Brenna | Baltimore Senior Portrait Session

I commented to my husband the other day, “I feel like with every session I shoot, I bottle up a little bit of my soul and give it away”. I pour so much of myself into each session to make sure it reflects my client’s personality. I am capturing time in a bottle - for the senior and their family. It needs to be perfect - for me and for them.

I spend a lot of time before sessions getting to know the seniors I photograph. How else am I going to get them comfortable and show who they are? Every once in a while, though, I am blessed and get to photograph someone I know extremely well. In this case - I’ve known Brenna since birth. Her mom and I are cousins and she shares a birthday with my oldest. Brenna and I have shared holidays, summer vacations, lots of happiness, and unfortunately, some tears as well. Come to think of it, she may have been the youngest person at my wedding.

Brenna - You have grown into an amazing woman. You’re smart, beautiful, funny and have an amazing head on your shoulders. You’re going to set the world on fire. I am so proud of who have you have become and can’t wait to see what you do next. And I know - without a doubt- your parents are as proud of you and your accomplishments. Love you girl <3 XOXO (p.s. scroll to the end for a little memory - photographed by the amazing Jennifer Domenick at Love Live Images).

Baby Brenna with her mom and dad, at my wedding in May 2005.

Lexi | Perry Hall Senior Photographer

Lexie’s senior portrait session came at a time in my life when I desperately needed something good. Within the 4 weeks before her session, Covid tore through our house, my husband had emergency surgery and we lost our perfect lab mix unexpectedly to an aggressive cancer that appeared out of nowhere.

I do a planning session with all of my clients where we discuss location, look, time of day and wardrobe. I usually throw out a few ideas that are on my bucket list to make the session fun and unique. During this planning session, we discussed shooting in the morning since Homecoming was that night. “What do you think about doing a sunrise session?” I asked her. I was expecting to be told no - and instead, was met with pure excitement.

The session itself was amazing. We shot at 3 locations and who knows how many outfits. In the end, we had an incredible time and got some amazing images (including some featured in Senior Year Magazine). Enjoy <3

Hair by Megan at Beautiful Khaos Hair Salon in Parkville, MD

Sydney | Class of 2023 | Baltimore Senior Photographer

High school graduation is a time of transition and growth, and as your photographer, it's my job to capture the beauty and emotion of this moment in time. The best way for me to do that is to know YOU. I can give you a session that looks like everyone else’s … but what fun is that???

To deliver a customized session, all of my senior sessions start with a pre-session consultation. I want to get to know my client and their family. By understanding what they love, how they spend their free time and why they chose me for their senior portraits, I can create a personalized experience that reflects their style and create timeless images that freeze this incredible moment in time. I had an ace up my sleeve on this one, however, since I’ve known Sydney and her mom for decades (literally) so our consultation was a great time to catch up, as well. During our consultation, Sydney explained she’s really laid back and relaxed - and her life revolves around sports. She also wanted simple and natural poses in a classic location which works perfectly with my one location Simply Senior session.

We landed on two looks - one that is polished but fun and one that shows off her love of lacrosse. Sydney is a phenomenal athlete and is committed to play lacrosse at Towson University next Fall - so that absolutely needed to be a part of our session. As a Baltimore senior photographer, I am so fortunate to have access to a wide variety of locations — from historic landmarks and modern architecture to picturesque parks and waterfront areas. We selected a location that gives us access to beautiful historic landmarks and some wide open fields to play up both looks.

It was amazing working with you Sydney! I can’t wait to see what the future holds for you!

Hey Class of 2023!

It’s not too late to get your senior portraits done!

Jane Mack is a high school senior photographer based in Baltimore, Maryland. Jane’s sessions are fun, relaxed and authentically you. Contact Jane to book your custom senior portrait experience, follow her on Facebook and Instagram, and check out more of her work on her website.

Jed | 5 Reasons Guys Should Get High School Senior Portraits

I feel like all of my blogs sound the same. But it’s not because I’m repeating myself - it’s because my clients are literally the coolest humans I’ve ever met. That was Jed.

Jed’s mom reached out to me because he was her youngest, graduating high school and ready to go off to college to set the world on fire. She gave me 2 parameters: 1) Jed loves soccer. Like LOVES soccer and is an incredible player. And 2) they love the look and feel of casual pictures. Casual is my middle name - well not really, but you’re with me! Capturing people as they are is so much better than forced smiles.

Confession time: I am not a prop person - unless it’s used to show off the style of my clients - so we agreed to use a soccer ball in a “cool” way - not traditional sports pics.

My clients are overwhelmingly teenage girls - which makes me sad because guys deserve to be in the spotlight too! Their personalities, styles and accomplishments are no less important or meaningful to capture - so I get really excited when I get a boy senior session. (If you don’t know - I’m a mom of 3 boys - so that’s partly it).

So guys - if you’re reading this - here’s 5 reasons you should listen to your mom and get those senior portraits!

• You love your parents and it will make them really happy

• It might not feel like it now - but you’ll look back on this time and want to remember it. This session will give you a lasting memento of your high school years.

• One day you will probably get married or have another life event that will cause someone to want to dig a picture of you out from high school. Give them a great one that reflects your personality and style instead of them reaching for your 7th grade picture, complete with braces and pimples.

• There will come a time when your kids just won’t believe you were cool in high school. Prove them wrong.

• Seriously, you are incredible because you are you. You deserve to be celebrated. (And it’ll make your mom happy)

Hey Class of 2023!

It’s not too late to get your senior portraits done!

Jane Mack is a high school senior photographer based in Baltimore, Maryland. Jane’s sessions are fun, relaxed and authentically you. Contact Jane to book your custom senior portrait experience, follow her on Facebook and Instagram, and check out more of her work on her website.

Fawn | Downs Park Senior Portrait Session

I bond so intensely with all of my clients. None of them are “perfect” - everyone has a story to tell. Fawn has the title of the client who has flown the furthest to have me capture their session. They came from freaking FLORIDA. (Seriously - I’m gushing). They had lived in Pasadena, Maryland and then moved to Florida and shortly after their session, ended up returning home to Maryland.

Fawn had a vision for their session. They had this incredible blue dress with adorable strawberries and was determined to have their session. They also love makeup and wanted to pull together a classic look - which we did with the help of a local salon in Severna Park, Maryland.

They were very concerned about their personality coming through - and during our consultation, shared they wanted to use Downs Park because it has a lot of special memories for them (which is awesome, because we share that in common <3). We talked about their love of makeup and having their nails done. Fawn was determined for their manicure to make it into the shots - and we made sure that happened.

A lot of my clients want to incorporate water in their senior portrait session because we’re in Maryland - water is a way of life! We grew up around boats, eating seafood and going to Ocean City, MD in the summer. I love coming up with unique and meaningful ways to bring the Bay into senior portrait sessions.

Unsure of including water as a location for your session? Here’s 3 more reasons to do it!

• Water is a gorgeous and dramatic background! Whether it’s the ocean, the Chesapeake Bay, your local lake or river - or even a pool, use it as a backdrop to add some fun into your session.

• A coastline is the perfect backdrop for so many styles. Whether you prefer a natural, wash-and-go look or a more glam style, I use light and posing to get gorgeous shots near the water.

• Water can be a great location to incorporate your favorite sport if you're an athlete or a fan of water sports. Whether you're surfing, kayaking, or just enjoying the beach, the water can provide a great background for action shots.

Hey Class of 2023!

It’s not too late to get your senior portraits done!

Jane Mack is a high school senior photographer based in Baltimore, Maryland. Jane’s sessions are fun, relaxed and authentically you. Contact Jane to book your custom senior portrait experience, follow her on Facebook and Instagram, and check out more of her work on her website.