A letterman jacket, cowboy boots, graduation cap and gown, and a dog who deserved a few photos, too. These Prescott senior photos brought together so many pieces of this season of her life, ending with a white dress and pink flowers floating around her in the lake.
That’s one of my favorite things about senior sessions. There’s room for the graduation photos your family is excited about and the photos that feel a little more like your everyday self. You can dress up, bring something meaningful, include your dog, and leave a little room for whatever happens along the way.
For this family, the session also marked another chapter in a story I’ve had the opportunity to photograph for years.
From Eighth-Grade Graduation to Senior Photos
This family has been part of Memories by Candace since 2020. I photographed this sweet girl for her eighth-grade graduation when she was just 14, wearing a cowboy hat and a blue dress.
Last year, I photographed her older sister’s senior photos. Now it was her turn, and while I edited this gallery, I kept noticing how much she looks like her big sister.
I also kept remembering those eighth-grade photos. It’s a strange feeling to have an older version of someone pulled up on your screen while you can still picture them so clearly a few years younger.
Families have their own memories attached to these photographs, but photographers do, too. I remember the sessions, the outfits, and the kids who have somehow grown up between one gallery and the next.
A Change of Scenery for Senior Photos in Prescott
When her mom mentioned heading to Prescott while my associate photographer, Shawna, would be there, I was excited for them to have this setting for her senior photos.
As a Phoenix senior photographer, I love having different landscapes to work with. Desert scenery has its own beauty, but sometimes a senior wants greenery, water, and a different feel for their session.
Here, the trees, rocky backdrop, shoreline, and lake gave the gallery variety without needing every photo to have a completely different setting. There were quieter portraits by the water, photos among the flowers, and space to get a little playful at the end.
Shawna photographed this session, and I edited the finished gallery. Seeing it come together was especially meaningful after so many years of photographing this family.
Cowboy Boots, a Letterman Jacket, and Cap and Gown
The outfit changes gave each part of the session its own personality.
Her letterman jacket brought a piece of her high school years into the photos. The dresses and cowboy boots gave us another side of her style, while the cap and gown marked the milestone that brought everyone here in the first place.
I love including those different pieces in a senior gallery. Years from now, a jacket or a favorite pair of boots can bring back memories just as easily as a graduation cap.
And these boots got their own moment, filled with bright pink flowers for a detail photo that fit right into the session.
A Few Graduation Photos with Her Dog
Of course, her dog needed to be included.
The cap-and-gown photos with her dog added something personal to the gallery, alongside the more traditional graduation portraits. I would absolutely make room for a few of these when choosing photos for an album or graduation announcement.
If you’re considering bringing your dog to your senior session, mention it when we plan. We can talk through the setting and make room for those photos as part of your session.
Ending the Session in the Lake
The session finished with her stepping into the water in her white dress, with pink flowers floating nearby.
There were smiles, splashes, ripples, and a few quieter moments sitting in the lake. Together, those photos made such a lovely ending to the gallery. The close portraits captured her expression, while the wider images showed the scenery around her.
You don’t have to get in the water to make your senior photos personal. But leaving room for something a little spontaneous can give you photos you might never have thought to request.
Planning Your Senior Photos
Whether you’re drawn to Prescott’s greenery and water or a location closer to Phoenix, we can start with the things that matter to you: the scenery you love, the clothes you feel good in, and anything you want to remember about this part of your life.
A favorite outfit. Your letterman jacket. Your dog. Your graduation cap.
They all belong in the conversation.
Explore the Phoenix senior photography experience to start planning your session with Memories by Candace.