What started as a normal senior session full of wildflowers and fields, ended in a fun time at the playground.
Before my senior session on the Sunday before Labor Day, I walked a giant loop around the pond at Mckee Farms Park in Fitchburg, WI. This is one of my favorite parks for both photoshoots and to visit with my family. I have a lot of fond memories here, and so I was excited to photograph a senior there that day. I found many beautiful spots and saw that there were a ton of yellow wildflowers still blooming this late in the summer season.
Her first outfit was a white button down tank top with jeans and sneakers. A lot of seniors have been wearing white this summer, and I love it against all the greens!
Inspiration hit both of us when we saw all the willow trees
As we made our way near the end of our loop, we both were very inspired by a group of willow trees all lined in a row. We took some photos walking along the path, and then had to play in the leaves of course. The golden hour light was also starting to hit perfectly, creating beautiful starbursts of light in my camera.
Time for a quick outfit change
It's always nice when you're at big parks with playgrounds for photoshoots, because they often have shelters with restrooms that make outfit changes much easier! My client did a quick change of her shirt, and I loved how the green matched both her eyes and the environment. We went back around the loop to a spot that was occupied earlier, and it was the perfect time to get some crazy lighting by this bench and tree. I thought it was really neat how the leaves from the top of the tree, and the tall grassy plants on the ground were creating a frame around my client.
My client had one request before the end of our session... can we take a few pictures at the playground?
If you either grew up around Madison, WI or have kids there now, you know about the Dream Parks. There is one in Monona, Sun Prairie, Cottage Grove, Deerfield, and Fitchburg. They all are unique, wooden playgrounds in the shapes of castles. They spark the imagination of both kids and adults, and apparently seniors. When my client saw that we were in the same park as the Fitchburg Dream Park, she said it reminded her of when she was a kid and went to the one in Monona. She thought it would be a fun idea to commemorate her childhood by taking a few senior pictures there. I fully agreed, so we went exploring to find some fun spots for photos.
I love a good, unique location. Now I want to do more playground senior photos.
Of course, these ended up being my favorites from the entire session. How could you not love a photo with a smiling dinosaur, or posing inside a wooden rocket? These left me feeling inspired to think outside of the box for future photoshoots with high school seniors. The options for fun locations are limitless.
