Senior Portrait Session: Gavin R.

Ambitious. That is the word I would use to describe the 2022 seniors that I have been lucky enough to meet over the last year. Each and every senior that I came in contact with had a clarity that I never had at 18 years old. I had an idea of my future, but that is all it was, an idea. There was no certainty, research, drive behind my idea. Not the young men and women I have talked to. They all seem to have a clear picture in their head of what and who they want to be. They all have goals and determination and, yes, ambition. So impressive.

The same applies to Gavin, who I got to spend some time with on a overcast but beautiful afternoon. We captured his photos after a few days of spring rain. The kind of rain storms that still have the sun shining through as the rain falls fast and heavy—almost like there is a battle between sun and clouds in the sky. It was a bit of a gamble, but it turned out to be the perfect lighting and temperature for our session.

Gavin was quiet at first (as most seniors are) and reserved, but as the session continued, he gave me glimpses into his personality and humor—which was refreshing, light, and fun. I pulled posed ideas out from my trusty bag of ideas that I have accumulated and stored somewhere in my brain, but by the end he was participating, coming up with ideas, and using his eye to get what he wanted out of our session. By the end, we were laughing as we staged and snapped some 90s era senior poses— "lean against the tree and smile." One, that I too got in 1999 when I got my senior photos taken. Gavin—good luck next year. After meeting you for just an hour and a half, one time, I could easily tell that you have a kind heart, great sense of humor, amazing support system, and ambition that is quite frankly, hard to believe for someone your age. I am excited to see where you end up and who you become.