top of page
Search

Sugarside Magazine Senior Feature Covershoot

athousandwordstexa
Sep 1
5 min read

Sometimes a senior photo session involves multiple outfits, several locations, plenty of time to wander around, and a very carefully planned shot list.


And sometimes you have three busy varsity athletes, less than an hour, and absolutely no time for outfit changes.


This session was definitely the second kind. 😂


I recently had the chance to photograph Moaz, Isabella and Zane for a special senior feature in Sugarside Magazine, a local magazine serving Sugar Land and the New Territory community.


All three are high school seniors with packed schedules, so we knew going in that this was going to be a quick one. We headed over to Oyster Creek Park in Sugar Land, crossed our fingers that we'd get some good light, and got to work.


And honestly? I think we knocked it out of the park.


Pun absolutely intended.


Three Seniors With Very Different Personalities


One of my favorite things about photographing seniors is that no two people are alike. I can give the same basic direction to three people and somehow end up with three completely different personalities coming through in the images.


That was definitely the case here.



Moaz | Football, Neuroscience & Southern Manners


Moaz is a varsity football player who's interested in pursuing neuroscience after high school.

He was also what I can only describe as a gentle giant.



Seriously. This kid was so polite.

"Yes, ma'am."

"No, ma'am."

"Thank you, ma'am."

As someone who moved to Texas from Canada, I still occasionally get a little amused by the whole "ma'am" thing. 😂



I told Moaz that when I first moved here, I wasn't used to everyone calling me ma'am. I think I finally realized I had officially become a Texan when I stopped being surprised by it.



But underneath the good manners, Moaz was also incredibly easy to photograph. He has a great presence in front of the camera, and once we got him moving, we were able to capture a nice mix of relaxed and more polished senior portraits.


And I'm pretty sure his mom can take at least some credit for raising such a nice young man.



Isabella | Two Sports, Big Goals & A Lot of Heart


Then there's Isabella, who apparently looked at the concept of having a "busy senior year" and decided to take it to the next level.



She's a varsity athlete in both volleyball and soccer, so finding a spare hour in her schedule was probably a small miracle in itself.



She's also hoping to become an oncology nurse, inspired in part by her mom's experience with cancer. Her mom is currently in remission, and Isabella's desire to eventually help other families going through something similar is such a meaningful goal.



I love when senior photos capture more than just what someone looks like at 17 or 18.

These photos are a little snapshot of who they are right now—and who they're becoming.

And Isabella brought such a beautiful combination of confidence and warmth to her photos.



Zane | Soccer, Engineering & The Boy Who Was Trained to Smile on Cue


And then we have Zane.



Zane plays varsity soccer and is planning to study engineering after high school.

He was also an absolute dream in front of the camera because this guy could do both.


Need a nice, natural smile?

Done.


Need the serious, slightly broody, "I'm about to be on the cover of a magazine" model face?

Also done.


At one point I told him, "Your mom must have raised you right to be able to smile on command like that."

His response?

"My girlfriend trained me."

😂

Well.

There you have it.

Clearly someone deserves the credit.



But honestly, he really was fantastic. We got a great variety of expressions and poses from him, which is exactly what you want when you're working quickly and trying to give a magazine plenty of images to choose from.



Oyster Creek Park Senior Photos in Sugar Land


For this shoot, we photographed all three seniors at Oyster Creek Park, which is one of my favorite places for senior photography in Sugar Land.


And there is a reason I keep coming back here.

It has a little bit of everything.

You've got gorgeous trees and soft green backgrounds, water, fountains, benches, trails and, of course, the bridge.

The bridge is one of my favorite spots—but fair warning: everyone else knows it's pretty, too.

So sometimes you have to wait your turn.

I've definitely stood there with a senior, camera ready, watching another photographer finish up and thinking, Okay, your turn is almost over... 😂

But it's worth it.


For this session, we were especially lucky with the light. We caught that gorgeous golden-hour glow filtering through the trees, and the soft green background made everything feel warm and timeless.


It was exactly the kind of light I love for senior portraits.


No Outfit Changes. No Problem.


Normally, I'm all for giving seniors plenty of time to change outfits and create several different looks.


But that wasn't really an option for this shoot.

We had three seniors.They had sports and school and life happening.We had less than an hour.

So we worked with what we had.


And honestly, I think this is a good reminder that you don't need a complicated photo session to get beautiful senior pictures.


A great location + beautiful light + a little direction + a senior who's willing to have fun with it = magic.


We were in and out in under an hour, and I think we still created a really nice variety of images for the magazine (and my lovely seniors!).



Why I Love Senior Photography


This is one of the reasons I love photographing high school seniors so much.

Yes, I'm there to take pretty pictures.

But I'm also getting a tiny glimpse into this really interesting stage of life where you're still a kid in some ways, but you're also making very grown-up plans for your future.


They're athletes, students, friends, kids, and soon-to-be college students—and they're all right on the edge of whatever comes next.


That's a pretty cool thing to photograph.


And years from now, these images won't just be "senior pictures."


They'll be a little time capsule of who they were before they headed off into the next chapter.



A Big Thank You to Sugarside Magazine


I'm so excited that I got to be part of this special Sugarside Magazine senior feature and photograph these three amazing Sugar Land seniors.


It may have been a short session, but we had a lot of laughs, some gorgeous light, a few "yes, ma'am's," a girlfriend-trained smile, and just enough time to make some magic.

Not a bad way to spend an hour.


And if you're looking for senior photos in Sugar Land, TX, you don't necessarily need an entire day blocked off on your calendar.

Although if you do have the time, I'm absolutely not going to complain about more outfits and more locations. 😉



Planning Your Sugar Land Senior Photos?


I photograph high school seniors throughout Sugar Land, New Territory, Missouri City, Richmond, Stafford and the greater Houston area, creating relaxed, natural and personality-filled senior portraits.


We'll plan your location, talk through outfits and I'll guide you through posing so you don't have to show up knowing what to do with your hands.


Because that's my job.


Your job is just to show up, have fun and let me make you look ridiculously good.


Ready to plan your senior session? Let's do it.






Comments

bottom of page