Today I am going to share with you the set of senior model images from the BIG styled shoot. The Senior Model shoot is one of the highlights of our year. Let me tell you folks, a lot goes into this day. What a feeling of accomplishment to see these images! We love our models….our fine team has been amazing and it has been such a blessing to get to know them. Hair and makeup was done by BELLA DA SALON. The day was styled and managed by GRACE. Grace put her heart and soul into this day…the results are stellar and I am so proud to share these images.

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I am going to let Kathleen take over here and tell you a little more about the day…

(To view the entire set of senior model images…take a minute to view this MAGAZINE designed by Margot!)

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A 1950’s blue Chevrolet…playing croquet in a shady wooded area…a picnic on a summer afternoon…a lazy afternoon by a lake – inspired by the feeling of light-hearted summer days, the 2013 Senior Model Shoot produced images that captured another era. As effortless as the final product appears, the path towards it was full of hard work, by our team AND the senior model team.

For every magical image captured, there were a half dozen teenagers huddled on the sidelines, wrapped in as many blankets as they could find, being handed hot cocoa and hand warmers in an effort to keep their hands and lips from turning blue. The light-hearted summer days captured in these images were nowhere to be found on this chilly spring day. It takes true resilience to dash barefoot from the warmth of a blanket, and then one…two…three…relax! The camera’s snapping so it’s time to pull that shivering expression together!

It takes a lot of food to keep energy up on such a busy day, but the sun is on the move and there is no time to sit down to eat, so better grab food when you can or you’ll be tempted to spend the rest of the day curled up on a picnic blanket taking a nap. If only the blanket wasn’t being chased around by the mower that no one knew was supposed to be there!

Would you have guessed that each model’s unique look and fun hairstyles took a combined over three hours plus three stylists to complete? One certain hairdo may have even taken close to an hour by itself. Ten teenagers arrived as typical Americans and emerged from the dressing rooms embodying the essence of a past era. It was more than just an outfit change. It was the infusion of confidence and imagination that enabled the models to step outside of themselves and into a new (albeit old) world for a few magical hours. Sweeping updo’s….vintage hats….pretty sundresses – each model made their outfits come to life.

So many hours are put into choosing outfits for each individual model, brainstorming and creating sets, combing through vintage stores to find just the right props, and you wonder ‘will it all come together? Will the result be what you were dreaming it would be?’ And then there’s that moment, that ethereal moment, when there’s a pause in the craziness around you and you realize you’ve entered another world. Kind of like going through the wardrobe into Narnia, nothing looks familiar, and everything looks magical. The people are from another era, a place set back in time – you are a world away.

That only lasts a moment and then the craziness rushes on – there’s someone’s makeup to touch up, food to be carted around, balloons to be gotten, and poses to be held. All too quickly the sun sets over the lake, the shivering turns to numbness, and it’s time to pile onto the back of the pickup truck, blankets trailing, for the short ride to the dressing area to exchange a bygone era for the current. With one final hurrah and a cupcake cheer, the sets disappear into the darkness, and a sense of satisfaction of a day well spent sets in.