Photographing TJ’s senior session was an absolute dream, not only because we had a blast in Billings, but also because his family is my first return client!
When I was still working out of my home garage, I had the pleasure of taking senior photos for Daphne, TJ’s sister. Having his family return for his session brought me so much joy! Plus, there were a few similarities between the two sessions that are too good not to share (but more on that later).
For senior sessions, I usually do three outfits and three locations. This gives clients a chance to show off different sides of their personality and passions. TJ’s first location was the Billings airfield.
In his spare time, TJ builds and flies radio-controlled airplanes. So that was something he really wanted to include in his session.
He also brought out his drone!
Passions make us who we are outside of classes and work. Which is why I love exploring new places with clients and learning things along the way! Plus, the sky was the perfect shade of blue with minimal cloud coverage, making it a perfect day for flying.
TJ’s second location was by (and in) the Yellowstone River. During my senior sessions, props are always encouraged, and if that prop happens to be your truck, I say, “Truck yeah, let’s do it!”
Anyone who knows TJ also knows he wears sunglasses a lot, so we took a few shots with his shades on. His future is brights as well, so the sunglasses helped shield him from that too, lol.
Also, peep the Lightning McQueen crocs!
Since we already had TJ’s truck in the river, he let his parents and me climb into the bed while he drove around. You can guarantee I was grinning the whole time! Check out this action shot:
Speaking of TJ’s parents, they just happened to have their sunglasses as well. Isn’t this family the coolest? One thing I love doing is including a senior’s family in their session.
Earlier, I mentioned TJ’s sister, Daphne. For her session, their parents chose a blue color scheme. Well, the blue held out, and they chose the same color scheme with TJ. Their dad even wore the exact same shirt!
That’s not where the similarities end, however. Daphne and TJ even wore similar outfits during their sessions! This occurrence was a total accident, but I think it’s really cute.
You can feel the love this family has for each other, and they have such a special bond. I felt lucky to witness it and capture it for them.
And can we just take a moment to admire this location? Nature was definitely serving!
Speaking of nature serving, we even found this little frog! It was a color match to TJ’s shirt too.
After our time at Yellowstone River, we made our way over to my studio in downtown Billings.
TJ has a love for jazz music, so we made sure to feature his trumpet during our time at the studio. There’s something about the way that brass instruments catch in the light that makes me excited! I think it’s because they capture the colors of the light too, so they look more like art.
In the studio, we also had TJ put on his track and field jersey from Billings West High School.
Daphne also ran track while she went to West High School, so I thought it’d be cool if we recreated a photo we took during her session. Seeing the images beside each other makes me a bit emotional.
The whole experience of photographing TJ was emotional for me in the best way. Starting my business out of my garage was no easy feat, but that brought me to where I am now, and I can’t be more grateful to the clients who have believed in my work then and now. I’ve come a long way and couldn’t be more proud of the work that now allows me to offer so much more to my clients!
Ready to book your senior session? Contact me!
Senior: @tj_tothemaxx
Photos: Ashley Williams Photography
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