It’s the summer before senior year, and if you’ve ever had a teen, you know exactly what that means. The senior photo chatter is deep in our house right now. Of course, I’ve been asked to take Marianne’s photos, but somewhere easy? Nope. That’s not her style. She’s boojie. So in August, we’ll be heading up the Pacific Coast Highway, stopping at all the cool spots for her senior pictures. It’s weird. And scary. And I’m still trying to figure out how to handle the reality that I have a high school senior.

So, what did I do in the middle of my pure panic attacks about this? Naturally, I squeezed in an impromptu friendship photoshoot during the work week. Because I clearly don’t have enough stress in my life.

But here’s the thing. It’s a strange phenomenon for me. Before a session, I’m so nervous I sometimes hope it rains. But the moment I get my camera in hand, harness on, crossbody bag slung, and my trusty reflector (which I leave everywhere) ready to go, everything’s good again. Even if I’m completely stressed out. Even if I’m exhausted. The connection with people, the laughter, the stories, and just enjoying the moment melts all of that away, even if just for 90 minutes.

Photographing Delanie and Avery was beautifully wonderful. They’re cool, confident, and just plain dreamy to photograph. And of course, it’s always dreamy to photograph my girl, Marianne. I didn’t want to post too many of the single photos I took because I really wanted to showcase their friendship more than anything else. But let me say, there were so many gorgeous photos, I couldn't post them all, that would be so overwhelming.

Thank you, Avery, Delanie, and Marianne, for making this a fun experience. Watching Marianne with you two and seeing how close you all are makes this mom’s heart very happy.

Thank you, girls, for trusting me to capture this special time.