Senior Spotlight - Lauren Lovejoy High School Class of 2016

Meet Lauren - a senior at Lovejoy High School.  I think what I love the most about Lauren is that she knows her mind - she knows what she likes and what she doesn't like.  Even so, she was always up to try something fun and different.  We had a ton of fun at her session and I fell in love with her adorable dog!  I mean...how can you not love that puppy face.  Here are a few highlights from Lauren's session in August!

Trend Alert: Rompers

The number 1 trend I noticed this summer was the romper.  Almost every single senior girl came with at least one romper to wear at her session.  Every single one of them was adorable and they were all different. 

Here are a few images of how our seniors wore their rompers this summer.

 

Fall is here and it is time to think of how to incorporate the trend into a new season.  I found some really cute rompers on-line that would work as the temperatures get cooler.

This adorable romper keeps the summer style, but adds long sleeves for slightly cooler weather.  I love the style - flattering on pretty much anyone.  Being a UT alum....burnt orange is always a color I love :-)   It would be a great choice.  You can find this romper at Revolve

This denim romper is so different from anything I have seen - and transitions between seasons well.  You fan find this romper at Anthropologie

This cute little black romper with lace sleeves is fun and different.  It would be fabulous in pictures and it has a very unique style - different than many rompers available.  You can find this romper at Nordstrum

I love this little black romper and how it is embellished with the scarf and belt.  This is a perfect outfit for fall pictures.  The boots are the very on-trend way to transition the romper into cooler weather!  You can find this romper at Free People

Oh my goodness - did you hear the squeal all the way from my studio in McKinney when I found this romper.  LOVE LOVE LOVE  It has great style with the lace and the belt - well it just makes me swoon.  Put this with high boots and come see me for sure!!!!  You find this romper at Free People as well. 

Very cute romper from ASOS.  The styling is unique and extremely flattering.  The only thing...I would suggest a tank underneath.  It is cute a little bit to low for me....

One more denim romper from Go Jane  This is just so cute and has tons of style.  I could totally see this at any senior session.

So, when it gets cold, we will need to look at long sleeves and pants.  But those would be jumpers and are a post for another day.  Let me know if you have any questions or need help putting your outfits together for your senior session!

Aimee


 

Summer Class of 2016 Seniors - Adding fun and personality to their sessions

Well...summer 2015 is over and the class of 2016 who came to see AimeeLouise Photography had a blast.  A few of our seniors came to us with fun ideas for how they could express themselves in their senior portraits.  I wanted to share a few of these images and hope they inspire you as you make your session your own!

Avril expressed her joy at being a senior (and at taking the last shot from her session!)

Marly wanted a hip hop vibe for her session and demonstrated some of her moves.

Sarah is a dancer at Plano West.  We didn't really plan this shot, but even when she trips she is graceful.

Jackie is a cheerleader at her high school.  We had fun coming up with something different to do for cheer.

This one was Jackie's idea.  I tried to get her to put "I'm Outta Here" on her sign...but she thought dad might not like that so much.

Tori came full of ideas.  These were two of my favorite fun images from her session.

 

One of Olivia's favorite places is the McKinney Public Library.  We had a blast coming up with fun ideas at the library.

 

 

Haley has such a fun personality.  We had fun figuring out where to use her sign and how to incorporate her sport into the images.  The hat image was one of the hardest ever to accomplish but I think it turned out fun.

Lauren's dog totally stole the show at her session.  Just look at that face!  I love her tough face for her Lacrosse image.  The McKinney water tower in the back is just a bonus.

Brianna is a photojournalist for her school and she has a throwback rock-n-roll side.  As soon as I saw her record player and albums, I knew the "steps to no-where" behind our studio would be perfect!

 

Maddie brought in these great Class of "16" balloons.  We released them at the end and watched them fly away.  She was a good sport when I suggested she climb on top of her Jeep.  Being a Jeep owner myself, I wanted to take off the tops and doors...but we only have so much time in our session...and I thought her parents might not like me too much.

This series at Caroline's session was totally spur of the moment.  I told her I really wanted a senior to do something with sunglasses.  She pulled these out...and the rest was history.

I can't wait to see what our Fall seniors have in store.  As a hint...we have already done fishing and pulled out a cowboy hat and boots.  And that is just two sessions in September so far.  It's gonna be a great fall!

Aimee

September 11 - A Day Forever Etched In My Soul

Every year September 11 comes and goes.  Every year I wonder if someone crazy is going to try to take more innocent lives.  Every year I think about how much our lives have changed since that day - not just with airport security and Homeland Security; but in our personal lives - our thoughts, our emotions, our fears.  I look at my children and think about how they never experienced life before that day.  I think about how they remember September 11 as a day in history, similar to how I think of Kennedy's assassination.  My parents said the world changed that day, but I never understood that.  At least I never understood it until I experienced September 11.  The world changed that day.  My world changed that day.  My kids don't understand that...and I hope they never understand that.  I hope they never have to face such tragedy in their lives.  And yet, they face tragedy every day in that our world has become a different place - much more fear and much more hate.

I am not a person that chooses to live in fear.  I will walk into whatever situation is necessary to stand up for what I believe in or to protect my children.  However, when it comes to my kids, I still fight that fear.  Before September 11, I wouldn't have thought twice about putting my kids on an airplane to visit family.  Now the thought terrifies me.  My 12 year old asked if he could fly to visit my sister next summer.  I smiled and told him that was a great idea.  On the inside though, I fight the fear of "what if".  What if some crazy person tried to take over the plane and he had to deal with that alone.

I know I can't live in that fear.  I choose to put my faith and trust in Christ and know that He has my days in His hands and He has the days of my children in His hands.  As a mortal human being, I continuously must lay that fear down at the feet of the cross.  I am sad that my world has changed this way.  I am sad that crazy people think it is ok to kill innocent lives to make a statement.  I am sad that one day changed the world.  I am thankful such a day continually brings me to a place of vulnerability and knowing that I can't control any day and that ultimately I can only place my hope and trust in Christ.

A few weeks after September 11, 2001 I wrote a letter to my then 18 month old son.  I wanted him to understand my heart and to know my thoughts and feelings from that time.  It was part of a scrapbook page with pictures I had taken on the afternoon of 9/11. For some reason, I feel compelled to share that letter here on my blog.  It is personal.  It is raw to me.  It is vulnerable.  It is life after September 11, 2001.

Aimee

Senior Spotlight - Olivia Frisco Heritage High School Class of 2016

I love Olivia.  She is one of our Class of 2016 Senior Models.  What I love most about her is her sense of who she is.  Olivia knows who she is, what she likes, and what she doesn't like.  She is perfectly ok with speaking her mind and I really love her self assurance. 

Olivia is a reader.  She loves to read - she loves books.  She is a kindred spirit with me.  My idea of the perfect vacation is a porch swing in nature and an endless stack of books.  We decided to do half of her session at the McKinney Public Library - a place where she loves to spend lots of time.  Olivia brought along her favorite books, took me to her favorite chair, and settled down for a fun and very different senior session.

Here are a few of my favorite images from the session.

Cows and Cars - An Eventful Day in the Texas Countryside

A couple of weeks ago my husband and I celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary.  My husband, knowing that I love to take my Jeep out into the country and photograph whatever I see, suggested that he take me driving that morning.  I jumped at the chance - excited to capture some fun new images I can turn into fine art.  Well...after I took a couple of images, I asked him to stop on the side of the road so I could take a picture of a group of cows under a tree.  I didn't realize the gravel road sloped on the edge.  I jumped out, my feet hit the gravel, the gravel went tumbling down the small hill, and my feet went tumbling with it.  I slammed my back ribs into the side rail of the Jeep.  Hmmm....let's just say I couldn't breathe....I couldn't talk...I couldn't think...  My sweet husband suggested that we go on home since I was in so much pain.  But...let it never be said that I am not stubborn.  There were some shots I wanted and there was no way I was going home until I got them.  I think being in shock contributed to my crazy decision...but I pressed forward.  A mile or so away, we found this awesome body shop with the coolest rusty cars out front.  I limped along but got the images I wanted.  Let's just say that by the time the shock wore off, I was home.  My ribs were bruised, and I couldn't hold a camera or lift anything for 2 weeks.  Well...I still think it was worth it...

So....without further adieu - here are some of the images I captured that day. 

These were the images BEFORE the crash of August 8, 2015:  A couple of cows and a really cool tractor next to a silo.
 
 

 

 

This was the image that I jumped out of the car to get and ended up falling down.  Sadly...I don't even like it that much....

 I am so glad that we pressed on in spite of the pain.  I found an old body shop and was able to capture these images!  It was totally worth it to me!!!

 

 

 

I love the image of the car above...but it just reminded me of a cartoon.  So I played a little bit and turned him into a caricature.  Just a little fun...

 So there you have it...I spent my anniversary on pain meds and ice for the rest of the day.  I definitely need to make it up to my husband, but I totally love the images I got that day.

Until next time,
Aimee