Chester Virginia Senior Portraits

Photographing Memories..

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Yesterday was a hot one here in Virginia.. so we started early. I was completely honored to capture these images for one of my dearest childhood friends. She now lives very far away, but each time we are together it’s like we just saw each other. Last year her dad became ill. He’s doing really well and looks handsome as ever. What she has added to her crew is her first sweet granddaughter.

Babies aren’t always cooperative with the camera, but the cutest shots are them just being them.

I adore this family I’ve known since I was a teenager. I loved saving these memories for them. They are precious, and photos are special.

SO … happy July 4th Mr. Angel.  Still army strong and brave. Enjoy your photos of your girls 🙂

 

xx00 C

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Kaylee’s Senior Portraits/Matoaca High

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Kaylee’s senior portrait morning was amazing in so many ways. Number one, it’s amazing just to spend time with this young lady and her mother. They are both so much fun. Their mom-daughter bond is one that is so strong it makes you feel good just to be around them.

Miss Kaylee is a Senior! We started working on her senior portfolio of photos a month ago… but this morning at Amber Grove ..was pretty special.  We started off with a casual look that grabbed some exciting images. We then switched outfits and moved into a more traditional look.  Amber Grove is a wedding venue with many gorgeous places to take photos. There’s also a cat 🙂

Kaylee is a music lover, an arts lover, and an honor student. On top of all this, she works a job, and is close to her friends and her family.  Enjoy this gorgeous girlies photos.. I know I enjoyed taking them.

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www.conniegrant.photography

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Connie Grant Seniors

Connie Grant custom senior photos

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It’s Prom Time and that means..

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You guessed it.. Prom Photos!

Prom Season in full blast in Virginia, and my seniors are having a ball.

Graduation is just around the corner,

 

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When to book your Senior Photographer

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So,  when should you book your senior photographer?

 Answer?  While you’re in your Junior year.

I guess that you may ask why?  Why would you book your senior photos in your junior year?   That’s an easy one. SENIOR YEAR IS BUSY!

If you think that any other year of school has been hectic and crazy busy then just wait until this last year of school .

There are so many things to get done before your senior leaves for college.  There are visits, and applications, and so many things to complete.

There are senior year activities that your senior doesn’t want to miss.. there are after school activities that they can’t miss ! There are grades and exams and college entrance tests..   tired yet?  Get ready, this year flies by.

So if you are finishing up your junior year,  NOW is the time.  Booking now gives you and your photographer time to establish a relationship. It gives you time to bring your photo dreams into a plan. It gives you space to develop the dream of what you want your photos to look like . It also gives you a choice of the best dates that meet your schedule.  Did you know that some of the school photos are due almost immediately when the Senior Year starts?  crrrrunch time 🙂

The senior drape-formal session

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The senior drape photo… and school photo day.

I find that my high school upcoming seniors have a lot of anxiety over the photos done for the yearbook. They feel rushed at school and not at their best. The perfect senior drape photo should be natural and relaxed. It’s still a portrait and should be edited as a portrait would be.

Every school in my county has a different requirement for the drape photos and tux photos.  The senior formal photo has to meet a certain crop proportion as well as many other rules. Each school has it’s own color of background, and there are even rules about how the student is posed. Both shoulders should be showing!

My personal beef with many photographers, is the over edited senior portrait. The faces of these young people are beautiful.. to take the skin and smear it to a doll-like consistency is just wrong. The portrait edit that I most like to use is Frequency Separation. It clears up minor blemishes without wiping out all character out of the face.  A fresh face with a gorgeous smile is the perfect senior formal.  I use real velvet fabric that I ” drape” around the shoulders. I like the texture and the feel of it. Most of my portraits are two light portraits with a reflector. Eyes should sparkle and hair should shine.  I think Makenna’s school formal is perfect, but it would be hard to miss with this pretty young lady.

xxoo C

 

 

That thing you do..Senior Photos

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That thing that sets you apart from the millions of others. I’ve often wondered where to find it.. what makes a person/photographer different from others. That thing you do.. it’s really not a secret. There is not a industry holy grail of information that isn’t meant to be shared. Photography is a learning experience, it takes a long time to develop your style and learn to trust it. My thing that I do?  Senior Photos of course .
Many photographers share their sarcasm and wit about the industry. Or, better yet, they tackle it with a slightly sarcastic attitude. I guess my question would be why? My answer and my truth is that it doesn’t belong in the industry.
We as photographers are a service, a business. It should be a business about bringing happiness to our clients. It should be a business about showcasing beautiful photos. It should be a business about teaching others how to learn to work the mysterious black box.
I found my happy spot in photography by working with teenagers. They never cease to amaze me. Senior photos are one of the most important photos that you will ever take. These kids are leaving home. These will be the last photos that will be professionally taken until the day they come home and walk down that isle to be married.
Find a photographer that you love.  For you photographers out there, find the corner of photography land that makes you happy.
And, most important of all, find a photographer that insists on printing and saving your special memories.
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Catching the train… and other fun things, Senior Portrait Day in Historical Petersburg.

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The Senior Season of 2018, and Gorgeous Senior Portraits with a Train!

 

This year has been quite the year. My seniors have taken me over bridges, down rocky trails, over the river and back again.

All joking aside, it’s been a wonderful year.

 

On this day, Kayla, her mom, and I all ran like crazy to catch this train in the photo .  Turns out to be one of my faves of the season.

I shall just call it ” cute girl with the train”  We shot this session in beautiful Old Towne Petersburg, Va. It’s rich with history, and the area that I most love photographing in.

There are so many different looks that you can achieve if you let your creative side just flow.  Many Movies have been filmed in this area, check them out here!

 http://www.historicpetersburg.org/movies-in-petersburg/

 

I adore senior photography, it gets me out, keeps me in touch, and brings the greatest young people into my life .

 

 

 

 

Happy Holidays.

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This has been a fantastic year with my High School Seniors.

Meet Stella, Ty, and Wookie…

Three of the most beautiful people.  🙂

Happy Holidays from our house to yours…

xxoo C

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Chesterfield Virginia Senior Portraits

Time

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Time.. It’s something that’s more valuable than gold. It’s something we rarely have enough of. It’s something that passes way to quickly.

One thing is for sure, when you measure time watching a child grow from an infant into a young adult, it does seem more precious. It also seems to fly by.

I always tell my Seniors and their parents that these are the last photos that you will have before you come home from college and get married. College photos will be a collage of Instagram and snapchat photos that will appear across social media. That’s how you will see your child for the next few years.

Not to worry, they will be home with piles of dirty laundry.

These are the last photos that will capture and save a memory.. for all time.

Print your Photos

 

xxoo

Connie

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Senior Portrait Connie Grant Photography