Meet Hannah, Class of 2023

Hannah and her family had the last minute idea to have her senior portraits taken while visiting Kiawah Island for their annual family vacation in July. The threw together some outfits and luckily remembered to bring her ballet shoes. She's lucky too, not only did I have ONE sunrise option left available for the week of July 4th, but she also was able to find Julia on Kiawah Island to wake up BEFORE the crack of dawn to style Hannah's hair before her session. Those beachy waves are such a nice touch for this type of session, so I highly recommend leaving those details to a professional. Especially that early in the morning!

Outfit selection is super important for senior portrait sessions because we want to really show off their personality, style, and also any talents or hobbies your senior might have, too. The grounds of The Sanctuary are such a perfect spot for variety, so if you're staying on the Island I highly recommend it. Sunrise is the perfect time for some quiet and having the whole place to yourself. Of course being that we started just before the sun came up this morning we started out on the beach utilizing the dunes and water for that dreamy backdrop. If you follow my work already, you know that I also love sunrise silhouettes so that's something I even try to do with my seniors. 

After the sun has made its way up above the horizon we rinsed the sand off and made our way through The Sanctuary's gorgeous gardens. There is so much variety here, and July is a great month for the summer blooms around their grounds. With my portable pop-up tent changing outfits is a breeze, but the added benefit of using the grounds here is there air conditioned bathrooms. Our summers are super hot and humid in the mornings so that refreshing cold air does wonders for changing outfits and recharging during your session. Hannah's styles were pretty easy to coordinate here one the grounds, but typically with seniors I like to see all their outfits ahead of our sessions so that I can plan specifically where we will be shooting for certain colors. 

The point shoes for me, and probably for Hannah's family made this session super special. I know Hannah relayed to me that she doesn't plan to pursue ballet or dance in college, which is why I think she will really cherish these images as she gets older. I know that sports, hobbies, and talents can really seem like overkill when you're trying to enjoy your high school years BUT these are talents that will always be with you and have shaped who you are as you grew from teenage to adult years. This will always be a passion, a memory, and something you will always love to look back on. 

Thanks to Hannah and her family for waking up SUPER early and working with me on this gorgeous morning. I really enjoyed getting to know their family and I hope to work with them again on future vacations to Kiawah Island, SC!