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Mighty Mart Panthers - Times Two

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!

Meet Eric.

Meet Eric.

Eric is always ready for gameday!

Eric is always ready for gameday!

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. 

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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!

Meet Alyssa

Meet Alyssa

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!

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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! 

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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 swinging on the tire swing!

Alyssa swinging on the tire swing!

Alyssa striking a pose for her close friend, Sadie.

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!

Just Hangin' Out at the Ranch

When clients contact me inquiring about sessions they most often times ask me for suggestions as far as locations for the session.  As a photographer I have several favorite places to suggest, but I love it when they say they are looking for a rustic, country type setting.  When they tell me that they would like that type of setting I almost always suggest my husband's family ranch between Groesbeck and Buffalo, Texas. 

The family ranch has a unique setting with an array of scenery.  There is an old fashioned type cabin that is constructed from wood and materials from the original farm house, a party barn, and my personal favorite...a covered bridge!

As I meet the family at the ranch I like to spend a few minutes touring the grounds with them and just talking to them.  I like to make my clients feel relaxed and comfortable before we introduce them to the camera. 

We begin our tour by walking past the back of the party barn heading towards the quilting house.  The afternoon sunlight shines beautifully between the two buildings!

Photo between the two buildings

Photo between the two buildings

In that same area there is a beautiful flowing bush that makes for a gorgeous backdrop!

In that same area there is a beautiful flowing bush that makes for a gorgeous backdrop!

From this point we meander to the main attraction...The Covered Bridge!  It is unique and full of fun photograph ideas! 

The children are the focus of the parents' lives.

The children are the focus of the parents' lives.

When the mother saw this photograph on my Facebook page as a "Sneak Peek," she immediately messaged me and told me how much this photograph described her and her husband's outlook on their family.  She said, "The kids are the focus of our lives."

I really wanted to get some photographs of this amazing family on the bridge, but the sun was still too high in the sky at this particular moment.  We had to wait...plain and simple.  The adults talked about life and the kids enjoyed running around playing a friendly game of chase.

Sister had a slight advantage in the game of chase!

Sister had a slight advantage in the game of chase!

The sun finally set enough so we could take some photographs on the covered bridge without being blinded by the sun!  We had to take a family photograph of course and we ended with a fun shot of mom and dad as well.  It was a perfect session by many accounts!  Perfect family.  Perfect weather.  Perfect location.  PERFECT!

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"Family is the most important thing in the world." - Princess Diana

If you're interested in scheduling a family session, I'd love the chance to discuss session possibilities with you!