Rachael Carlton | Senior

Rachael is a quiet, sweet, and honest soul. She goes to Canyon High School, and plans on staying in Canyon this next year for school at WT. She hasn't quite decided what she wants to study. I see so many students just pick a major at random and run with it if they're unsure. Most end up hating what they choose, so it's always good to hear that a senior is entering undecided to test the waters in order to nail down a passion. I haven't read it yet, but my aunt recommended a book to me called "48 Days to the Work You Love" about finding your passion and pursuing it. I think my passion is people. Creatively fitting them into a frame through my lensfinder, snapping the shutter, and showing them how beautiful they are is probably my favorite thing. :) It wasn't hard with Rachael because she is such a NATURAL beauty. At the end of the shoot, she busted out a hat, and I about FELL OVER from excitement. (I'm pretty sure I jumped up and down for a while). The last few shots of the session were at sunset. The light was warm, soft, and beautiful, and for some reason, it got pretty silent. I wasn't directing her anymore. She wasn't asking for direction anymore. We were just going. I could see Jamie (mom) out of the corner of my eye and heard a tiny sniff. I stopped what I was doing and looked back at her to find her crying. Her girl was graduating.. growing up. Then I got teary eyed. We were laughing.. crying.. hugging.. it was a mess. hahaha, but definitely a sweet moment. I love these two. Look at how GORGEOUS Rach is:


























She let me wear the "magic hat" for the last picture. ;)

The Walker's | Family

Well hello blog readers. It's been far too long. I can't believe it's been twenty days since I've blogged. Actually.. yes, I can. I have been blessed with work, and it has kept me so busy. I have disciplined myself to take time for me, and that has kept me going absolutely. It's amazing how important it is to recharge (something I didn't realize UNTIL I set aside time to recharge). I have also made time to be a mentor to Kaitlyn Vinson, a senior at Cooper High School. Every year, seniors at Cooper have a last-semester project called their "Product". They are given the task to find something they have never done before and intensely research and learn it in a short amount of time. I was ecstatic when Kaitlyn told me she wanted to learn photography, and even more excited that she asked me to be her mentor. :)

Our first meeting together consisted of McAlister's sweet tea for lunch and getting to know each other. Surface chatting turned into deep conversation, and we ended up "getting lunch" for over three hours. I had a feeling I would only like this girl more and more.. annnd I was right. We had a blast learning together. Coffee dates, house dates, lunch dates, photoshop dates, photoshoot dates.. I spent hours blabbing about the art and hoping that somehow the words coming out of my mouth made sense. I'm not much of a teacher, but I AM a talker. Sharing about something I love with someone that cares was such a great experience for me.



The last shoot for her project, we asked the Walker family to be our models. Ummm, you'll see why. They are the CUTEST family on earth. I've known the Walker's since 7th grade, and they have been an absolute treasure to know. I have no idea where or who I would be without them.