Fab Grad… Kari

What a special opportunity this session was… capturing Senior Portraits of the daughter of one of my own friends from growing up!

I’m so pleased to introduce y’all to Kari from Lynn Haven, Florida. As you will quickly see as you start scrolling through her images below… she is the definition of a well rounded, fabulous young lady! She is a strong, independent JROTC girl, planning to finish high school early in a few months and begin her future in the US Marine Corp. She’s also a quiet & sweet, horse loving country girl that competes in barrel racing (& probably other events that I wouldn’t even know where to begin sharing about 😉 ). And though a bit shy about it & may not acknowledge it herself… she’s quite a photogenic stunning beauty! She was as polite & enjoyable to work with as she could be and so very open to letting me just play & have fun…

A little fun background… Kari’s mom, Cathie, was my sister’s very dearest friend when our parents were stationed in Germany through middle/sr high school years. Cathie, along with her sisters and parents were very active in the International Order of Rainbow for Girls with my family & I during that time… a huge part of our world & growing up memories. Thanks to today’s technology, specifically Facebook, many of us have been able to reconnect after all these years and love keeping in touch!! Cathie, had mentioned wishing I was closer to be able to do her daughter’s session for a while now… and then… literally while en route to visit my sister in Alabama last month, we had a light bulb moment and grabbed the opportunity to MAKE.THIS.HAPPEN! 😀  I didn’t have anything but my camera & 2 main lenses with me. No reflectors, no lights, nada. So… while stopping over in Atlanta (to visit her Aunt actually 🙂 ), I put in a quick AmazonPrime order for another reflector (LOVE free 2 day shipping!!). Since I was already coming all the way to Alabama from North Carolina with my 2 little Minky’s… without hesitation, they agreed to drive the approximately 3 hours north & meet us there. Cathie, her daughter & her mom, Carol (always, aka “Mom Heath” to me 🙂 ) made the trip. They not only brought Kari’s horse, Odin, for the session, but also a sweet mini for the kids to ride… how thoughtful was that?! It was a bright HOT sunny morning, a rainy afternoon & mild evening… adding to the variety she’d brought in her looks. We had acres of wonderful country land at my sisters to work in. I did her hair & make-up myself (keeping it as minimal/light as I could for this natural gal). And… we spent the day visiting – meeting & getting to know Kari for the first time and catching up with Cathie & Mom Heath for the first time in yearS… leisurely shooting each look as we felt like it throughout the day.

Here are a few of my favorite highlights of this special spontaneous session…

Thanks so much to Kari, Cathie & Mom Heath for believing in my work so much to rearrange your schedules & take such a long, last minute trip… to my sister & her family for being so welcoming & letting us do this at your home… and especially to Kari for being such an easy going, open subject!!

Feel free to check out the rest of Kari’s Fab Grad Session & leave her a nice note!