Senior Session at Grove City Memorial Park

Some senior sessions just click from the start, and Ray's was absolutely one of those. Heading off to film school with a creative eye of her own, she chose Grove City Memorial Park for her senior portraits. They choose a one hour session that includes 3 outfit changes and 1 or 2 backdrop/location changes and print credit. We spent that hour after school capturing her unique style and quirky personality in all the best ways.

The Style and the Vision

Ray's hair was absolutely gorgeous, and that vest with jeans combo? Perfect. It captured her artistic vibe without trying too hard. Here's the thing about being artsy and quirky: it's a deadly combo in the world if you allow it to be.

Creative Collaboration at the Gazebo

Since Ray is into tarot, we incorporated it in a visually interesting way in the woods just off the gazebo. Her mom stood off-camera and flung tarot cards into the frame while we shot. The spontaneity and movement created exactly the kind of unexpected moment that makes senior photos feel personal.

Fun fact: the final image Rae chose is actually a composite of three frames I combined and masked in Photoshop to get the perfect shot. Sometimes the magic happens in post-production.

We also included Ray's two pit bulls because they're part of her story too.

Dramatic Lighting for the Film School-Bound Senior

Since Ray has a creative eye and is heading to film school, we ended with some dramatic off-camera lighting. This technique uses external flashes positioned away from the camera to create mood, drama, and that cinematic feel. For someone going into film, it was the perfect finale.

Why This Session Worked

Ray was nervous at first but excited to try new things. That combination is perfect for senior photos, the nervousness keeps you authentic while the excitement pushes you to step outside your comfort zone.

Grove City Memorial Park offered versatile settings from the classic gazebo to open areas perfect for creative experiments. The late afternoon timing gave us beautiful light, with room to play with both natural and artificial lighting.

For the Creative Souls

If you're artistic, quirky, and heading off to pursue creative dreams, your senior photos should absolutely reflect that. Don't be afraid to incorporate your interests, tarot cards, instruments, art supplies, whatever makes you uniquely yourself.

The best senior sessions happen when we collaborate on creative ideas and push beyond the standard approach. When you bring your personality and willingness to try something new, that's when we create portraits that are truly one-of-a-kind.

When they saw their Gallery

They came back into my office and I showed them a short slideshow video of some of my favorites. They had some pretty big smiles. Right after that we went through all 40 images and Ray picked her favorites. They ultimately decided on a prints package of 55 prints and 10 poses so her parents and grandparents could each get prints and Ray wanted wallets to share with her friends at school.

Watching seniors like Ray interested creative careers is one of my favorite parts of this job. Her session reminded me why I love working with unique seniors who aren't afraid to be themselves.