Mercedes’ Graduation Session
When it came time to shoot Mercedes’ highschool graduation photos, we didn’t have much planned out. We knew that we wanted the locations to showcase Mercedes’ fun personality and her natural beauty. My sister suggested Omen Coffee, one of our favorite local coffee shops. Omen’s bright and colorful decor seemed like a perfect aesthetic choice, and we knew that the owner, Mark, would be very welcoming. The photos there turned out great, and from there I was in the mood for ice cream. I’d heard about a local chain called Clementine’s Naughty and Nice, so we decided to treat Mercedes to some ice cream and get a few photos while she enjoyed it. After parking the car down the street, we found ourselves on a neighborhood sidewalk with trees offering just the right amount of shade. The lighting was absolutely perfect, so we posed Mercedes with her cap and gown and got several nice shots. After enjoying our ice cream, we headed for the location that Mercedes’ older sister had in mind: The St. Louis Art Museum. However, on the way we drove past Lafayette Park, where my sister, Eliza, convinced us to stop. I ended up being very glad she did, because it was gorgeous. I could have stayed there all day, but I was content with the shots I got in front of a green building, under some trees, and under the bridge.
After an outfit change, Mercedes and I headed to the art museum. At this point, we had gotten more than enough photos than we needed, but we had forgotten to get some shots with Mercedes’ school sash and collar. We walked up the front steps of the museum at late afternoon light and captured the rest of the photos we needed. The results of this photo session have been some of my favorites.
