Capturing moments is always special, but this session was all the more rewarding because of the girl in the pictures. Kristen Eckman has been a family friend since I was six and she was four, and boy have those 14 years flown by.  The two of us, along with my little sister, have been through everything together, and all the awkward stages, weird outfits, silly stories, and heart-breaking moments have brought us here – to Kristen’s senior year. 

As a photographer, I have taken senior pictures in so many places, but this one started in my own back yard. For most people, I would not feel overly comfortable with a random stranger knowing where I live and hanging around my backyard. But obviously this time is a little different. Plus, to be completely honest with you, I had no idea my backyard could be such an amazing background. The weather was gorgeous – it was warm enough that I never needed a jacket, and the sunset could not have been more beautiful. Just look at those rays in the pictures above!

THAT MAKEUP! It was just too perfect not to get a good shot of. A huge part of what can make or break a photo is makeup, and obviously this makeup artist totally understood what would make Kristen’s features pop and accentuate the beauty she already has. Shout out to Christian at the Mac counter in the Southern Park Mall for having a crazy amount of talent. I will be making sure to recommend her to my clients in the future! She nailed it!

If you have not noticed, this is Kristen’s “good side.” While I can’t seem to find a “bad side” on this gal, she for sure had a preference, but that is totally fine with me. Not to mention, she killed it every time. 

This picture is my absolute favorite. From the lighting, to the way her hair is laying, to her outfit, and those stunning eyes – I can’t find one thing that could have been any better. Fun fact: her teeth are actually that white. I did not touch them up at all! How insane is that?!

On the way to another location I had already planned out, Kristen mentioned that she wanted a barn, so we took a quick left turn, and completely changed the plan. We went to one of my favorite locations to shoot at – a little farm out-a-ways on route 224 on the way to Kent who kindly lets me shoot there all the time. With a completely open field that always looks incredible regardless of the season, and two barns with the most amazing rustic feel to them, I have never had an imperfect session at this place. Both Kristen and her mother were so happy that I took them there, and I am so proud of the results.

Session Shenanigans: Ashley, my lovely assistant and sister, tried desperately to block the sun from blinding me as I was taking a shot facing the sun (I will be near-blind when I am older; I am sure of it), only to find that there was no way to avoid the sun without getting herself in the shot. 

The last place on our list of locations was completely unexpected. In the middle of the drive through line at Dunkin Donuts, this field with light just pouring through it in the most breathtaking fashion caught my eye, and I made Kristen jump out of the car with me to snag a few pictures while her mom and my sister ordered our hot peppermint mochas. After sipping our coffees after a long day of shoots, we headed home to start editing. I seem to have a serious problem where I cannot leave a session unedited, and I will spend hours upon hours finishing it no matter how long it takes (10pm or 3am…I do not care. I WILL finish it). But no matter how much my eyes stung from looking at my screen for five hours straight, I could not be more pleased with the results and with this girl. 

Thank you so much, Kristen, for letting me take your senior pictures for you! I am so incredibly proud of the girl you have grown into, and I cannot wait to see where life takes you as I watch you close this high school chapter at Cardinal Mooney. Walsh, you’re getting one of the best!

Kristen Eckman

Cardinal Mooney High School

Class of 2018