Well, that went fast. You never feel like you’re getting old, you go through life day by day, and then when you look back it’s been ten years. That’s what happened to me this weekend. The little girl I remember in the skating photos below booked a session with me for her senior portraits. Senior Portraits! I have known Peyton for a long time, my wife coached her figure skating for years. It was a real blessing to be able to help document this milestone in her life. 

In what seems to be an ongoing theme for outdoor shoots for me this summer, the date we planned for the photos was a hot one. The temperature in my car read 95 when I was in the sun and even when shooting in the shade it was pretty unbearable. Peyton’s stunning smile lit up the camera and the four hour shoot flew by. 

We started off at the Michigan State University Horticultural Gardens, swinging by the children’s gardens, then to the large fountain, then to the British and Japanese gardens to cap off the first stop. 

I loved the photos on the bridge, under the willow, and next to the sunflower. Plus, the varsity jacket looked like it was straight out of a magazine.

After we wrapped up the first session, I think we were all glad to get back into the cars and drive to our next location. MSU makes for a great backdrop with it’s contrasting windows and lines. We swung over to the library and spent some time taking photos there and at the Beal Gardens. 

After we wrapped up at the library we decided to go to a place that Peyton was all too familiar with, Suburban Ice in East Lansing. With the pandemic, the ice rink (along with many other indoor exercise facilities in Michigan) has been shutdown for months. So while we weren’t able to go inside to get photos on the ice, we were able to take photos outside. 

Peyton had asked that I bring my back drop, and after we were done taking photos in front of Suburban, I unpacked everything while she put on her stunning, dazzling, glitzy skating dress.

After we wrapped up we talked in the parking lot for a half hour, it was a great way to cap off a successful photo shoot. Congratulations Peyton, your hard work has been paying off and you definitely put on a gold medal performance during the photo sessions. Good luck in your senior year!




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