Like most guy seniors, Luke's mom was the one to initially contact me for his senior session. They came in for a consultation to discuss location options, style, etc and that's when I knew this was going to be FUN. Luke had a very clear vision of what he wanted for his senior photos, and I couldn't have been more excited about it. He had three requests. He absolutely wanted NoDa to be part of his senior session. Because it was Fall, he also wanted to incorporate some pumpkins somehow. And lastly, he wanted water portraits. His sister would be coming along too, so we also needed to grab a couple sibling shots of them together.
Fitting those three very different locations in his senior experience meant I needed to time it all very accurately. We began Luke's senior session in NoDa. Because I'm there ALL the time, I know exactly how the light will fall and when. If the sun is being tricky, I know the best spots to go to to get the most out of the area. NoDa is hands down my most requested senior location. Not to be all braggy, but it's a big reason why seniors are now contacting me. It's one of my favorite places in Charlotte, and I love trying to give each senior their own twist on their NoDa photos. It's a decent size, but not a huge area. Using the same spots over and over yet keeping it fresh for each senior client is a challenge I love taking on. :)
Luke was actually a dancer for many years, and once he revealed that little tidbit of information, I made sure we got at least one dance shot. This is one of my favorite murals (and a popular selfie spot, lol). Unfortunately, there are now a bunch of cars always parked right in front of it. This means I have to use my ninja moves to get these wide shots. haha. But we got it!
I gave us about an hour in NoDa, then we headed to a cute little farm stand in Huntersville for some pumpkin photos. Danny Phillips, a local farmer and long time community leader, owns Old Store Produce and always has the prettiest pumpkins to choose from (I later went back and purchased a bunch for our Fall decor ;) ). I knew it would be a perfect spot to stop by really quick to grab those Fall shots Luke was wanting. This was also a fun place for a couple sibling photos.
We finally headed to the lake, where we found a quiet spot and crossed our fingers nobody would fuss at him for getting in the water. Lol. This is probably my favorite series from his senior session (which is great, since I actually gashed my foot on the rocks while photographing him haha! Told y'all I'm clumsy). His main request for the water portraits was one of those cool mermaid shots. But I knew I wanted to do more than just that, so I did my own spin to finish up his experience. I decided to channel a little James Bond vibe, and he was amazing at following all of my directions. I wish I had video of their reactions to these, because it was pretty epic. lol. He seriously looked like he belonged on the cover of a magazine. You were awesome, Luke!!
I had the best time with this dude, and I'm so glad he was happy with not only the final photos but his entire experience.
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