I was thrilled to get a call from Danielle's mom asking if I could possibly take Danielle's pictures (the answer was absolutely, yes, of course!)  See, Danielle is yet another one of those kids from my church that I just absolutely adore and that I have known for years.  Danielle is an absolute sweetheart, not to mention absolutely adorable, and it was a pleasure to get to spend a beautiful Wednesday morning with her. Danielle brought 3 outfits to wear so we decided to do split the shoot into 3 sections - garden, house and field. Of course, I posed Danielle here, there and everywhere in the garden and of course, Danielle did it sweetly, and awesomely!

On our way back to the car, we saw a pretty cool red door. Who doesn't love a red door?? I know that I can't resist!

I mentioned in Rachael's post that I have a chalkboard story about another senior, well Danielle is that senior. I was lamenting once again that I had forgotten to bring chalk for the chalkboard (never mind bring chalk, I would have to buy chalk) and Danielle happened to have some in her car (from marching band).  Danielle wants to be a teacher so a picture in front of the chalkboard was a must but having chalk to write on the board (and of course, tissues to wipe it off, I always leave things as I found them) made it perfect. How great is Danielle being prepared?? That will certainly serve her well in the teaching profession because in that job you just never know what the day's going to bring!  Plus she has impeccable handwriting which will also serve her well in the teaching profession.

One of Danielle's outfits was a dress so we decided that the dress would go best with the house so Danielle changed and off we went up to the house.  Doesn't she have the most beautiful eyes??

Another quick change and it was time for the field.  Danielle has spent the last week or so at band camp, she plays the clarinet in the marching band.  That means that she is used to moving around and being bossed around.  Good thing because she got plenty of that from me!! 

Danielle's boyfriend came along with us too so of course I had to get some shots of them together.  For what I saw, they really have a nice relationship.  They seem to be very respectful and supportive of each other, as well as have a lot of fun, of course!  

Danielle, thank you so much for letting me share in your senior year and for spending a beautiful summer morning with me. I hope that you have an amazing year this year.  I am so looking forward to watching you and your classmates enjoy all the milestones of this year and to celebrating your many successes, as a class and as individuals. Good luck with everything this year and in the future!  Please click here if you would like to see the rest of Danielle's pictures.

I met Evan at his house and we decided to go over to Borderland park in Easton. There was no point in both of us driving over there so I asked Evan if he would like to ride over with me. I was a little nervous that we would have nothing to talk about it but I shouldn't have been.  Three hours later when we wrapped things up, we were still chatting away! We made our way over to the mansion, taking pictures on the way, of course.  We attempted to start over at the rock garden by the mansion area but there was already a photographer hard at work over there so we shifted around the building.  It didn't faze Evan at all, he was the perfect subject, easy-going and unflappable.  

As we were chatting, Evan told me about his recent month-long trip to Israel.  He was over for most of the month of July, a month marked by unrest in that part of the world. I asked him if he felt safe over there and he told me that he never felt anything but safe. When I asked him if he would go back, he replied with an emphatic yes. He loved everything about it, except maybe the extreme heat.  Well I was a little glad that he was used to some heat because Tuesday around here was pretty warm, well at least it was for this August.  Evan brought another shirt to change into so we headed back to change but not before Evan showed off some of his soccer moves.  Not bad for wearing boat shoes instead of cleats!

Evan changed his shirt and we were able to get into the rock garden.  I think that Evan and I saw 4 photographers working there the other night, talk about the place to be! Evan wants to be an engineer and when I mentioned that Abbie also wanted to be an engineer, he told me that they engage in a friendly competition about grades and school and such.  Having spent time with both of them, I have no doubt whatsoever that they both will have much success in the field.  

After finishing up at the mansion, we headed down to the water to get some shots down there.  Of course, we had to stop a couple of times on the way, including my favorite random bench. 

There is a lake with a very "beachy" feel right down the road from the park so I asked Evan if he felt like taking a ride by there on the way home. Evan was such a good sport that of course, he said yes. And I didn't know it when I suggested the lake but Evan has spent a lot of time at a lake at his grandfather's house. It was nice that the spot made a connection with Evan, that is one of my main goals, to make a connection and it is nice when it happens. Although in a lot of cases, including this one, it happens in spite of me, not necessarily because of me. Oh well, as long as it's happens, right?  

We ended our night at the soccer pitch at the high school.  Evan has played for years and he loves it so much that his science fair project was about soccer cleats.  So it was only right to have him put on his uniform and gets some shots, both posed and action shots.  He stopped to tie his cleats and I told him that I should take a picture of it.  We both agreed that an athlete tying his cleats is the quintessential athlete shot, very Nike, Gatorade, etc.  The lights were on at the football field so it made for some cool shots.

We ended, fittingly enough, with a shot by the Black Knights sign.

Thank you Evan for taking time out of your very busy schedule to spend some time with me.  I appreciate you putting up with me for so long and I thoroughly enjoyed our time together.  Now don't forget that you promised to tell Kate that I am funny (just kidding, you don't have to, although I may have "website issues" with your page if you don't, ha!).  I hope that you have a fabulous soccer season and an even better senior year.  I have absolutely no doubt that you will have tremendous success at whatever you set your mind to this year and in the future. Please click here if you would like to see the rest of Evan's pictures.

Rachael has been a cheerleader with my oldest daughter, Kate, on and off for years since their Pop Warner days, although both gave it up a few years ago. I have also known her mom for years, I have seen her at various sporting events and besides Kate and Rachael being in the same grade, both of our youngest daughters are in the same grade. But even though I have known Rachael for years, I don't think that I have had a full conversation with her.  Well the other day was my lucky day, not only was it beautiful morning but I finally got to have that long overdue conversation.  Long overdue because I found Rachael to be very thoughtful, very polite and very respectful!  Rachael brought a dress to start off with so we got started over by the house.

We meandered (don't you just love that word?) around for a bit around the house and took a trail that eventually led us back to the car so that Rachael could change up her look.  

For Rachael's next look, her mom told her that she should bring something that looked a little more "fall" so that she had options. Now our session took place on this past Tuesday morning, which was one of the only mornings in August that it was actually warm out. But no matter, not only did Rachael not complain, I think that it is safe to say that she rocked the look!  Although at one point, Rachael forgot her boots in the car and decided that the look didn't work with flip flops.  That's okay, she had brought a friend with her from work and he saved the day (or the moment, at least) by running to the car and retrieving them for her, what a guy!

Rachael wants to be a teacher so I thought posing her by the chalkboard would be appropriate.  Of course, I tell myself every time that I am at this particular place that I should bring chalk but of course, I never think of it until I am there and it's too late (I like to call this the "broken windshield wiper" syndrome, you know, you forget their broken until it's raining).  Although I do have a story about this chalkboard for an upcoming senior, ohh, a teaser! By the way, I think that Rachael's mom was right about the fall look, it looked great!!  I loved the color of the cardigan with the scarf, gorgeous!

Rachael made one more change and we headed over to the field.  I have shot at this place in both the morning and the afternoon and I can't decide which light is better. 
They are both fabulous so I guess I will have to call it a tie.  Rachael was fabulous, too, climbing over rock walls, posing near fences, on benches, 

Rachael, I hope that you have a terrific senior year and I wish you all the success in the world in the future. It was such a treat to spend a beautiful morning with you, you were a great subject and great company.  Any school will be lucky to get you, first as a student and in the future, as a teacher.  Good luck!!  Please click here if you would like to see the rest of Rachael's pictures.

On Monday morning this week, I got the chance to meet and work with Sarah. Talk about a wonderful way to start a week!  Not only was it super weather, Sarah was also super sweet and super adorable, that is a lot of superness right there. Or should it be superlative?  Oh well, whatever it was, it really set the tone for my week in the best possible way.  

We ventured near the water and Sarah's mom told me that Sarah was her water girl. Sarah used to swim competitively but doesn't anymore. But that's not necessarily what her mom meant anyway, she meant that Sarah has a special affinity for the water. Sarah mentioned that one of the schools that she is looking at for college is in Maine, What a perfect place for a water girl.  She certainly looked at home, not to mention fabulous, posing next to it!

Sarah brought along a change of clothes so we took a quick break so that she could make a change.  A lot of people ask me about wardrobe changes, how many is good, how many I allow, etc... I allow as many as you would like but I have found that 2 or 3 work the best, after that, it seems to add some pressure about getting it all in.  I love Sarah's choices, a dress and jeans and a pretty shirt. I love when the kids choose somewhat different looks.  I love to see them dressed up but I also love to see them looking like themselves too.  A perfect mix, I think! 

When Sarah was posing for this series of pictures (coincidentally her shirt matched the background, how cool is that??), I mentioned to her mom that she has the best smile.  Her mom told me that they call her "Sarah Smile" because she always has a smile on her face and that she has been such an easy going and happy person. She certainly was for me, that's for sure! 

Sarah is in the color guard for marching band.  I mentioned to her that I wanted my daughter to do that but she wouldn't because she couldn't dance.  Sarah tried to tell me that she couldn't dance either but I don't know if I was buying it. She was pretty natural at posing and if that was any indication, then I think that she may have been underrating her dancing skills. 

I could tell that Sarah was getting kind of tired (ok, I couldn't really tell at all, her smile is really effortless ) so I told her that we would be all done after one more set by the water, and on the rock wall, and by the really pretty tree. Ok, I am not really good at finishing and keeping my promise but I tried, it was just really hard with Sarah being so awesome!!

Thank you Sarah for sharing part of your senior year with me.  I hope you keep smiling that beautiful smile, always because it is sure to brighten up the world of everyone around you.  I wish you all the best for a fantastic senior year and beyond. It was a pleasure meeting you and getting to spend a beautiful summer morning with you and your mom!!  Please click here if you would like to see the rest of Sarah's pictures.  

Meagan is another one of those kids from my church that I just absolutely love!! Her younger brother and my son have played football together for years so I know the whole family and they are just wonderful people. I actually did her older brother's pictures a couple of years ago and if anyone was reading back then, this is the mom that fixed his sweater which made him retort, "What am I, like 4, Mom?" Luckily Meagan didn't have a sweater so there was no sweater fixing necessary.  

Like Ashlyn a couple of weeks ago, Meagan plays field hockey. I don't know about you all but I am seriously considering taking up field hockey so that my arms might look like that!  Unfortunately It probably can't help me get gorgeous blue eyes like Meagan's though!!

Meagan is such a nice girl with a big heart which is perfect because she wants to be a teacher.  It's funny her mom is a nurse and we were talking about how the profession has changed and the focus has shifted a bit from care to productivity and assessment. I mentioned that the same is true of teaching and that is when Meagan mentioned that she wants to be a teacher.  I think that it's up to this generation to put things back on track in both professions. Either way, I am sure that Meagan will be a terrific teacher.   

After a quick change, we went over to the house to get some portraits with a bit of a different look. I think that it is safe to say that Meagan rocked this look as well.  

The light the other afternoon was just amazing and beautiful or maybe it just seemed that way because was the company was amazing and beautiful. And yes, I know that bordered on being a cheesy pick up line, it's true though both the light and Meagan were stunning.

Thank you Meagan for a wonderful afternoon.  I had a  blast with you and your mom. Much like me, your mom is very fun to hang out with, as are you!!  I wish you all the best for a fantastic senior year and beyond. I know that you will have much success in your life and I have no doubt that you will be an extraordinary teacher. Please click here if you would like to see the rest of Meagan's pictures. 

This past Sunday was the first time that I have ever had the pleasure of meeting David, I have known his mom for years but somehow, I had never met David. And pleasure is the right word.  What a nice, polite and respectful young man he was. Hey wait a minute, didn't I say the same things about Robbie?? Hmmm. maybe this generation is more respectful and polite than we tend to give them credit for!! The seniors that I have met so far certainly are. Besides being a nice guy, David is also an athlete. I am purposely not going to tell you what kind until after I show you some pictures and let's see if you guess what sports he participates in.  

If you guessed track, you would be correct.  Doesn't he just look like the prototypical runner? David's favorite event is the mile and he told me that his fastest mile is around 4 minutes, 30 seconds.  I don't even think that I can do a mile on my bike that fast!! Besides being a good sport on the track, he was also a good sport for me, posing wherever I asked, willingly and with a big smile. 

David was also very stylish, he changed up his look in the middle of our session. He looked very handsome in both of the outfits that he brought along. 

At one point, David's mom told him that he didn't have to smile in every picture, that he could do some serious ones.  I can see why she would him to, I don't want to embarrass him (well, any more than I probably already have) but can you say model face??

David's younger sister also came along so that we could get some pictures of the two of them.  David's mother asked me beforehand if this was okay and of course, I said yes.  I have kids, I know how it is, one is dressed and ready to go, you take advantage of the opportunity!!  There is an 11 year gap between the two but you can tell that the age difference doesn't matter one bit, they are really close and David is super sweet with her (oops, there's that embarrass thing again).  Their mom told me that Michelle has asked that they stop talking about David going away to college because it makes her really sad (I know, I said, "awww" when I heard that, too!).  David wants to study marketing with possibly a minor in communications. For Michelle's sake, let's hope that he doesn't choose to do that at the college that has been recruiting him recently, Duquesne University, a Pennsylvania University that is about 10 hours away!! Well until he goes they are going to enjoy their time together and they are awfully cute together!

Thanks to David, his mom and his sister for spending a beautiful Sunday morning with me. It was an honor to be able to document a part of your senior year and it was a pleasure meeting you. I hope that you have a fantastic senior year, both on and off the track.  Good luck with all that you choose to do, I have no doubt that you will be a huge success, no matter what it is!!  Please click here if you would like to see the rest of David's (and Michelle's) pictures.

I told Kate, Brittany and Tori that I wanted to take them into Boston to do some more portraits before the summer ended.  Well last Friday, we did just that and it was a blast!!  What made it especially fun for me is that they were already very happy with their portraits that we did on Prudence Island so that made this excursion strictly for fun.  That meant no pressure, bonus!!   As we were waiting for the train there was a pretty cool garage or warehouse door across the way that was painted blue. Of course, I couldn't resist dragging them over there to get some pics.  After all, we were just standing there waiting for the train anyway, right?? Might as well put the time to good use!

Once we got in there, we hung out in the park in front of Trinity Church for a bit. Each of the girls' younger sisters came along with us too so we had quite the group. As I was posing the seniors by the fountain,  

I turned around to this...hilarious!

After that, we headed over to the courtyard in the Boston Public Library. Unfortunately for all the people hoping for a nice quiet afternoon break, we were a little bit rowdy.  It was fun though!  If you have never been out to the courtyard, go visit, it is beautiful!!

Then we headed over to Newvbury Street, a trek that was highlighted by a visit to a bakery and 10 delicious mini cupcakes.  I didn't have one but I heard that the frosting was to die for!! 

After leaving Newbury Street, we decided to visit the Pru but not before we found this cool doorway, "Ciao Bella"  We moms decided to have a little fun with this one and pose for a picture too!!

When we got to the Pru, Tori spotted a giant giraffe that she couldn't resist posing with (she loves giraffes so it was just perfect!)  Meanwhile, Kate and Brittany couldn't resist posing at one of their favorite stores, Vineyard Vines.  Who doesn't love a little Vineyard Vines??

We posed for a few by the orchids and in another courtyard and another fountain (ahh, the beauty of the city) and then we decided to call it a day, a very relaxing, very fun day, very wonderful day!!

Thanks girls, you were awesome, as always!! Please click here if you would like to see more of our city shoot.

What a wonderful day that I had today!!  First I got to meet with David, his mother and his sister at one of my favorite places early this morning.  As I told David's mother, I never would have been out and about walking around a park early on Sunday morning if I wasn't meeting them. And boy was I glad that I was because it was simply gorgeous out!!  Of course, we also got some shots with his sister.

Then since I was up anyway, I called my husband on the way home to see if he wanted to grab some breakfast.  Breakfast is probably my favorite meal out so when he said yes, I was thrilled. Then in the early afternoon, I made a visit to my hammock to read for a little while and then take a nap (regular readers of this blog know that this combines two of my favorite things).  Then later in the afternoon, Meagan and her mom picked me up and we headed back to the same place to do her portraits.  

I really couldn't have asked for a better late summer day (by the way, writing that made me very sad). Fabulous weather, terrific company, a nap and breakfast, doesn't that just seem like such a recipe for a perfect day??  

I never had the pleasure of meeting Shannon before last week so when her mom contacted me about doing portraits, I didn't know what to expect. But then in a later message, her mom asked if it were possible for Shannon and Abbie to do their portraits together.  What's that old saying, ""you can tell a lot about a person from the company they keep"? Well I knew right then and there that Shannon and I would get along famously, and we did.  At least I think we did, this may be a case where I have it all wrong, like how I think that I am funny but my kids vehemently disagree.  Anyway, the light was fabulous when we got there (again because they were awesome and early!)

Like Abbie, Shannon is a very natural beauty but in a completely different way.  Where Abbie has blond hair and blue eyes, Shannon has dark brown hair and gorgeous chocolate brown eyes.  I have a brown-eyed Shannon in my house so I was partial to Shannon right away. 

Shannon is also very smart (birds of a feather...) and at one point the girls were discussing Jane Eyre.  She is also an athlete, she has played soccer all her life.  But her athleticism probably most comes in handy on the hikes that she likes to take with her older sister.  Her love of hiking certainly came in handy the other morning, I dragged those poor girls all over that place!!  Mansion, hunting cabin, random bench in the middle of the woods, back around, we were all over it.  

Shh, don't tell Abbie but Shannon was much better at this posing stuff.  I am just kidding, but Abbie and I were teasing Shannon that with her height and her mad posing skills that she might want to consider being a model!

Thank you Shannon for letting me be a part of your senior year.  I hope that you have a terrific year with lots of memorable moments and special memories.  Oh, that book that I was telling you about hiking the Applachian Trail is called A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson.  Not that you will get a chance to do any reading for fun with all the work, college stuff, activities and just plain craziness of senior year coming up but if you do get a chance, I think that you might like it.  Please click here if you would like to see the rest of Shannon's pictures.  

Since I took Shannon and Abbie's pictures together, I had to decide which one of them I was going to post first. I will have you know that I used a very sophisticated method to determine the order. I went alphabetically.  So Abbie is first.  Abbie is one of the kids that I know from my church.  Regular readers probably know how much I love the kids at my church, with good reason, they are terrific kids!!  And Abbie is no exception, she was one of the older kids that returned to sing at Maria's wedding at the beginning of the summer. How awesome is that for a senior to give up a beautiful Saturday to help make Maria's wedding so memorable!  Abbie is also awesome for another reason as well.  I was meeting the girls at 9:00 but I arrived about 8:30 because I dropped my daughter off at camp and there really wasn't any point in going back home.  Well I wasn't there 5 minutes when the girls pulled in.  They were early, I love early!!  I especially loved it that morning because the light was awesome and early meant that we had more time with it, yes!!

Besides being an incredible singer, her version of "O Holy Night" (her grandmother's favorite) each Christmas Eve brings me close to tears, Abbie is also a section leader for the (award winning) marching band, an accomplished soccer player, and really smart.  She received the  Rensselaer Medal this spring, an award for students who have excelled in math and science. Also this year, her science project on hair dye won a prize at last year's science fair. This will serve her well since Abbie wants to go into the engineering field, possibly bio-medical engineering. If I had been thinking, I would have told Abbie about the engineering feat of the pool. The matriarch of the estate designed a complex filtration system some 70 or so years.  In fact, it proved so complex that no one could figure it out after her death.  Well I did pose her by the old pool, that has to count for something, right?   

After a bit, Abbie changed her look and we headed down to the water to get some more shots.  As it happened while we were walking down there, we saw a random bench that was perfectly placed for some portraits.  Well maybe not so random, it was one of the holes for disc golf which is very popular at the park.  This park is so wonderful because there are so many great, natural posing spots and Abbie was only too happy to pose at them all.  Well maybe not all that happy but she was such a good sport that she did it any way, and did it beautifully!

Another quick change and we made our way back over to the mansion. Abbie wanted to make sure that she made this change because she told me that her dad was the one that really wanted her to wear the dress.  I think that is so awesome.  I don't know about you all but my husband never has a special request for clothes. Well except that one time that he wanted one of the girls to be a nun for Halloween.  Abbie is such a sweetheart that she made sure she wore the dress and dad got his wish. 

Abbie, thank you for being so wonderful (and so early!) and for allowing me to help you document your senior year. I hope that you have a fantastic year that is better than you could even hope for. I am really looking forward to watching you and the band this year at the football games (sh, don't tell the football players but sometimes halftime is my favorite part of the game).  Please click here if you would like to see the rest of Abbie's pictures.  

This one is for my daughter and the epic weekend that she had for herself last weekend.  She is a huge Austin Mahone fan and last weekend, she got to see him in concert, not once but twice!!  And at the second concert, she got VIP tickets which included a meet and greet and a question and answer session.  Not only did she get to meet him and hug him, she also got to ask him a question. Plus she shared it all with one of her best friends.  She paid for those herself, anyone that knows me knows that I am not about to spend that kind of money to meet a celebrity but that said, to her it was definitely worth it.  After that experience she was about as happy and as excited as she used to get on Christmas morning, no wait, I think that she was even more excited. For a big music fan and an even bigger Austin fan, that was about as perfect as a weekend could get!!  By the way, I hear this song so much around here that I know exactly what the shadow knows!

Here are their meet and greet photos (before you say anything about her hair, Nani, the wind picked up right as she went up there!)

Happy Friday, everyone, I hope that you all have a wonderful one!!

The project that I asked for help with is NOT this blog post and web page. This idea came about partly because of that but also because as everyone's senior pictures have started to be posted, Marissa's mom has been taking the time to comment on them. She has been so involved in the town and its youth for so long that she has known most of these kids since they were little. Plus that is the kind of person that she is, someone that puts herself out there for others, even when it is hard.  Because I can imagine, no scratch that, I can't even begin to imagine, how hard it must be for her to do so at this time.  After watching her comments, I realized that no one from the Class of 2015 deserves a blog post more than Marissa so I decided to give her one. Some of you may know that I end the title of a post for a senior with a location and some of you may also have noticed that in this title, the location reads Heaven.  I felt quite confident in writing this title because if she isn't up there, then there is absolutely no chance for the rest of us to get there. Recently, I asked for help with a project to honor her (again this is NOT it, so please keep those pictures coming) and I am so happy to report that the Class of 2015 so far has been awesome!!  These are the pictures that I have so far (I forgot my ears when I went on vacation so I didn't get Kate, Brittany and Tori with them on but I am planning to fix that tomorrow).  

Although she won't be physically present for the senior events and milestones, I know that her classmates will feel, and miss, her presence and grace often, mainly because she was such an integral part of this class. Just as an example, she was a frequent, and very fun, visitor to the photo wall at the recent junior semi-formal.  

Marissa will always and forever be considered a valued member of the Stoughton High School Class of 2015. Furthermore, the entire student body of Stoughton High School firmly believes that "Once a Knight, Always a Knight."  So if you are a member of the Class of 2015, please keep those pictures coming, I need them to make my project complete. Please click here to see the pictures that her classmates have taken in her honor. As I get more, I will add them to the page.

Bonus post today!!!  I got to spend a gorgeous morning yesterday with Abbie and Shannon, 2 SHS seniors, and now I'm getting a chance to work on their pictures this afternoon.  It is going a little slowly because one of my daughters is babysitting a 1 year-old and a 6 year-old and the other daughter is watching a 5 year-old, and they are doing it here!! Actually it really isn't slowing me down since the kids have been fabulous and another bonus with all those kids in the house, I don't even have to pretend to clean up!!  That makes this post a double bonus!!  So even though it is going slowly, I still couldn't wait to show a picture of each of the girls. Keep an eye out for their blog posts in the next couple of days. 

By the way, I have known Abbie since she was in 3rd grade, does that make this count as a Throwback Thursday post?? What are the rules on that?? Are there any rules on it??  Hmm, something to think about.  Anyway, happy Thursday, everyone.  Another by the way, this one for anyone that read this blog last year, I STILL have to look up how I title these, how lame is that??

So Ashley's session was a bit of a surprise, not that it happened, just the timing of it.  I got a message from her mom first thing on Tuesday morning telling me that Ashley was getting her haircut and shopping for some outfits and asking if we could set something up for next week.  Then a little while later, I got this message, "I know it's a little last minute but we are going to try a dress on right now, if it works would you be free today?"  Well, the dress fit perfectly and I was free so away we went.  I am so glad that we did too because the weather was outstanding!!  We met at one of my favorite places, a place that Ashley and her mom had never been to but ended up liking just as much as I do, yay!!  We got started up near the house.

The light wasn't exactly where I hoped it would be yet so we decided to take a walk over to the other garden. As we walked, we chatted about Ashley's summer, she spent most of it at camp as a counselor, how fun is that, as well as her aspirations for the future, she would like to be a speech therapist at an elementary school.  I have known Ashley's parents since we were all in high school (they are both from my hometown and her mom was friends with my younger sister).  It was really interesting to be having a conversation with their nearly grown-up daughter because we aren't possibly old enough to have children that are poised on the brink of adulthood, are we? 

One thing that Ashley wanted from our session was a picture of her in her favorite sweatshirt.  I love when seniors (or anyone) brings along the things that have special meaning to them so I was all to happy to comply.  

While we were wandering around and showing off our favorite sweatshirt (it is adorable), the sun was positioning itself for some perfect lighting.  Perfect lighting, perfect day, perfect senior, it really doesn't get much better than that for me!!

Besides being an absolute sweetheart, Ashley is also a very dynamic person.  She is vice-president of the class and along with her fellow officers was recently referred to, in the nicest possible way, as a "machine" by one of their classmates. Judging by the success of the recent semi-formal, I would have to say that assessment is absolutely spot on!!  Ashley is also a very pretty girl.  As a matter of fact, I was talking about her pictures with my oldest (and Ashley's classmate) and I mentioned that I was pleased with them and that I thought that they came out pretty good.  Kate quickly retorted that it is not hard to make Ashley look good.  A little disappointed that she didn't give me any credit at all, I answered back that at least I didn't screw it up.  She did concede that (although perhaps a tad begrudgingly). 

Many thanks to Ashley and her mom for a wonderful evening.  I am so glad that things worked out the way that they did and that we were all flexible enough to go with the flow.  It was such a pleasure to spend some time with you and it's an honor to be entrusted with capturing some of your senior year.  I wish you a wonderful senior year that is everything you hope it will be.  Although I am sure that I don't really need to make that wish since I don't have a shred of doubt that with you and the other officers running the show, it will be a truly memorable year for the Stoughton High Class of 2015.  Please click here if you would like to see the rest of Ashley's pictures.

So yesterday, I asked for help with a project and I was blown away by the positive response. I really shouldn't have been, Marissa was universally loved and is deeply missed and I've gotten a great reaction from the seniors that I have already taken pictures for so far, not one of them hesitated for a second before donning the ears. I am keeping my fingers crossed that this will be a sign of things to come and that I will get 100% participation. Ashley's is going to be the only that I am going to share on here because I want to wait until I have it completed to share it but I did want to show this one to give a sample of what I am looking for. Her shirt was priceless and, combined with the ears, made an adorable picture. But that is not the only reason that I have chosen these two pictures for a sneak peek. The other reason is that these were among the first and last pictures that I took. Pretty impressive that Ashley could still look so enthusiastic, put together and just plain gorgeous after spending more than an hour being dragged all over the place by me!!  I can't wait to share the rest of her pictures, hopefully in the next day or two.