I have been blessed with the best group of seniors this Fall! I’ve had so much fun getting to know these young men and women. Senior Photography has surprised me in so many ways…I never knew I would love it so much and let it inspire me so much. My favorite thing to do is hear about these amazing young people, the places they’ve been and their ambitious futures. Seniors are so full of life and so beautiful inside and out, I’m so happy I get to photograph them!
When Dylan contacted me to photograph her Gender Reveal for their last baby, it was an immediate yes! This fam will get their first baby girl and I couldn’t be more excited for them since I also have 2 boys and then we got our girl :)
If you want a link to the smoke cannon Dylan got off Amazon here you go - LINK
Emma’s late Fall senior picture session was B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L! We had beautiful fall foliage, wonderful weather, partly cloudy skies, and beautiful and bubbly senior…just the best case scenario for a senior photographer :) Emma is a Salem grad who wanted some city vibes so Salem was the perfect backdrop for her session!
When Emily asked if we could go to the beach for her engagement session, it was an absolute “YES!” from me. The Oregon Coast is so fun to photograph as you never really know what you’re going to get: fog, low/high tide, fast moving weather, wind, and sunsets can be wild!!! Emily picked a super pretty spot on the Oregon coast near Manzanita. We started our photography session on the beach and then moved to a very beautiful “edge of the world” type cliff. I was so honored to be Emily and Blake’s chosen photographer for not only a beautiful engagement session but also their wedding photographer!
I often get asked what type of photography do I do? The answer is long. I love diversifying what I do, I believe having a wide range of skills helps in every shoot I do. Difficult flower girls don’t scare me at all because I do family sessions and know how to open kids up a bit. Teens in the family that want nothing to do with me? Not a problem because I do senior photography sessions all the time and I know what works with them (and what doesn’t). Wedding flat lays? No worries I love detail focused images because I do branding sessions. I don’t talk much about my branding sessions but I absolutely love bringing a brand together in new lights and providing plenty of quality content for my brands.
A session demographic I really hope to grow is my Fresh 48! A Fresh 48 is a photography session that happens the day after your newborn is born, at the hospital! I love the window light each hospital room provides, it makes for a beautiful light source on such a beautiful newborn. Another benefit from photographing at the hospital? You don’t have to clean your house! Amen to that!
If you’ve ever had a newborn, you know how those first couple days are so special, the endorphins from birth are still going strong, you are meeting your new little love for the first time and studying all the tiny newborn details. I love photographing this sweet time for my families.
Check out my Fresh 48 photography session of little Freya Lennon…
As a photographer, my most common questions I hear from my clients is, “What should we wear?” I love this question as when you dress your family for everyday life is DRASTICALLY different the dressing them for a photography session. That being said I want my family’s true personalities to come out in the photos and that can’t come through if mom is wearing a ball gown in which she never wears! So #1 rule, like what you are wearing that does express who you are as a family. But more specifically, my #1 tip when families ask, “What should we wear” is
That’s it! Now my family will choose clothes they are comfortable in and in colors that make a pleasing portrait.
Senior pictures are one of my favorite things to photograph. I think this time in a young person’s life, their senior year, is such a precious time. One minute, I can see hints of my clients childlike selves and then next I see them as a grown woman/man. Seniors are on the cusp of starting the rest of their lives and I just love to capture it.
It can be difficult sometimes if my senior isn’t exactly comfortable in front of the camera, very few are. So I have a whole list of things I do to loosen them up and give me different looks. Here are my Top 3 Prompts to do at senior sessions
1.Would you Rather?
I love playing would you rather questions with my seniors. My crazy questions usually elicit a fun look or a genuine smile. My favorite would you rather question? Would you rather Poop Chocolate or Pee pop….suuuuuuuper gross but also really funny to talk about after, ha!
2.Walk on your Toes
Movement provides very interesting pictures, compositions, and looks. I always have my seniors on the move. I even tell them to skip their workout because we’ll both be sweating by the end of our session! One of my favorite things to have them do is to walk up on their toes. This provides a fun, bouncy walk that makes them feel light and airy as well as a bit goofy once again eliciting more of a genuine smile. I almost never include a full body shot of them looking like ballerinas on their toes, ha! I deliver 3/4 portraits most of the time with this prompt.
3.Have mom tell you about their Senior as a Baby
9 times out of 10, my senior has their mom at their senior picture session. My next prompt may be my favorite for those hard to reach smiler’s. Especially my boy seniors, if I get their mom, or dad, to talk about them and how they were as a baby, it usually always makes my senior smile. Most love to hear about this time in their life they almost probably never hear about. I ask mom, if their senior was a big baby, small baby, good sleeper, up all night sleeper, were they a happy, bossy, sweet or sassy baby. How about a cuddler and do they still cuddle? My seniors just love to hear about it and it gets mom involved and drums up some great memories and emotions for all.
Those are my top 3 senior prompts I will do at nearly all my sessions. Many photographers I’ve heard loathe senior pictures because there is no one in the frame for them to interact with and this is maybe why I love senior pictures the most. The focus is just on them, it’s their time to shine and I just love getting to know my seniors and letting their personalities come out in these fun prompts.
I book senior pictures every month of the year! Even in bad weather I we have options I love exploring. Feel free to reach out at hollywoodsphotog@gmail.com if you’d like to get on my calendar!
Jake and Melissa’s September wedding was an unforgetabel day. It was a beautiful sunny day at Riverbell Farms in Jefferson, Oregon, a perfect backdrop for a wedding. Jake and Melissa had a huge supportive guest list, comprised of old friends…old friends are THE BEST especially at a wedding. It made for touching toasts, funny moments, and a great party. I loved Jake and Melissa’s wedding and hope to photograph many more just like it!
Venue - Riverbell Farms
DJ - DJ Wildtim
Hair & Make-Up - Allelu Beauty
The hottest October day I can remember happened on Matt and Molly’s wedding day this past fall. Despite the heat, it was one of the most beautiful Fall days, especially for a wedding! The venue was the beautiful Barn Kestrel in West Linn, Oregon. Molly was a stunning bride in an elegant dress from Heavenly Bridal Boutique with hair and make up by Blossom and Beauty. The intimate day was filled with long time friends, an amazing live band, the June Bugs, delicious food and lots of dancing!
Venue Barn Kestrel
HAMU Blossom and Beauty
Coordinator Daisy May Events
Dress Heavenly Bridal Boutique
Florals Flowers and Stuff
Catering Delilahs Catering
Band June Bugs
This Fall, I had time to do a Senior Half session at a studio in downtown Salem with Ava and boy did she rock it! I loved out her senior pictures turned out! We had so much fun playing around with different backdrops and outfits. I absolutely love doing senior pictures, it’s so fun to meet this next generation of ambitious go-getters!
Mike and Ellie’s Oregon Coast Wedding was incredibly beautiful to photograph. I first met Ellie as I had photographed her brother’s engagement sessions a couple years ago. A referral is just the highest compliment I could ever receive as a photographer. I immediately clicked with Ellie and loved her thoroughness, she asked all the right questions and I knew her wedding would be really special. It was a beautiful July day near Lincoln City, Ellie’s venue was a friends gorgeous house right on the beach. The day was filled with elegant decor, the guest list was filled with old friends (which are just the best at weddings), beautiful wedding colors, and just perfect weather. I hope I get to photograph many more weddings just like Ellie and Mike’s.
Dress - Anna's Bridal in Lake Oswego
Cater - Willabys
Cake - Gerry Franks Konditoeri
Ben is a kid I hope my boys grow up to be like…ambitious, kind, smart, achievement oriented, and of course handsome! I had so much fun in Ben’s two part senior session. We first started out in downtown Salem earlier this year to get a few images for his yearbook deadline submission. We then met up later in the Spring for the second half of his senior session near Dallas, Oregon. Photographing and getting to know Ben throughout his session was such an honor!
Mallory’s senior session took place in Salem, Oregon on a hot summer night. She was so much fun to get to know and was down with whatever prompts I threw her way which only benefited her as her gallery was full of different looks to choose from. We started at Deepwood Estates where we roamed around and found a ton of good spots and ended with our field location. I love photographing seniors so much as our time is so focused and relaxed, they are just so much fun!
Max is a senior I won’t soon forget, his most memorable quality? His contagious positive spirit. Max was such a joy to photograph for his senior pictures, he was so excited for his senior year and all the fun that was to come. I photographed Max as we walked through downtown Salem, OR. Not too often to I meet such an ambitious and hopeful senior, it was so refreshing to talk with such a joyful soul :)
Why do I love senior pictures so much?! Because of seniors like Anna. Anna was so fun to get to know, chat it up with, and she made taking her senior pictures so easy…she made it look effortless! The outfits were youthful and fit Anna’s personality beautiful, every weird prompt I gave her or angle I put her in…she rocked! Taking senior pictures to me is like one giant conversation, I am so curious about my seniors I just LOVE getting to know them…and taking their picture of course :)
Best.Party.Ever.
I think that pretty much sums up Angel & Dulce’s wedding day. From the enthusiastic guests to all the dancing (like real dancing…like men not shy about moving their body dancing, ya know like they know what they’re doing). The food was delicious, the guests were fantastic, the décor was on point (Dulce’s your girl if you need help planning a wedding). Another thing I loved about A&D’s wedding is they didn’t do a first look, I just love how they saved this special moment for their ceremony, making their ceremony even more special. The groomsmen and bridesmaids were long time friends of the couple making their love and support of the bride and groom so rich and authentic.
Venue - Bravo Ranch
Florist - Distinctive Designs
Make-Up - Beautylashandmakeup_byyurig
Hair - Hair by Alla Pavlov
Rings - Kay Jewelers
Rings - Harry Ritchies
Dress - Bridal Exclusives
Rental - For the Love of Pete
Senior pictures are an absolute favorite session of mine. I can’t believe how much I love getting to know this younger generation. Every senior session, I love chat with them, what they do, what they love, where they’re going…but mostly we joke around and have a good time. I really love that my seniors laugh at my jokes and silly prompts which totally fills my bucket up!
What can I say about the Small family, they are always just so natural and so fun. I love that they let me see them as the family they are at home. I always leave wanting to be a part of their family, ha! I loved that Courtney reached out for styling advice, she did a wonderful job creating a look the coordinated but didn’t match. Her clothing choices didn’t distract from the purpose of the images but complimented. It was an overcast fall day, we had a lot of fun, catching spiders, jumping on rocks and laughing a lot!
