a beautiful day in hershey
Today's the day! I thought, unable to sit still. I hadn't done a session in. . . I gulped. Two months. How am I supposed to do this? What if she hates them? And she's paying for them! I quickly binged senior session ideas on TikTok and reviewed Pinterest. Before I left, I double checked that my camera was in RAW (made that mistake last session!) and grabbed an extra SD card and battery. My car's clock read 2:30 as I pulled out my driveway.
Today's session was at the Hershey Gardens from 3:40-4:40. I needed to be there early: always arrive before the client! I also needed to turn in a Photography Agreement form and check in. At least my house is only half an hour from Hershey. I took a deep breath. I can do this. I'm meant to be a photographer.
I think.
My heart started racing as I saw the traffic pile up. Great. Today was a concert night. And a long line of cars is waiting to turn up the road I need to take to the Gardens. I sat. And I sat. And I sat.
Ten minutes went by and I didn't move. Anticipation built within me like water threatening to break a dam. What if I'm late to my first senior session? That's not how I want to kick off my photography career.
The parking staff directed my lane to go. I let out a long sigh of relief. I'm not going to be late after all. I found parking, checked that I had an SD and battery in, and found my way to the lobby. Unfortunately, I was not able to scope out the Gardens ahead of time; I could not enter without paying an admission fee, which was my client's responsibility. I'd have to play it by ear, nothing I hadn't done before. Just a little bit of added stress, that's all.
Minutes later, my client, Savanna, entered the lobby. Then the session began. It had been a bit of time since my last session, but I quickly got back in the groove. After quickly reviewing the first few photos I took, my confidence soared like an eagle and my anxieties disappeared. I found myself locked into the session and gave her several prompts where I could explore creativity. She was more than happy to follow them, and I got so many fantastic shots. One of my favorite things about photography is how creative you can be with it. One of my favorite techniques is shooting through objects and including a great deal of foreground.
Toward the end of the session, her adorable little sister joined. This year, both of them are embarking on new journeys: her sister is starting kindergarten, and Savanna is graduating. The photos I took of them are so sweet and show the epitome of sisterly love.
I am so incredibly grateful to have been trusted with capturing someone's senior photos. It's a special time in life, and all seniors deserve portraits of them that capture the person they are now.
