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.

6 Tips On Finding YOUR Perfect Senior Photographer | Hendersonville, NC Senior Photographers

You have finally made it!  It's your senior year.  

You have worked so hard to get to this point in your life.  

I bet one thing you have been looking forward to is your senior portrait experience.

 So I thought I'd put together a little list of tips for you on finding the perfect photographer for YOU! 

1.  Shop around - As much I would love to just say "PICK ME!", that wouldn't be fair to some of you.  You really need to look around to find a photographer that suits YOUR needs.  Ask your friends who they have had take their pictures.  Ask about their experience with their photographer.  Were they happy with their photographer?  Did they have fun during their session?  You will want to find a photographer that you can jive with personality wise.  Having your pictures taken is such a personal thing, you really need to find someone that you connect with.  Someone that is going to help you to feel completely comfortable in front of their camera, and will know how to bring out the very best of you for your pictures.  You will want to find a photographer that you are very comfortable being yourself in front of.  So when asking your friends for referrals, ask them if they were comfortable being themselves with their photographer.

2.  Ask to see an entire session - Let's face it, everyone can take a great picture.  I mean, if a person takes enough pictures, they will most likely get lucky and have at least a couple of images that are pretty good.  But when you are choosing a professional photographer for your senior portraits, my advice is to find a photographer that can create an entire gallery full of beautiful images of you that will really tell the story of who YOU are.  A photographer that knows how to pose you in the most flattering way, and a photographer that knows how to shoot in any lighting condition.  Another benefit of this tip is that during your session, if you have done your homework and you already know that you have hired a photographer that is completely capable of creating beautiful images, you can be completely confident that you ARE going to have beautiful senior portraits.  Which in turn will help you loosen up and enjoy the experience even more.

3.  What do they offer? - You definitely want to find a photographer that offers the types of prints and products you are most interested in.  Some photographers will only offer a digital download, no prints.  Some photographers will only offer prints, but not digitals.  Some will offer both.  So be sure to look for a photographer that offers what you are interested in.  If you aren't sure what you want, ask yourself what you plan to do with your senior pictures.  Do you want to hang them on the wall in the form of a wall portrait?  Do you want to have an album full of all of your images?  Or would you like to have the digitals so that you can print your own portraits?  Or any other number of endless possibilities...

I know many of you will probably want the ability to share your pictures online.  And that's great.  Make sure your photographer will give you the option to share your images with all your friends online.  But you also have to remember that those online galleries on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat won't always be there.  I would hate for you to have all of your senior pictures lost a few years down the road when these websites are no longer around.  So while I definitely want you to be able to share online if you want to, I also want to remind you to think beyond that and realize that you will probably also want to have your images in print for future use.

4.What are others says? - Check out the testimonials from other clients.  A great way to find out what it will truly be like to work with a photographer you are considering, is to read testimonials that their previous clients have written.  So check out the photographers website, Instagram, Facebook, blog, etc... for testimonials.  Is what others are saying sound like something that you want to be a part of?  

5.  Do you love their pictures? - Another important point is do you love their pictures.  In all reality, their pictures are probably what drew you to the photographer in the first place.  But when you ask your friends about their photographers, they may tell you about someone you hadn't heard of before.  So you quickly go to IG to check out their work, only to discover that the photographer totally does not match your style.  Maybe the photographer shoots dark dramatic black and white photography, and your style is more light and colorful.  Or maybe the photographer shoots everything very bright and vibrant, and you really love muted soft tones.  Whatever the case may be, be sure to find someone whose style you love.  It's a really bad idea to hire a photographer who has a portfolio full of bright colorful imagery and expect them to create an entire gallery of black and white portraits for you.  Most photographers have a style that they are passionate about and are very good at.  Asking them to shoot something completely different may not go very well.

6.  Get your parents involved - While you are looking for a photographer that you really love, run it by your parents.  After all, they will want a say in the style of photography that they will want to hang in their home.  They are going to want their son or daughter working with a reputable photographer that they feel safe having around their children.  And most likely, they are the ones paying for the session and portraits.   So definitely get them involved in the process and get their opinions as well.

So there you have it.  6 tips for finding the perfect senior photographer for you!

I hope you found them helpful.

Have you already had your senior portraits taken?  Do you have other tips that you could share with a person searching for their senior photographer?  Please do so in the comments.

 

Billie is a high school senior photographer in Hendersonville, NC.  She shoots in a vibrant & colorful style that is trendy, but that will also stand the test of time.  Billie always makes sure to shoot images during her senior portrait sessions that the senior will love, while also making sure to capture the classic portraits that the parents & grandparents will treasure.  She provides a wide variety of heirloom quality prints and products that can be passed down through the generations, and also provides tech savvy ways to share your beautiful senior portraits with all your friends and family.

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!

Enka High School Senior Portraits | Asheville, NC Senior Photographers

When I receive messages like the one below from a client, I get all teary eyed.  As you will see from Stephanie's pictures, she has no reason at all to be insecure.  She is such a beautiful person.  Inside and out.  It makes me so happy to hear that I was able to help her feel better about her self image and build her confidence, all while having a great time creating gorgeous senior portraits that she can cherish for a lifetime.

Stephanie's words:

"I first heard about Billie from my friend Caitlin.  She recommended me to Billie to help me with my senior project. My project was on natural beauty photography.  I went and shadowed Billie one Saturday morning while she was taking pictures of a girl for her sweet sixteen! I loved learning all her cool techniques she uses, and I was so mesmerized by how cool the experience was.  So much so that I wanted to get her to take my pictures too! 

So on one freezing, windy, cold day we all went to the NC Arboretum and she took my senior pictures! I wasn’t feeling so confident in the beginning of my session.  But then she ended up showing me the pictures on her camera while we were taking pictures.  That made me like a little more confident and I loosened up! She is easy to take pictures with anyways because she is always cracking jokes and laughing, and it just puts a smile on your face! (Which makes for a cute candid picture!) 

I loved how she boosts your confidence while taking pictures.   Coming from a girl who doesn’t have much confidence, it feels good to be happy with your self-image! '

EVERYONE NEEDS TO GET THEIR PICTURES DONE WITH BILLIE!  She is by far the best I’ve seen, and she comes with a great personality! Thank you so much for taking such wonderful pictures for my senior year. I am forever grateful. "

- Steph <3 comment-3--="">

As Stephanie stated, it was a freezing cold morning when we shot these images.  She was such a trooper trying not to look like she was frozen.  I think she succeeded.  This first set of images looks so warm to me.  Almost looks like we were on the beach or something.  And I LOVED her flower crown that she chose to wear with this simple white sundress.

Then she totally changed it up for her second look.  Bringing jeans, a simple white tee, a flannel and a couple of different hats.  I kept telling her I wished we were in a gungy alley for this look.  :)

We stayed with the same outfit when we headed to another part of the arboretum.  Even though it's the same outfit, we created a totally different feel for this set.  It's amazing how different posing and expressions can make the same outfit look completely different.

And then for her final look, she went a little more dressy.  I loved this look as well.  I was amazed at how well she pulled off so many different looks.  I don't think I can really pick a favorite. 

And may I just say how jealous I am of those legs.  If you have met me in person, you can understand my jealousy based on the length of my short little legs.  :)

Thank you again Stephanie for allowing me the honor of creating your senior portraits for you.  I loved working with you both on your senior project and your senior portraits.  I hope you will love them for many years to come.

                                                                               xoxo,

Billie has been shooting high school seniors for 5 years.  First in Central Ohio, and now in Western North Carolina.  She focuses on creating unique sessions for each individual senior, while also helping build a positive self image for the girls she works with.  She believes that by creating a positive self image in her clients, she can help empower them with the confidence they need to go out into the world and pursue their dreams.  Contact her today to set up your YOUnique 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.