Gracyn is seriously such a sweet little ray of sunshine. She joined my Class of 2022 Wildflower Model Team after her friend Lilly had such a fun year doing it. After a couple of shoots under her belt, it was finally time for her own Wildflower Senior Experience! The original plan was to go to the mountains for an epic shoot. Her main request was to end at a waterfall. I had everything mapped out and timed perfectly. Unfortunately as the day approached, it was clear the mountains were going to be a misty, rainy mess. And while I could totally have created some beautifully dramatic, moody photos with those conditions, it wouldn't have fit her personality at all! Gracyn is the most petite, smiley, sweet thing. Basically if you bottled up sunshine and put it in a senior that still looks like she's 13, you would have Gracyn. So moody wouldn't have made any sense for her. So the night before, I rerouted and replanned. We came up with an alternate plan that would still give her everything she was hoping for... big fields, a mountain feel, and a waterfall.
But first... hair and makeup! Carly with Bel Fiore did such an amazing job with Gracyn. So well that she'll be doing her prom makeup! ;) She had a great time getting all dolled up and feeling good before we headed over to a field for some beautiful, natural photos.
Our next stop was downtown Davidson. The pretty colors, cute small town feel, and happy vibe fit perfectly with Gracyn's personality. She really wanted to have locations that weren't being used by everyone else. Downtown Davidson is great for that, because even in a small block, I can find all kinds of little spots to use. Gracyn's chose this insanely cute blue dress that really complimented her eyes. On that note, I just want to make it clear that I did not retouch her eyes at all. Those are all her! I'm actually very picky about making sure people don't look like AI characters, so eyes stay the way they were photographed. Hers are just so incredibly pretty!
Big thanks to our friends at Davidson Provision Co for letting us use their cute red metal sofa. They actually go to our church (we were in the same parenting class together right before the pandemic hit). They're such a nice couple. Definitely check out their store! And of course Summit for the adorable coffeeshop photos.
After we got some shots of Gracyn in downtown Davidson, we hopped in the car and took a little road trip. The one thing Gracyn requested was a waterfall, and I wasn't going to let a little rain ruin that for her. I did my best searching and remembered a really awesome one that didn't require us to head straight towards clouds! Gracyn had two of the most stunning outfits for these. And yes, the water was cold, but after a long day of shooting in early September, I was totally okay jumping in! haha Gracyn's mom Christy was so impressed I was willing to climb a waterfall for her girl, but how could you blame me?! As long as I know neither of us are going to get injured, I'm all for it!
Pro tip: if you are wanting to include water portraits for your Wildflower Senior Experience, they definitely need to be done at the end. Nobody wants to have wet hair for the rest of their photos! Lol
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