoke had thinned just enough to work with. That soft, hazy light ended up giving some of these images a mood you can't fake or plan for. Sometimes the backup plan turns into the better plan.

Two Locations, Three Looks

We moved through three completely different setups that morning: a soft white dress by the water, a flowy floral skirt out in the golden grass, and a warm brown dress for that late summer, wind in your hair feeling. Each one gave Olivia a different mood to step into, from dreamy and quiet down by the lake to playful and free out in the field.

Nine Years of This Family

What made this session different wasn't the outfits or the light, it was the fact I feel like I’ve watched Olivia grow up in front of my lens. Her family was one of the very first to trust me with their portraits, nearly 10 years ago. Oh, how life has changed in a decade! And I am beyond honored that some of my clients have been around from the very beginning. What a privelage to watch the changes, growth, and life that happen through the years unfold in front of my lens.

Pictures with Mom

Getting to watch a client grow up through my camera for nine years is exactly why I do this work. Olivia's senior session wasn't just about marking the end of high school, it was a reminder of how much can happen in nine years, and how lucky I feel to have been the one documenting it the whole way through.

Planning Your Own Senior Session

If you're a Chelan or Wenatchee senior (or a parent of one) looking for photos that actually feel like you, I'd love to talk. Take a look at my portrait photography page to see the kind of sessions I love creating, or head to my blog for more real sessions like this one.

Ready to book your own senior session? Get in touch and let's find a date, smoke or no smoke.