Eryn’s Golden Hour

I had only met Eryn a handful of times before put session, but I was beyond thrilled when I was asked to take her senior pictures. As I’ve mentioned before, these tend to be some of my favorite ones to do. I love the unknown of it all, ya know? It’s like they’re standing on the last few pages of a chapter, and have no idea what’s the next. 

Eryn had two requests from the get go; A fall setting that had trees and train tracks (check), and hitting the golden hour. Many people want this hour, so the request itself is by no means unusual. But admittedly I wanted it too, because the location we chose, The Great Bay Discovery Center, is flooded with massive old trees, and we would be hitting them in peak foliage. Which meant that this famed hour for photography could be especially spectacular. 

                            But,

                        It was completely out of my control. 

So, as you can imagine, my heart sank when the forecast said there was a 75% chance of rain. I was excited for the clouds, but not the possibility of wet weather, and I couldn’t promise the lighting.

                                                            And they were fine with that. 

When Eryn arrived, I could tell how nervous she was (which was to be expected), but her beloved mom squad, Janine and Julia were there, both offering support and encouragement without any hesitation. The reason I mention this, is because it’s one of the most beautiful, genuine definitions of a blended family that I’ve ever seen. Sometimes having more than one person as support in a photo session can can be stressful, throwing out opinions and creating an unintentional audience for the person being photographed. But, in this instance, I was taken aback in the best way, when I could physically see how much their love, together, helped ease Eryn’s nerves and reinforce her confidence. 

Truly, it made my heart melt, and really helped set the mood for the night. 

Walking down the train tracks towards the trees, Eryn started asking about how she should move or sit or walk, and I just smiled and said, “we can do whatever you want!” A little confused and potentially terrified by the new freedom at first, once I showed her some ideas and posing inspiration I had found, 

            I feel like the game changed. 

As she started cautiously throwing ideas out, I enthusiastically agreed, doing my absolute best to capture the incredible, empowering shift of control as she confidently took the reins. 

In the midst of hyping her up and telling her how incredible the pictures looked, 

She asked to see them. 

Especially the one where she’s kicking the leaves on the tracks.

It was a little nerve wracking at first because I was worried that she might not see what I did, but it ended up being the best compliment. I wish there was a way I could have captured the surprise and pride on her face when she saw them. Hands down one of the most sincere reactions I’ve ever received. 

At this point we were about halfway through the shoot, and as Eryn did an outfit change, I was still nervous about whether or not we would get the golden hour. But Janine and Julia were both unfazed and told me-repeatedly- that we would; that Eryn always had a knack for getting things like this to happen.

In hindsight I feel like I should’ve had them buy me lottery tickets that night, because not only did we get the golden hour,

                        But Eryn put on a clinic. 

I can’t wait to show off these pictures because they.are.stunning.

Working with Eryn was an absolute delight. I had so much fun getting to know her, and even HAPPIER to hear that she was potentially going to be looking at a school in OHIO! YAY! (Even though it’s not Ohio State, I’m sure her dad, who is a _ichigan fan is LOVING it! Hahahaha!) What I do know, is that no matter where Eryn goes, she’s going to bring something incredibly genuine and beautiful to the world, and I am here for ALL of it! 

A big heartfelt thank you to Eryn, Julia, Janine and Dave for choosing me to capture such an incredible milestone!