Cassidy ~ Urbandale High School Class of 2020

Today on the blog I’m excited to finally share Cassidy’s Senior session!

Cassidy, Urbandale High School Class of 2020

I photograph the nicest Seniors ever. Really. Teens today sometimes get a bad rap, but I’m here to tell you that there are some incredibly outstanding young people in our community who are doing great things, and will make a tremendous impact for good in our world.

Cassidy is definitely one of those people. Besides stunning and having fantastic fashion sense, she’s just a genuine joy to be around. I’m definitely not surprised though. She comes from an amazing family. You may remember that I photographed her sister Jordan’s Senior pictures too, and her Aunt LeAnn is a dear friend of mine whom I’ve known since, hmmm, first grade?? Anyway, they are incredibly delightful people and it’s been such a joy to be a part of their lives.

We started out in historic Valley Junction in West Des Moines, praying the rain would hold off. Cloud cover was pretty thick but it diffused the sunlight beautifully.

We dodged a few sprinkles while we were there but thankfully it stopped! We finished a few more photos before moving on to Location #2 and a new outfit.

This shot was the perfect cover image for my 2020 Senior Client Guide! Click HERE to request your copy.

Next we headed to Clive Greenbelt Park. If you haven’t checked it out before you should! It’s one of my favorite places to photograph, especially in the fall. Normally the trees would have been bright yellow and orange by this point in mid-October, but due to some unseasonably warm and wet fall weather, the leaves just kept making more chlorophyll and everything was still fairly green.

Side note to any of my science teachers reading this - see? I was paying attention!

As we drove to the park we encountered a few more rain drops, so I knew we’d have to work quickly in case the skies opened up. Even her cute heel booties didn’t slow her down as we walked quickly from our vehicles to the walking trail. Cassidy’s like a natural model! Even under the pressure of an impending rain shower she struck her poses like a pro.

We then got to my favorite part in the park - this beautiful bridge over Walnut Creek. This is truly a beautiful area and I’m so thankful we were able to get these shots, because right as we finished it started to rain!

We had planned to photograph at 2 more locations but with the rain (and no break to come according to radar) we decided to call it a day and try again the next day to wrap up the 2 final locations.

So, Day 2 arrives and it’s still raining! Cassidy’s mom and I both kept an eye on the skies and the radar, and texted throughout the afternoon until it was time to make a decision. Thankfully by the time we needed to head out the skies were starting to clear, so even though we knew we might encounter a few more sprinkles we decided to give it a go.

Softball is a big part of Cassidy's life. She's played since she was young and is currently an outfielder/short stop for the Urbandale J-Hawks Varsity Softball team, so having photos done at the softball field was a must. We still had to dodge a few raindrops before the skies finally gave way to some beautiful sunshine.

A new service I’m excited to offer to my High School Senior clients is the sports montage! These are great not only for single sport Seniors, but also for multi-sports as well. These come as a Canvas Gallery Wrap in sizes 16x24, 20x30, or 24x36.

Our fourth and final stop for Cassidy's senior pictures was Jackaline Baldwin Dunlap Park in Urbandale. I had only visited this park once a couple of years ago but never photographed a session before, and I'm so glad Cassidy chose this location. It's truly a beautiful park right in the middle of town...a hidden gem! She looked stunning in her red halter Homecoming dress and classic black pumps.

A session wouldn't be complete without a photo of the grad-to-be and Mom.

Cassidy was really hoping to get her braces off before her Senior picture session but unfortunately that wasn't the case. I explained that her photos could be send to a professional retoucher to have them removed in Photoshop. There's a lot I can do in Photoshop, but braces removal is beyond my skill set (for now!). I partner with a wonderful professional retouching service for things like this. So, no braces in her printed portraits, plus, a personal sneak peek for her to see what her post-braces smile will look like. Check out the before and after on this one!

We had the braces removed from the photos she selected for her physical products, which included this beautiful 16x20 wood print, a 10x10 album with thick pages and a photo wrap cover, and a custom proof box for her full set of 4x6 proofs from her session.

Are you the parent of an upcoming High School Senior and need to schedule Senior pictures? CONTACT ME to discuss the perfect option for your son or daughter's Senior photo session.