The senior photo sessions just keep on rolling in for The Camera’s Eye! Meet Nadia, who will soon be starting her senior year at Athens High School in Athens, PA.

Nadia loves science and wants to attend college – hopefully in the New York City area – to become a doctor. She’s already more than familiar with NYC, since she goes there once a month to visit her sister. They’re four years apart in age, but many people think they’re twins!

Nadia is no stranger to travel, as she has been to South Africa – her parents’ home country.  She loves playing basketball, though she swears she’s not athletic. Based on these photos, I think we can safely call her a fashionista 🙂 She shared great pictures of her outfits before coming to see me, and she still couldn’t make up her mind which ones to wear!

Even though there were some tough fashion decisions to make, she always knew that she wanted to wear this authentic Indian dress.  She’s definitely a girl after my own heart when it comes to a love of shoes – the icing on the cake, besides that gorgeous smile, is the matching 5-inch heels!

Stay tuned for more senior photo posts – The Camera’s Eye has lots of seniors on the docket, and I’m excited to meet them all!

Every now and then, you are granted a gift.  Sometimes, when the stars align, the wind blows from the West or the cat didn’t wake you by licking your ear, you are granted several gifts all in the same day. Yesterday was one of those days in my business and I’ve decided to share it as a 3-part blog!

Gift #1… Lil’ Miss Harper

I met Harper when she was affectionately referred to as H3 by her parents, Heather and Duane.

Still in the womb at the time, H3 was nicknamed after a chemical compound, as her father works in Bio-chemistry at Cornell and her initials break down to 3 H’s:  Harper Helen Hoch. At the very end of our portrait session at the Cornell Plantations, Duane scribbled H3 on Heather’s belly with a marker I had in my bag.

Very sweet moment between the parents for me to capture and I drove away with warmth all around me.

The next time I truly met Harper, she was a few days old and I had experienced a crazy morning with my GPS trying to find Harper’s home. Without missing a beat, Heather invited me in and I quickly tried to make up for lost time. If you’re a baby photographer, you have to be very conscious of your energy and this day I was wound up… Guess, who didn’t sleep? Miss Harper!

While Momma worked her magic, I had the most interesting conversation with Cindy, Harper’s grandmom, who happened to be more than a seasoned veteran in the field of mammography. Fascinating. Who knew that only a month later, I would call Cindy in New Jersey on my own behalf for valuable information concerning an alarming mammogram.

At 6 months, Harper visited me in my studio for a Crawling Like Crazy session. At this point, I had gotten close enough to the family that they brought their dogs to visit in the car and we spent a good amount of time visiting amidst catching Miss Busy Body on film.  It was now the “norm” to hug upon parting ways.

Harper turns 1 this week and agreed to humor me with a Birthday Bash Session (thanks Heather & Duane!) including balloons, a boa, and the infamous extra icing Birthday Cake.

Happy Birthday Harper!

So far, I was gifted a warm fuzzy, the wisdom of an experienced Grandmom, and friendship. NOT too shabby for simply showing up to work! But it’s the smile that I can’t wipe off my face, even as I work into the wee hours of the night with tiny slits for eyes, that I consider the gift that fills me for days. It’s the gift you’re granted when a family gives you the chance to document their lives over the course of time, as things change and as they grow. Come good times or bad, crazy sessions, balloons popping – whatever it might be – it’s the emotions they share with me as they interact amongst themselves that keep me shooting year after year!

Happy birthday Miss Harper, and congrats Heather and Duane!

Weddings and other events are nothing short of a team effort. At The Camera’s Eye, we love getting to know other vendors and service providers in the area. One of my fave guys, whom I know from Tioga Gardens, is Ridge Prince!

Ridge started working at Tioga Gardens during his senior year of high school, doing “odds and ends” work. In his own words, when he started he “didn’t know a thing about flowers or the business.” That’s certainly no longer the case: After three years, he has worked his way up to become the lead designer, under master designer and owner Chris Kuhlman. Even though he now specializes in designing floral arrangements, he can do pretty much anything asked of him at Tioga Gardens. As he puts it, “I love my job because everyday I get the chance to design and create something new and in the process I get to bring some happiness and cheer to another.”

As if that’s not enough, he also has a cosmetology license. At first, he only had time for working out of his home, but he has just started a new job in Wilkes Barre at Lonn Dean Salon. He has everything down when it comes to hair – bridal hair, intricate modern styles, and anything else you might need! “I love working there. Clients know we love what we do and will do our best to create the hairstyle you are looking for and love.”

And, artist that he is, he also draws:

Ridge and I have known each other for the past three years – even if I’m not working an event, I like stopping in to Tioga Gardens to say hi! You can contact him at 607-372-6626 or on Facebook.

The 2014 graduation parties are just barely wrapping up, and The Camera’s Eye is already working on 2015 senior photo sessions!

Meet Parrish Bridges, a 2015 senior from Owego Free Academy! I often say I spend a lot of my time running around, but this guy actually spends his time running. He LOVES to run, and I’d go as far to say as he LIVES to run.  He’s dedicated, and definitely going places!

At The Camera’s Eye, it’s always a bittersweet to say goodbye to a class of seniors after we’ve gotten to know them and worked so closely on their photos and graduation announcements.

The up side is that now we have so much to look forward to with our 2015 senior photos!

While it’s true that photography is, in its simplest form, one person taking photos, The Camera’s Eye wouldn’t be much without other collaborators! One of my favorite Owego businesses to collaborate with is Tioga Gardens. They change things up at their site every year, which I love – trellises, water fountains, you name it!

Tioga Gardens in Owego, NY

There’s a lot to love about Tioga Gardens, including the fact that they’ve been in business for over 50 years. Currently, Chris and his brother Ed run the operation, along with their brother Steve. However, it was Chris’s dad who came home one day in 1966 and told his wife: “Guess what! You own a floral shop now!” She learned the floral business, and his dad ran the greenhouses across the street. Chris even grew up selling produce at the business. Today, they create incredible floral arrangements, and their grounds are ideal for weddings, like the one that I shot just last weekend!

The whole team – Chris, Scott, Halga, and others – is incredibly friendly and hard-working. Following a different wedding I photographed at Tioga Gardens a while back, I realized that I lost a very small and crucial piece of equipment somewhere on the grounds. Who comes to the rescue but Scott, who drives up in a 4-wheeler and says “Hop on, kid! We’re doing this the right way!” After an escorted trip around the premises, we found my equipment and I could breathe a huge sigh of relief. Looking at these photos, I’d like to imagine that the beautiful grounds were part of what helped me keep my cool 🙂

Work at The Camera’s Eye keeps me more than a little busy – but I try to find time to relax and take care of myself by going to my Friday morning class at Binghamton Yoga.

I’ve been going to Binghamton Yoga since 2012. At first, I did a little exploring with different classes. Eventually I fell in love with Flow yoga – a 1-hour class that combines movement with static stretching or poses.  It loosens my overworked muscles and strengthens my weak areas. It lets me relax – shavasana, anyone?  – and at the same time gears me up for the weekend, when I’m usually working!

As studio co-owner Jason Shaw puts it, “We help people find physical ease so that the mental and emotional stuff is easier to handle. Once someone feels themselves, then they’re better able to hear themselves and deal with the other things in their life.” Put another way, Binghamton Yoga is perfect for adults who are very settled in their bodies and want to strive for improved alignment, graceful movement, and the many other benefits of consistent yoga practice.

Binghamton Yoga has nine teachers, each of whom brings a unique style to the yoga mat. The teachers come from a range of schools, and there isn’t any single way of thinking or teaching that defines what goes on at the studio – variety of instruction is key! What’s most important to them, above all, is “do no harm.” Something I think we can all get behind!

The teachers at Binghamton Yoga know that when it comes to trying out yoga for the first time, or even just in a new place, the simple act of stepping through the door can be huge. Their mission – and I can tell you they’re successful at it! – is to make you feel safe and accepted once you’re there. And if I didn’t feel safe and accepted, would you catch me doing things like this?

One of the things I adore about being a professional photographer in the Owego/Apalachin/Binghamton area is getting involved with so many community causes and groups. For the past few years, The Camera’s Eye has been proud to support the Just Keep Believing (JKB) Foundation.

This organization raises money to find a cure for spinal cord injuries, and was started to help Jessica K. Burrell, an Owego Free Academy student-athlete who sustained a spinal cord injury in a car accident in 2008 . It’s near and dear to my heart because I had a chance to take Jess’s senior portraits at Tioga Gardens, post-injury and only shortly after she returned from a rehab center far from this area. Her attitude was, and still is, simply amazing. Just look at the sparkle in her eyes…I love it!

Every year, The Camera’s Eye supports JKB with gift certificates to auction off throughout their tournament event via gift baskets and raffle tickets. This year, the tournament runs from Thursday June 12th through Saturday June 14th at Owego Free Academy. The proceeds from this year’s tournament will go to The Miami Project, The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, and the Shepherd Center.
Stop by and see us in Owego, and support a great cause!

Of course, you’re posing and posting selfies on Facebook and Instagram – but what if you’re not sure what to expect when it comes to a custom senior session at The Camera’s Eye?

Clothing:

For starters, bring a variety of outfit choices.

If you’ve just vacationed at the beach (I’m jealous!) and you have tanlines, bring some options that won’t show those or wait for some fading. The same applies if you’re at a sports event or tournament – those are classic places to accidentally get sunburned.  Retouching is always free at The Camera’s Eye, but this type costs extra.

Solid colors are usually the way to go, as they’re less distracting than heavy patterns. However, so many seniors have unique clothing that defines who they are. If you have something to say, by all means, say it! – but be “tastefully awesome.” Bring a range of colors – we have a lot of locations with different color themes.

To make changing and deciding what to wear even easier, think about a few interchangeable clothing pieces that can lead to a whole new outfit. Throw on a scarf, slip on a skirt, change the shoes, and voila!

Wear something that you can move around in. You’re not going to be sitting there primly waiting for the flash bulb to explode – there are tons of locations and pose options, and you need to be able to bend, climb and move around comfortably.

See this? This is not what we’re going for. (Flickr user robertsharp)

Additionally, wear clothing that covers you in all the right places. Something that’s a little tight or only just the right length might not fit so well once you’re in a fun pose.

Ladies: Your undergarments might be “under,” but that doesn’t mean they’re invisible. Bring bra options that can hide under your trendy shirt style, and remember that anything black underneath a light colored shirt is likely going to show up in your photos.

Guys: Think about socks and shoes if you’re switching from formal pants to shorts.

Grooming:

Girls:  It can definitely be worth it go to a salon, but make sure that the style is still truly you! Sure, you were stunning at prom – but is that how you always have your hair? If you love to color your hair, do it a week beforehand or so to make sure it comes out the way you like!

Guys:  Similarly, don’t get a new haircut just before your session.  Those first few days after a cut don’t always look like you. Also, make sure you’re freshly shaved!

Extras, extras!

I’m game to chat about ANY props you might want in your photos. Sports equipment, instruments, books, animals – bring it all!

Glasses often create glare, so think about not wearing them for this shoot. I once had a senior who insisted on wearing glasses… asked for one shot at the end without them. The next time I saw him, he was all about contacts –he’d just never seen himself without glasses before our senior session! All’s to say – who knows how your life will change after a senior session at The Camera’s Eye!
STILL HAVE QUESTIONS? – CALL OR contact us via email, Facebook, or Twitter. I use Pinterest as a source of inspiration for my photography sessions, so you can check out my Senior Session Style Ideas and Senior Portrait boards as well!