It’s incredibly hard for parents when their child hits that Senior Year. The Class of 2017 is rolling in NOW.
A beautiful Senior portrait session at Connie Grant Photography is a great way to commemorate this rite of passage.
Now booking Spring of 2017.
Starting off with this beautiful redhead.. I hear she can really throw a softball!
Sarah is as cute as she is kind.
VCU… for those of you who don’t know Virginia Colleges, VCU is fondly known to my friends and myself as the “miracle college”. Virginia Commonwealth University was one of my favorite places to have ever worked. So this Senior Photo shoot of this VCU graduating senior made me smile. … a lot. Kendra is as sweet as she is beautiful. She majored in Social Work with a desire to work with under privileged children… what a gem she is. These young people make me proud. They also make me realize that life is short… wasn’t I just in college? Oh well.. that’s another story.
Kendra’s photos make me swoon. She’s model like in her movements and those eyes~ oh my.
VCU is the “miracle college”, they perform state of the art surgeries, they graduate some of the smartest physicians and nurses.. teachers…accountants.. engineers…. the list goes on.
For those of you who didn’t follow Hailey Strong, please do. You will see that miracles happen every day.
I am proud to have been a part of the culture of this University and the University based hospital. Kendra is a Proud VCU grad. She worked hard to get that diploma. Taking her photos was an honor. I just really love my camera and the people it brings into my life.
Keep up the grand work Kendra!
#richmondphotographer
Well … Hello there Winter! You’re finally here, and I am So glad to see you again. This means that time has slowed… days are short… fuzzy slippers are a daily requirement. Did I forget to add in coffee? This is the time of year that I finally have time to introduce myself and my High School Seniors to my blog. First out of the gate, Brooke!
I love Brooke, she is a free-spirited girl, with the most gorgeous eyes! She is funny, quick to smile, adventurous at heart. Her photo session was one of the easiest ones of the summer. She’s a natural in front of the camera. All of these things make a perfect photo right? Well, no …. not quite. There are so many things that go into creating a wonderful photo. The venue and client are a Huge part ….the skills of the photographer probably weigh in there as important also.
Off Camera Lighting changed my game. I have studied for years and years.. but until I learned to direct the light in the way that I wanted it to go, my photos always lacked that something that I wanted them to have. Adding light, even during the brightest part of the day is a must for photography. Natural Light photographers out there will all groan at those words. By adding light, and it doesn’t have to be artificial light… you direct the light onto your subject and bring out their best features. If you are a struggling photographer, there are many things you can do and places to go to learn about lighting. I am a huge fan of http://neilvn.com/tangents/. If you haven’t found Neil’s blog yet, you need to! Also check out his books. They have made the biggest difference in my work. We take what we learn and convert it to our style. My style is still very natural… I diffuse the light so that it wraps around the subject like a blanket. I Backlight… I add hair light.. I reflect light. Playing with Light is probably my favorite hobby. Strobe or Speedlight? my answer is Either both.. or do what works. Learn to Rim light.. Learn where your catch lights should be. May the Light be with you…:)
So enough chatter, Oh wait… I was supposed to introduce myself. Hi, I’m Connie. I have a great love of the water, dogs, coffee, and flip flops. I love to sail…almost as much as I love my camera. So . Finally…… say Hi to Brooke. Isn’t she beautiful?
” bip” and lisa and i have known each other forever… and as usual.. life brings us full circle.
from co-workers in the ED.. from patient care.. from rough 12 hour shifts.. we now meet each other at a more joyous event..
a wedding at ” white eagle farm”.
this lovely event was attended by a small group of friends, both two-legged and four. the couple said ” i do”.. and then enjoyed a simple quiet evening with friends and family as the sun dropped.
the animals were fed.. and it was off to dinner…
life is how it should be..
wishing you both many happy years together..and that your red fescue grows deep…
xxoo
c
Saving a moment.. with a click of a camera shutter. It’s really amazing when you think about it. That moment will never, ever happen again. That Twinkle in those eyes won’t be the same.. They won’t giggle that exact same giggle. It’s no secret that I’m passionate about photography… Why? Because after the wedding cake is eaten, and the wine is gone, and the dancing is over.. Our human memory starts to fade. After little girls grow up, and enter High School, life is even busier than what it is when they are little. This wonderful family knows the importance of updating their memories. Many years from now these photos will push their minds back to a sweet fall day, with brilliant sun.. bright blazing trees.. little ones sliding down hills and landing on their bums. The giggles.. the hand holding.. the light.. oh and that crazy photographer that captured these moments.
Kind of hard to imagine.. that probably long after I am gone, someone will be still looking at these.
These past couple of weeks in our world should teach us one thing.. Life is precious.. all of it. Every single life. Every single day.
xxoo Connie
#prayforparis. #prayfortheworld
Hashtag… what exactly is it.. where did it come from? ummm.. I have no idea. I do know that i have some beautiful seniors this year.. and their senior photos are awesome.
#seniorportraits
It’s so amazing to me, how my photography brings people into my life. Some were meant to linger awhile.. some just flitted through. All of these people are special in many different ways. Years ago my husband and I bought a place in Mathews County. At first it was a nice get away. I had lost my father a few years before, and life was difficult at that time. My husband, who always knows me better than I even know myself, had sold a property and decided we would look for something else. Things changed, kids moved out of our house here in the Richmond area.. and we decided to make the jump and move to the country. The first few months that we lived there were horrible. I missed my children and my grandchildren terribly. Don’s drive was closer .. my drive to work longer. Because he worked 24 hour shifts at the fire department, I spent a lot of time alone. I have to tell you this background, because it makes the rest of this story amazing. During these long days when I was home alone, I dug into my photography. I practiced… and practiced… and took photos of anyone who would let me take their photo. Summer was my model… .I could dress her up in anything.. take her out in any light.. and she would sit for hours and model for me. She was my muse.
I turned out some pretty bad photos during that time. I have to say the badness in those photos ( and they were bad) really pushed me to learn what the black box could do. I studied, got mentoring, and worked to get to where I am now. Am I perfect? No.. not by any means. I still miss my focus.. still struggle with lighting. The main thing is, I have developed an ” eye”. That eye lets me see what i’m doing wrong. I’ve developed the skill to correct what I’m doing wrong.
Fast forward many years, and I get a message from this lovely young lady who use to model for me. She’s getting married. She’s met someone wonderful. Summer is a dreamer and a positive thinker. Her new husband is handsome, and funny, and sweet. I always knew it would take a special man to sweep her off her feet. She’s the kind of girl who would take off rock climbing, or travel to Australia… or climb down a steep mountain .. just because she can. Master’s degree finished, this sweetheart of a young lady hired me to take her wedding photos. I hope that they are as special to Summer and Daniel as they are to me. Please enjoy their album on shootproof entitled a river wedding The password is ” love”. Here are a few of my favorite moments from this beautiful day. Summer and Daniel.. i wish you so many happy years together. I can’t wait to see where life takes you. I know it will be exciting. xxoo Connie.
the setting .. a farm on the chesapeake bay.. the day cloudy with a little wind and rain.. the atmosphere.. filled with love
So, That Senior year is finally here. It’s filled with joy and pride. For the parent of a High School Senior, it marks 365 days till college starts. One year until they leave home. One year of holding onto your child.. and even though they are young adults they are still your children, and always will be. I think there are many times in life that we cry happy tears. When our children march across that stage at the end of their last year in school, the Happy tears are rampant.. When they move out of our house for good.. we cry those same tears. When they walk down the aisle to grab that diploma.. or to take another person’s hand .. we cry happy tears. When they come home and tell you that they are in love.. they are going to build their life away from you. You cry those happy tears.
Hire a professional photographer. Capture this experience in a way that the memory of that pretty day will last forever.. and yes, It’s ok to cry those happy tears during the session. I bring tissues.
xxoo
c
richmond va senior portraits
Say hello to miss Kaylee. She is a senior at Matoaca High School here in Chesterfield County Virginia. A show choir showstopper… this girl can sing like an angel. Senior portraits are my love. I take home so much hope from each session I do. Are young people smarter these days? I know they work harder.. they are ambitious.. they are kind. They all seem to want to make the world a better place. They have PLANS.. I don’t remember having all these things together at age 17. I am continually and genuinely impressed by these young people .
I’ve said it before. Senior Portraits, Family portraits.. special occasion portraits are the lasting gift. They span generations.. they mark special times. Senior portraits mark a rite of passage into adulthood. They are the last formal set of photos that your young person will have while they still live at home. Think about the next big event that will be photographed in this young lady’s life. College graduation.. a wedding? Children of her own. It happens so quickly.. In a blink of the eye they are out of your home, but never out of your heart.
You keep singing Kaylee.. You are awesome.
xx00 Connie.
