by Shelly | Aug 22, 2016 | senior guys, senior portraits, sports |
Jonathan was my very last senior from the class of 2016, and I absolutely loved everything about his session.
He’s already up and left town for Texas A&M, and I’m getting reports that he is absolutely in his element training as a Freshman with the Corps of Cadets. It’s hard work, military style, but he’s been preparing for this type of activity for a long long time. He is one young man who will do just fine wherever he goes. College life can be difficult, but Jonathan is an overcomer. He’s beaten obstacles that no one would want to face, and he’s come through like a champ.
The way Jonathan came to my studio is a fun backstory. I first met him back in 2013 when he was just a sophomore in high school. The all around fantastic athlete had been seriously injured playing football and had to leave the sport behind. Still, he was able to return to baseball after extensive rehabilitation treatment with Memorial Hermann Ironman Sports Institute. His story was worth retelling for other athletes who needed to be aware of concussion issuesand who also needed to know that treatment and hope are available. He was featured in an article published in VYPE Magazine.
I went to meet him at Cinco Ranch High School to photograph him for the headline banner. The night we shot, I got to meet him, his parents, and his adorable little sister. We all had a great time visiting that evening on the baseball field and somehow I knew I would see them all again.
Here’s the article!
Time passed and sure enough, we reconnected.
Senior portraits? You bet! I’m your photographer! Let’s DO THIS!
Jonathan is one of those guys who can truly be called an All American. He’s an honor student with a great penchant for leadership.
The diving mask and flippers? Oh, yeah… those are not just for decoration. He knows how to use ’em, and he will very likely one day save lives as a Navy Seal.
Although his earlier injuries kept him off the football field throughout his high school career, there was no keeping away from baseball.
He was also active in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and One of his prized possessions is a custom baseball bat, hand-crafted by one of his friends and mentors.
He has dreamed since he was a little boy about becoming an astronaut … and he probably will.
But for now, he’s going to buckle down and study — and do all the other things that Aggie Corps members do.
Best of luck to you, Jonathan. Enjoy your time at college and get ready to make your mark on this universe. You’ve definitely got “The Right Stuff.”
It hurts my feelings just a little bit to say it, but I will. — Just for you.
“Gig ‘Em.”
by Shelly | Jun 27, 2016 | musician, senior guys, senior portraits |
Photographing senior guys is one of my favorite things ever.
This is Trey. I’ve been looking forward to working with him for the last two years — ever since photographing his older brother.
Trey graduated this spring from James E. Taylor High School in Katy, and he played percussion in the JETBand.
He gets from one place to another in this glorious red BMW. I absolutely love it when my seniors plan their sessions to include special items like vehicles and musical instruments.
That red Beamer will be right at home this fall at The University of Houston where official campus colors are red and white. That’s where Trey will be studying Electrical Engineering.
Face it. It’s not unusual for guys to be less enthusiastic about their portraits than their parents are. After all, they have places to go and things to do. Still, they participate because they know how much it means to mom and dad.
At the end of the day, though, they always say that it was not as bad as they thought it could be, and they’ll even admit that they had a pretty good time.
If you know an incoming senior guy who is not totally enthusiastic about creating his senior portraits but who knows that it is an important milestone, bring him to my studio.
I promise NO CHEESY SAPPY STUFF. Just a fun hour or two and a book full of fantastic personality-driven images to enjoy for years to come.
Congratulations on your graduation, Trey. Thank you for keeping SPCcreative Photography Senior Portraits as your family graduation tradition.
by Shelly | Jun 21, 2016 | senior guys, senior portraits |
I’m feeling a little bit verklempt as I post Miles’ senior portraits to share with you.
He is the third and final senior that I get to photograph for the Travis Family, and I”m going to miss them.
“sniff sniff”
I got to know their mom through the band at Taylor High school, and it all started when she trusted me to photograph her oldest son, Cole back in 2011.
We must’ve done something right because she came back again with sister, Shana in 2014.
Because I know that people have a choice when selecting a senior photographer, I never take a returning family for granted. In fact, I CELEBRATE them.
History aside, THIS is Miles’ year.
Three guesses where he’s heading to school this fall. Ain’t Texas.
by Shelly | Jun 15, 2016 | senior guys, senior portraits |
The high school letterman — a lasting and iconic symbol of teenage accomplishment.
Go to any city, and find the kids in letter jackets. They are the movers and shakers. They are our future leaders.
Stands to reason that the letter jacket should become an important part of a senior’s portrait session. It certainly was for Colby, Class of 2016.
Colby just graduated from Katy cinco Ranch High School where he lettered in football. He also enjoys playing club rugby.
Colby is heading to Baylor this fall to continue his studis.
I see a bright future in those piercing brown eyes. Congratulations on your high school graduation, Colby.
by Shelly | Mar 1, 2016 | family, senior guys, senior portraits |
The senior year in high school can be a super emotional time, and I don’t mean just for the students.
In my own experience, as a mom of five sons, I came to think of the senior year sort of like pregnancy. It lasts about nine months, and by the time it is over, you’ll do whatever you need to do in order to get the kid out. I played tug of war between the joys of seeing my children spread their wings oh so ready to stand on their own and become an adult, and the fear of wondering if they would be safe from one day to the next. I worried about each one of them walking out the door to places where we can’t monitor whether or not they and their buddies come home at a decent hour. To this day, I still LOVE watching them take on new responsibilities and excel in ways I could never imagine. I still crumble inside when they face struggles that I cannot and should not even try to fix. I cry a little when I realize that my days of drying tears,mending scraped knees, and keeping a well-stocked pantry and fridge are becoming distant memories.
What many of us moms tend to forget is that the graduate is not the only one facing a new stage of life.
Senior year is a time when the entire family dynamics are about to change in a big way. Parents get to embark on a new journey too. Yes, the adjustment can be very very tough, but for the most part after transition (another pregnancy analogy) it is very very sweet.
Not too long ago I got together with this family to create the first portraits they had made since their son was quite young. He will graduate this June and within just a few short weeks will leave for army boot camp. When he returns, he will be a different human being. That’s what service does for us.
I’m so glad we did this project.
Life for mom and dad will definitely change. Their son will come into his own in a great way. And Mom and Dad are going to be fine. They’ll be just fine.
by Shelly | Jul 24, 2015 | senior guys, senior portraits |
Here’s another in our series of whatever happened to the blog posts for the class of 2015.
We still haven’t answered the mystery, but at least it’s giving me an opportunity to revisit some of my favorite senior portraits from the past year.
This is Will.
I had a great time photographing Will over a period of time. He came into the studio several times. First, to help me with an advertising project, but then later for both studio and separate location sessions. He also returned for a quick multi-generational shoot with his dad and grandfather. How cool is THAT?
Get a load of this Letter Jacket! I don’t believe there’s anything Will doesn’t do well. Football, Baseball, NHS … It took a lot of talent and hard work combined to earn a jacket like this.
For now, he’s cramming in as many good home-cooked meals and fun activities with his friends before he hits the road to Waco in a matter of weeks.
That’s right — Will is now a Baylor Bear. 
Think he’ll miss the City of Katy at all? 
I commend this entire family for carving some time out of their schedule to stop by so that I could create a few multi-generational images of Will with his dad and grandfather. What a treasure these will be in the years to come.
