Kendall could have booked a photographer five minutes from her house. Instead, she and her family drove three hours from Burlington, Colorado, to Fort Collins and stayed overnight so they wouldn’t have to rush her senior session.

I asked her why, and the answer was simple. She’d seen senior photos I’d taken of a former elementary school classmate on social media and immediately knew she wanted something different for her own senior pictures. In a smaller community, many seniors end up with the same backdrops, the same handful of locations, and the same overall look. Kendall wanted something different for her senior pictures, and she was willing to drive to Fort Collins to make that happen.

We spent the session moving between green space and rural Fort Collins scenery, getting a real mix of looks in one day. Kendall was an absolute sweetheart the entire time, easy to work with and completely up for whatever we tried. Her mom ran behind-the-scenes footage on my cell phone the whole session, and her dad stepped in as my lighting assistant, holding reflectors and adjusting light like he’d done it before. It turned into a full family effort, which is honestly one of my favorite parts of this job. Senior sessions aren’t just about the senior. They’re a whole family showing up for this milestone together.

By the end of the day, Kendall had the photos she came three hours and an overnight stay for, and a set of images that look nothing like what her friends back home will have.

If senior year only happens once, it’s worth getting pictures that actually feel like yours, even if that means a little bit of a drive.

Book your session today and let’s get your senior’s story on camera before the season fills up.

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Carol Dunnigan Photography is a boutique senior portrait studio serving Ault, Greeley, Fort Collins, Loveland, Windsor, Johnstown, and surrounding Northern Colorado communities.