The 2015-2016 school year is well underway and many seniors are now scheduling their fall senior portrait sessions. Some seniors choose to wait until the spring season for their senior portraits. Others prefer to have senior portraits taken year round. This week's blog post is going to be all about two Mart seniors - Eric and Alyssa - that decided to have their senior portraits taken in the fall.

There's no buts about it...Mart is a HUGE football town! Every Friday night during football season the town is literally dead. Why? Because everyone is either at the game or at home listening to the game. Mart is serious about football. This coming Friday is going to be especially eventful due to all the Homecoming festivities. This Friday - Homecoming - is going to be a great day to be a Panther!

Meet Eric. He is one of the football players that will entertain the crowd on Friday night. He is a handsome young man with a bright future ahead of him. He isn't quite sure where he is headed after high school just yet. There are just so many things to consider. After all, what's the rush? He still has several months to narrow down his amazing plans. One thing is for certain, he LOVES football! He LOVES being a Panther!

Senior Portrait sessions with Smith Family Photography are fully customizable based on the specific memories that the senior would like to help capture. For Eric, this meant the Mart Football Field. For his mother, this meant the Mart Football Field and the grassy field behind the stadium to showcase his "country" side. Many guys don't really care for the photographs to be taken. They do it for their moms. During Eric's session, he put his foot down and said he was staying on the football field - no grassy field photographs! THAT is how much Eric loves football!

I recently stated that I truly enjoy senior portrait sessions for several reasons, but most of all I enjoy interacting with the young adults and capturing their personality within the portraits. As the session proceeds along, they start opening up more and more and finally they just seem to forget about the camera and just be themselves. To me, that is when I capture the best portraits! Things weren't any different with Eric. At first, he was very attentive to what I was asking of him. As the session progressed, he would wonder off to play football with his little brother, Alan. He was relaxed and completely in his element. He is a Mart Panther.

Let's take a look at another Mart senior. Meet Alyssa. She is one of the Mart cheerleaders that will entertain the crowd on Friday night. She is an amazingly beautiful young woman with the whole world ahead of her! She plans on heading off to college at either Baylor University or the University of Mary Hardin Baylor. She plans on trying out for the cheer squad at both universities. Alyssa LOVES cheerleading! She LOVES being a Panther!

This year's Homecoming game is especially exciting for Alyssa! She is nominated for the Homecoming Court! I will be at the Homecoming game this Friday night to cheer on Eric and the Mart Panthers, as well as support Alyssa...and capture a few shots of her looking dazzling in her gown!

Young women are typically less reserved in front of the camera than young men are. They just seem to be more comfortable with having their photograph taken. As their session progresses, their personalities shine through just the same. However, with girls it seems to happen much quicker. I think we have the era of new technology to thank - cell phones with nice cameras and selfies!

As Alyssa's session was nearing the end, she had a few requests. One, she loved sweaters so she wanted to wear one during some of the shots. Two, she wanted to take some photographs on the tire swing. And three, she had to take a special photograph for her close friend, Sadie. I absolutely LOVE it when the clients begin to take ownership in their photographs!

Alyssa with her sweater.  She loves sweaters! — Alyssa with her sweater. She loves sweaters!

Alyssa striking a pose for her close friend, Sadie.

Senior Portrait sessions are fully customizable based on the needs and wants of the senior. After a session is officially booked, we begin collaborating on everything from locations, clothing, poses, themes, etc. Senior sessions need to be authentic and really showcase the individual. That is why it is so important that we work together to build a session that will let them shine and give them memories to last a lifetime.

If you are interested in booking a Senior Portrait session, you can message me or give me a call and I will give you more information. Until next time, head over to Mart, Texas this Friday night (or any Friday night) and watch a football game! It is an experience of a lifetime!