Say hello to beautiful Kate!
I met with Kate and her family prior to our session to iron out the details of her shoot, and right off the bat I just loved how laid back and close they seemed. As her dad headed off to work, leaving us girls to wrap up all the detail talk, I asked him if there was anything important for me to capture from his perspective. I knew right away that his love for his baby girl was so rich and deep that I could take a picture of her earlobe and he’d be thrilled. However, he did share that softball had been a huge part of their lives.
Kate plays on the Varsity team but had mentioned that she didn’t really want to incorporate that aspect of her high school career into her senior pictures. I get this a lot—and I totally understand. Although I played basketball in high school and currently coach my daughter’s team, the idea of sporting my three-sizes-too-big uniform with my scrawny arms and legs poking out would not have been my idea of a glamorous senior portrait session back in the day. (Oh, how I covet those scrawny arms and legs now!) That being said, after her dad left for work, I put the bug in Kate’s ear that we could (and totally should!) incorporate softball via a separate mini session. Something in me just thought those images would be meaningful to her parents—especially her dad—many years after Kate’s softball days are over.
I frequently talk about my love for connecting with teenagers, but here’s another fun fact for you: I also deeply desire to connect with their parents. I really resonated with Kate’s mom and dad, Jana and Klip. Long after their daughter leaves for college, these images of Kate and her dad on her high school’s home field will carry so much weight in her parents’ hearts…all the time they spent together every weekend, the parties or vacations that were sacrificed in order to attend this practice or that game, the incredible wins and the hard losses. Kate and the friends she’s grown up with are beautiful young women now, but her parents still remember the skinned knees, the missing teeth phase, and the life lessons learned on a dirt field with a bat or a ball in hand. I get it, and I’m so thankful I got the chance to capture it!
As you’re about to see, the result of both sessions was pure perfection! From a photographer’s standpoint, the first session was filled with beautiful images of a beautiful girl. The lighting was pretty, and the clothing choices were perfect—I’m particularly fond of the shots of Kate wearing a white dress and boots on my favorite tree-lined road. Her all-American beauty and sweet personality were the perfect match for our Decatur, Texas location! From a mom’s perspective, however, I have to say that without the softball pictures, something special would have been missing from Kate’s story. In conclusion? I have no choice but to get SUPER cheesy here and label the overall result of both sessions as nothing short of a (you guessed it) home run. 🙂
And just for the record, Jana, you inspire me as a mom! Thank you for reminding me that it’s worth it to raise your hand to volunteer, to coach, to join PTA, or to plug in wherever I can as a parent in order to give of myself and share my gifts. For now, I’ll let the amazing Janas of the world run the PTA, and I’ll stick to teaching little girls how to dribble a basketball!
Thank you, Klip, Jana, and Kate for choosing me to document such an important time in all of your lives!
SESSION DETAILS:
High School: Argyle
Location: Decatur, Texas
Makeup+Hair: Riley with Grand Slam Glam
