Magical Orange County Senior Photos | Emma
Some senior sessions carry a certain kind of magic from the very beginning, and Emma’s was one of them.
She applied for her Orange County senior photos in June, just a month after finishing up her junior year at JSerra Catholic High School. She's an Orange County local, like me, and had seen a few of her peers from school get their senior photos done with me in the past.
Emma's shoot felt like I was working with a younger sister or something, she was so sweet and as soon as I lifted up my camera to take the first shot, it was clear that she was COMFORTABLE in front of the camera (even if she didn't feel that way herself).
Emma was a natural! She knew how to MOVE in front of the camera, to create subtle variations in the way she held her posture, moved her hair, and switched her expressions. This is a skill that lots of real-life 'models' have nailed down (not an easy skillset, mind you). It comes naturally to many teens and seniors these days, I believe as a result of their exposure to being in front of cameras so often. And when it does, it makes the entire session flow so effortlessly!
For Emma’s Orange County senior photos, we went with one of my all-time favorite location combinations: flower fields and the beach. The whole session felt like an ode to her life and education in South Orange County.
We started in the flower fields, which brought in that soft, colorful, springtime feel, and then wrapped at the beach for something a little more classic and open. That contrast always gives so much depth to a gallery and is one of my favorite approaches when planning Orange County senior photos.
Emma’s session took place in March, and I have to say, March is so underrated for senior photos. It gives you plenty of time before graduation festivities to get your graduation card designs and album finalized, but still features beautiful, calm weather on most days.
The only downside is that some seniors don’t know their college choice yet. But for students who do early decision or early action, March is kind of the sweet spot. Plus, you might even get a summery-warm day like we did for Emma!
One of the fun moments from Emma’s session was incorporating a super popular photo: the pennant flag by the boot. She had ribbons on her boots too, which made this pose even better!
It’s a highly requested shot for a reason — it’s cute and works for all sorts of different styles, schools, and even works with different variations like a bouquet of flowers if you aren’t heading to college or haven’t chosen your school yet!
Getting to work with seniors during such a pivotal time in their lives — capturing who they are right now, right before everything shifts — never gets old.
And neither does hearing from parents after the fact.
Emma’s mom left the sweetest 5-star Google review after her session, and it meant so much to me. Knowing that not only the photos, but the entire experience felt special to them is something I’ll never take for granted.
