3 Reasons I LOVE BFF Sessions | North Henderson Senior Photographers

When I was putting together my 828Senior Model Program this time last year, I decided to add in a BFF session as one of the benefits of becoming a Billie Mitchell Photography Senior Model.  Can I just tell you how glad I am that I decided to do that?

I shoot a couple of the best friend sessions last fall.  These were some of my absolute favorite

sessions that I shot in all of 2014.

Part of the reason I love these BFF sessions so much is because I absolutely seeing the relationship between the friends.  It's so sweet to me to see the fun and love in the friendship. 

This is such a special time in their lives.  They are so excited about finishing high school and moving on to the next phase in their lives.  But they are also slightly sad and nervous about leaving behind what's familiar and figuring out how to remain close to the best friends.

The 2nd reason I love it so much is sort of selfish.  While I'm shooting these sessions, I am taken right back to my high school days and all of my amazing BFF's.  I had a great group of girls and guys that I was really great friends with, and during these sessions I am taken right back to those days of hanging out and having so much fun.

The 3rd, and perhaps most important, reason I love these sessions, is for the future.  Many times as I'm retouching these sessions I sit with tears in my eyes.  I think the reason is because that while I know the girls are going to love their BFF pictures, I also think that they are not going to FULLY appreciate the images until about 20 years down the road.  

I'm betting that when they look at the images today they will see how great they look, favorite fashion, does my hair look OK?  But the real emotion for these pictures will be felt 20 from now when they look back and these images and see the relationship.  The fun.  The love.  The friendship.

I'm so grateful that I have been given the opportunity to provide such special memories for my clients.  If you would love to have the friendship you have with your BFF captured, please don't hesitate to contact me to set up your session.

Billie is a high school senior portrait photographer in Asheville, NC.  She specializes in creating unique portrait experiences for each of her clients.  One of the ways that she creates such unique experiences is by providing her senior model clients with BFF portrait sessions during their senior year. 

McDowell High School Tennis Senior Pictures | Marion NC Senior Photographers

So as I was going through and updating my website with some new senior images, I was reminded of some really fun sports themed senior pictures I shot last year.  I would normally share these images right along with the other photos from the session, but I decided to pull the sports themed shots from a few sessions and blog them separately.

 

First up, I want to share Hayley's tennis pictures with you.  Hayley was such a trooper during this shoot.  It was SOOOO HOT when we shot these.  And that tennis court really held the heat and would literally burn your skin when we tried sitting on the court.

 

We were both melting trying to capture these shots.  But we stuck it out, and I'm so glad we did.  These are some of my favorite images from her session.

It's always fun to try to incorporate your grad year into your pictures in some way.  So for Hayley's session, we simply took a sharpie marker and wrote 2015 on tennis balls.

I love this shot!

Sometimes when I'm shooting the sports themed portion of a senior session, we actually go the seniors field or court at their high school.  Sometimes sports props can just be added into a picture while shooting in an alley or park.  In Hayley's case, we met at Lake Lure for her session.  There happened to be tennis courts not too far from the boat docks that we were shooting near.  So we were able to shoot the tennis portion of her session there as opposed to traveling to her high school.

Look how gorgeous she looks. 

You could never tell that she was melting in that sunshine on the tennis court.

Simply beautiful Hayley.

 

Keep this in mind when you are planning your senior session.  What extra-curricular activities are you involved in?  Could be sports.  Could be drama.  Could be music.  Or any number of other things.  Might be video games.  Whatever your passions are, lets talk about it and see how we can incorporate it into your session.

Vintage Camera, Parasol, Books, and Paint! | Asheville Senior Photographers

During the cold, dreary winter days, it's fun to go back and post some warm and colorful images from last summer!  Emily and I definitely found lots of different ways to infuse lots of color in to her senior portrait session.

This first set shot against the graffiti wall in this gorgeous green dress are some of my favorites!  

And those earrings and big statement ring were the perfect touch to finish off this outfit.

Emily also brought along this pretty parasol to include in a few images.  I think it adds a soft, feminine feel to this image.  It's perfect with that soft grey dress and delicate cameo necklace.
This image ended up being Emily's and her mom's favorite, and is now a beautiful wall portrait in their home.

Another outfit change.  This time the same cameo necklace, but with a blue dress.  And then we added a stack of her fav books as props.  And then she even thought to bring along her glasses to go along with the book theme.  Love!

Emily's 4th outfit was this perfect long black dress.  She looked A-MAZ-ING in this dress!!!  And that aqua and royal statement necklace were to die for.

We had so much fun planning Emily's session.  So many different ideas, props, outfits, locations...  We finished up the session in the most fun way there is to finish a portrait session.  

By painting her face of course!

When Emily told me during her pre-session planning consultation that she loves to paint, I suggested she bring along some paint supplies and have a little fun with them.  She was totally on board with my crazy idea, and we had a ball painting her face.

Emily, thank you again for choosing me to create some fun senior portraits for you.  

And thank you for being on board with my crazy ideas! 

I think one of my favorite quotes will fit her quite nicely.

"If you never did you should.  

These things are fun and fun is good."

~Dr. Seuss

Don't be afraid to loosen up and have some fun with your senior session!

Winter Senior Pictures | Asheville NC Senior Photographers

I've been wanting to write a post about having your senior pictures taken during the winter months. It's something that I believe many people are afraid of doing. But I'm here to tell you that winter sessions can be just as great as any other time of year. 

First of all, who doesn't love layering sweaters, scarves, vests, leggings, boot socks, boots, hats, etc...  I mean really.  There are just so many possibilities.

I'm including lots of inspiration in this post that is from a shoot I did in Asheville for two local boutiques on Haywood Street.  Southern Charm and Charmed.  They have tons of choices to keep you both warm AND stylish during your winter shoot.

Everything from these great knit wraps, to plaid tartan, to cute jackets.

There are lots of really cute hat options for winter photo shoots.  Hats not only keep you warm if it's cold outside for your winter senior session, but they add so much personality to your pictures as well.

Charmed also has these adorable headbands, and I just love this knit shawl!

And boots!  I know y'all have tons of different boots that you love.  Yes cowboy boots are cute in the summer with your sundress, but there are even more boot possibilities in the winter months!

And scarves.... So many different scarf combinations.

And did I forget to mention that it won't be steaming hot during your session when you choose a winter senior session.  I LOVE my summer sessions, I really do.  But lets face it, sometimes it's REALLY hot.

 What if it snows?  Oh my goodness, lets hope it snows!  But only enough snow for pretty pictures.  I'm not wishing for anymore snow than that.  :)

But seriously, snow can make for some really beautiful portraits.  And talk about unique.  How many people do you know that have snow in their senior portraits?  Probably not many!

 If you are interested in a snow session, please let me know.  I will be keeping a list of interested people and calling to set up your snow session when it does snow.

Another perk of winter sessions, it's a slower time of year for photographers.  You will have more luck getting the date that you want to book vs shooting any other time of year.  I really hate when I have to turn clients away because everyone wants to shoot during the same few months of the year.  

Let's face it, the closer you get to graduation, the crazier your schedule is going to be.  Especially if you are involved in spring sports, a spring drama production, etc...  So lets take the time to get your senior pictures taken care of now.  Plus it will be a more enjoyable experience if you aren't rushed and can really take the time to enjoy yourself!

When are you planning on having your senior pictures taken?  Have you given it much thought?  Give winter a chance.  We'll have a blast.  I promise!!!

Billie specializes in high school senior photography in Western North Carolina.  She has been shooting high school seniors for 5 years in both Central Ohio and North Carolina.  She works with seniors from North Henderson, West Henderson, East Henderson, Hendersonville, Brevard High School, Enka High School, AC Reynolds, TC Roberson, McDowell High School,Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy, North Carolina School of Science and Math, and Asheville Christian Academy.  She is very excited to add you and your school to her portfolio!

Cheerleader Senior Pictures West Henderson | Hendersonville, NC Senior Photographers

Today I would like to introduce you to another amazing high school senior.

Meet Jesi, a West Henderson High School Class of 2015 senior.

We started Jesi's session at her high school football stadium so we could incorporate her love of cheerleading into her senior pictures

Then we headed off to a local park to finish up her session.  Many of my sessions are shot in more than one location.  It's yet another way to add some variety and personality to your images.

There are so many beautiful locations to shoot in around Western North Carolina.  Whether it's a beautiful natural location, an urban area, an artsy backdrop, or your very own high school.  So many possibilities.  We will discuss all of your location ideas during your pre-session consultation that happens before your session.

I loved when Jesi pulled out this amazing orange hat to add to a few shots.  It's a great example of adding accessories to an outfit to get a little different look for a few pictures.  No need to completely change out the entire outfit every single time. 

Jesi, you have such gorgeous eyes!

This simple white sundress was so feminine and pretty.  I loved how soft and simple this next image turned out.  It's all about Jesi and her beauty.  Not about the background, or a super colorful or trendy outfit, just simply her beauty shining through.  This is a timeless image that she will still love many, many, years down the road.  An image that won't be outdated in 10 years.

Thanks Jesi for a fun afternoon of shooting.  I hope that you will cherish these images that we created together for many years to come.  Best of luck with the rest of your senior year!

Billie specializes in high school senior photography in Western North Carolina.  She has been shooting high school seniors for 5 years in both Central Ohio and North Carolina.  She loves getting to know each of her clients personally so that she can create a custom session that truly tells each senior's story.  If you would love more information about a senior portrait session with Billie, call or email today.

Soccer Senior Pictures North Henderson High School

Meet Brittany.

North Henderson High School Class of 2015 Senior!



Brittany is a senior model for me this year.  I knew I liked her as soon as I received her email asking me about my model program and how she could become a part of it.  I loved how she wasn't afraid to reach out to me on her own and ask for what she wanted!

During her senior model session, we were able to capture many sides of her personality and style.  That is exactly what I strive to achieve during every senior session that I shoot.  So I was especially pleased with how her images turned out.

We started off at the North Henderson High School Soccer field where we were lucky enough to find the soccer goals had been left out on the field in the middle of summer.  A happy little surprise for us!  And while Brittany isn't able to play soccer any longer due to injuries, she has played her entire life, and still wanted to include soccer in her senior portraits.

  

Her next location choice was Fletcher Community Park. 

The scenery is gorgeous there and offers plenty of beautiful shooting locations.
Not to mention her amazing wardrobe choices.

Next up, Biltmore Park Town Square!

The perfect place to show off Brittany's passion for shopping!



And finally, another passion of Brittany's.  DANCE!

She loves to dance and is the caption on her North Henderson High School Dance Team.

This is the storyboard that we designed together to represent this part of her life.



As you can see from the quick iPhone pic, she LOVED her storyboard!





Her words: Confident & Sassy.

I'd say that is a perfect description of Brittany. 

Brittany, thank you so much for reaching out to me last winter and joining my team.  I have absolutely loved getting to know you over that past several months, and I can't wait to see what the rest of the year brings.  I wish the best senior year ever!  I cannot wait to see what your future holds for you.  Stay AWESOME!!!