A Charleston Senior Session with The Pink Figgy - Lillie’s Rainbow Row Portraits

There are some senior sessions that feel like they were meant to happen from the very beginning, and Lillie’s Charleston senior session was one of them.

Lillie and her family had recently moved to Charleston, South Carolina, after her dad accepted a new position as an assistant coach for the College of Charleston men’s basketball team. As they began settling into a new city and a new chapter of life, Lillie and her mom, Jennifer, discovered The Pink Figgy on Instagram — a vintage pink car available for Charleston senior portrait sessions — and immediately fell in love.

When they reached out about booking, I was so excited to hear that they had also connected with my photography style. I photograph and edit with a more traditional, true-to-color approach, which was especially important to Jennifer. As an interior designer with a very artistic eye herself, she has an appreciation for color, composition, and thoughtful details — and that absolutely came through during Lillie’s session.

In fact, I think you could see it in every single outfit and prop they brought along.

Sunrise on Rainbow Row

For this particular session, we scheduled a sunrise start — one of my favorite times of day to photograph along Rainbow Row, and also Meredith’s preferred timeframe for The Pink Figgy.

There are a few reasons sunrise works so beautifully here. The streets are significantly quieter, which gives us more freedom to move around and photograph without the crowds you often find later in the day. It also gives Meredith more options when it comes to parking The Pink Figgy, allowing us to create completely different looks without having to leave the area.

And that is exactly what we did.

We started on the corner of East Bay and Tradd Street, right along Rainbow Row, with one of my favorite backdrops — the beautiful teal house with its perfectly manicured flower boxes and crepe myrtle trees.

It was the perfect setting for the pink vintage car.

Ballet, Pointe Shoes & The Pink Figgy

Lillie began her session in a long white dress with her pointe shoes, incorporating one of the hobbies that has become especially meaningful to her since moving to Charleston.

Dance and ballet are a newer love for Lillie, so it was important to make sure we documented this part of her life. Senior portraits aren't just about beautiful outfits and pretty locations — they're a chance to preserve the things that make a senior them during this very specific season of life.

And I have to say, I absolutely loved the combination of her delicate pointe shoes with The Pink Figgy. The pink of the car paired with the feminine white dress and ballet shoes was almost too perfect. It felt like they had been made for each other.

As the sun began to rise, the light started changing beautifully across Rainbow Row. After about 15 minutes in her first outfit, Lillie changed into a short blue floral mini dress paired with white western boots. And this look was SO much fun!

A Blue Floral Dress, White Boots & Baby’s Breath

Jennifer and Lillie had brought along a basket filled with baby's breath as a prop, and it couldn't have been more perfect for this setting.

The combination of the floral mini dress, white western boots, delicate flowers, colorful historic homes, and that iconic pink car created a look that felt playful and fashion-forward without losing the timeless Charleston feel.

This is where I really felt like Lillie's love for fashion and Jennifer's designer eye came together. Every detail had been thought through.

Because the sun was continuing to rise, Meredith was able to back the car up just a few parking spaces — and suddenly, we had an entirely different scene. Same street. Same car. Same girl - Completely different images!

This is one of the reasons I love planning sunrise sessions with The Pink Figgy. Within our 30-minute rental window, we can create several distinct looks simply by taking advantage of the light, the architecture, and the available parking along Rainbow Row.

Meredith also captured some amazing behind-the-scenes footage for her reels while we were shooting, which is always such a fun bonus. It's one thing to see the final portraits, but seeing the process behind the scenes makes these sessions even more special.

Eventually, it was time to say goodbye to the beautiful pink car and continue Lillie's senior session on foot.

Exploring Rainbow Row

From there, we continued along Rainbow Row, photographing some of my favorite Charleston locations and iconic details.

Lillie stayed in her blue floral mini dress for some of the images before changing into her second pink mini dress. We photographed the colorful historic homes, cobblestone streets, architectural details, and all of those little Charleston moments that make this part of the city so recognizable.

Eventually, Lillie changed back into her original long white dress for a few final portraits.

We finished with a pink cap and gown, a few photographs with her mom, and one of my favorite final locations along Rainbow Row — Elliott Street.

And just like that, we had photographed so much of Lillie's personality and this new chapter of her life in Charleston.

More Than Senior Pictures

What I love most about a session like Lillie's is that, years from now, these photographs won't simply remind her of what she looked like as a high school senior. They'll remind her of who she was: 

She was a new Charleston girl, just beginning to make this city home.
She was discovering a love of ballet.
She was experimenting with fashion and expressing herself through the outfits she chose.
She was beginning to imagine what life after high school might look like and which college might eventually become home. And she was doing all of it alongside her mom, who helped bring such thought and creativity to every detail of this session. With just three main outfits, we created a gallery of more than 100 images — a true time capsule of Lillie exactly as she is right now. I think that is one of the most beautiful things about senior photography.

It isn't just about documenting the end of high school - It's about preserving the beginning of everything that comes next. For Lillie, that next chapter is just getting started.

Welcome to Charleston, Lillie! I can't wait to see where this beautiful city — and life beyond it — takes you!

Ready to start planning YOUR senior session in Charleston?