Justin and Christa are in the boss-baby stage of life: their schedule, their needs, and their wants have to fit into the hectic neediness of raising young children. With a 3 year old and an 8 month old and two demanding careers, the family time is what you make it.

After shooting her bestie’s senior pictures, this gorgeous girl called me to set up her own senior portraits, and the location of choice was the Potawatomi Conservatory in River Park. This South Bend gem is a really great place to shoot senior photos, especially in the winter. In the summer, it gets HOT, but if you can handle that, it’s beautiful. The greenhouse is perfect lighting, beautiful and they have a bathroom so outfit changes are easy.

Taking family pictures with older kids is just as important as it was when they were younger, but we tend to put it off and not prioritize it like we did when they were reaching baby milestones, first birthdays or beyond. I don’t know why that is… maybe it seems like they aren’t growing as fast (not true!), or that the school photo each year does the job. Maybe it is that our teens are awkward and let us know, sometimes loudly and often, how much they are not interested in it. Likely it’s that these older kids come with busy schedules and finding the time to even think about scheduling photos seems daunting. Fitting in a session between a zillion practices, music lessons, birthday parties, sleep and school sounds impossible.

I just love taking your kids’ senior pictures, Michiana! Every time I leave a session, I am encouraged. Our world is in good hands. You are raising tremendous students. In a world where you probably don’t hear that enough, I am seeing it! Be encouraged.

Allie and Ian met at Brother’s in Eddy Street Commons when they were attending St. Mary’s and Notre Dame. They found me to shoot their engagement photos several years ago, the day after Ian was graduating law school and the day before they moved to Florida! Needless to say, I never thought I’d see them again. (Thank goodness we have the Gram to keep up with all of our LDP family!)

Another beautiful senior! These sessions are such a joy to shoot. Sarah loved the meadow look of her friend’s senior pictures, so she called me to schedule her own portrait session over at Cobus Creek. It’s such a great place to take photos. If you like what you see, you should consider it for your session. It’s always changing with different wildflowers in bloom every time I go. It keeps things interesting!