Meet Brooke | Class of 2020 | Glenoak High School
In this blog post, I have the pleasure of introducing you to Brooke who is a senior at Glenoak High School in the class of 2020. I was so excited for Brooke's session because I remember loving my session with her older sister Emilee in the class of 2018. I also knew that Brooke was a dancer, and I have found that dancers just have a way of turning any pose into a work of art. They are also able to contort themselves into any pose I can dream up. With an endless set of posing possibilities, my creative energy goes into overdrive and I literally become giddy.
As we met in downtown Canton for the first time, I was dazzled by her smile and enamored by all of her outfits that she had chosen for the session. We decided to start in the area around the Saxton McKinley House where I quickly learned that working with Brooke was going to be a dream. Every portrait was declared a "favorite" as we moved from one setting to the next. It quickly became apparent that Brooke and I had the same vision for her portrait session and I think we were equally ecstatic by what we were capturing.
Brooke | Class of 2020
It helps to have an older sister who already possesses all of the regalia to be worn on graduation day. What a treasure to have such fabulous portraits of Brooke in cap and gown to truly commemorate this special milestone in her life.
We decided that a wardrobe change was in order and found this adorable little nook for our next set of portraits. By this point, Brooke and I were getting quite comfortable working together and I just love the variety of expressions that we have, here.
Brooke is outgoing, energetic and funny, so I wanted to be sure to let those qualities shine in her portraits. Finding these fun locations and varying the posing and expressions allows us to show all of the beautiful sides to Brooke. And I must say... I was ALL ABOUT THOSE RED SHOES! Aren't they just the perfect POP of color on those black steps? LOVE!!!
So, I wanted to really feature those shoes and use them to tell Brooke's story. She is very active in dance, as well as color guard; but it was clear that dance has been a very big part of her life. I really wanted to create a statement piece that would show the casual and fun Brooke with the intensity and devotion that she feels for dance. I think that was accomplished in the composite that you see below. Oh, my heart!
Again, with Brooke, it was so easy to tell her story. I just love that she brought shoes from the many years past and what a perfect way to establish that history. The little pink pair in her hands are her first ballet shoes and they kinda get me choked up.
I happened to notice that the sun was at that gorgeous low angle to allow for some dramatic backlighting and... HELLO... you know we used that! That first silhouette shot is absolutely breathtaking. Just look at that beautiful graceful outline of her hand. She is just stunning. The other images with some flash added are fun to juxtapose her lovely form against the darkening cityscape.
We switched it up a little by changing from the formal ballerina tutu into a more modern look with the leotard and skirt. It made for some fun inspiration to use light creatively to really put her in the spotlight.
Then, we got serious and out came the off-camera flash to create some absolutely stunning portraits. With careful placement, we were able to accentuate the beautiful lines that Brooke so effortlessly makes with her body. These just may be some of my favorite portraits EVER. Brooke must have been having fun with me because she was game to keep shooting. I think I was gushing out loud after each click of my shutter.
We reluctantly decided to end the session with a little edgier look. I absolutely love the sass and attitude that Brooke gave me when I asked for it. Needless to say, I don't remember the ride home. I only remember whipping my memory card into my card reader and anxiously watching as each image downloaded. I got to enjoy the session all over again.
Getting to work with Brooke and her mom (and dad for a while) that evening was sooooo much fun! I feel like she just let me play and push my limits, for which I was thankful. Besides her love of dance and color guard, Brook likes to shop and hang out with friends. You might find her at American Eagle or eating at Wasabi. Showing some diversity, she likes the rapper Jon Bellion and The Lion King. She plans to attend college. Both Ashland University and the University of Akron are possibilities. Wherever Brooke goes, she will bring her beautiful light, let her talents shine, and make all things special. I wish you all good things, Brooke! You are beautiful inside and out, and it was the greatest pleasure to work with you!
*What did Brooke have to say about her portrait session?
"We chose Laura because she did my sister's senior photos and after seeing the quality of the photos and her ability to capture my sister's vision, I knew she had to do mine! She worked very well with my vision and did everything that I wanted and more. She paid lots of attention to detail. The parking garage portraits and all of the dance photos are my favorites. I was surprised that when I received my final photos, I was very amazed with the editing, especially on my dance photos! And when we first arrived, we had the same vision, so I knew it would be amazing. Everything about the session was fantastic!"
You make the memories; I help you cherish them.
Love and Smiles,
Laura
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