Alison Joy - Cedarcrest High School Senior Portraits
Ali's Alley! First stop for senior portraits of Cedarcrest senior, Alison Joy! A winding trail through sword ferns & Douglas fir, over a little bridge, lined with mossy logs and river rock. A place of adventure and picnics with Beth when Ali was small, and now a place of winding trails & boulder steps where she & Pauli Girl cover the hill in bounds :)
This is typical of Ali's back yard, carefully cultivated to look NATURAL, yet crowded with flowers and color in the understory of the tall fir trees. Just lovely.
And the garden shed tucked into the forested slope above the LOG HOME (yes!) where Ali grew up:
Mom & Dad, Shannon & Mike, were helping out through our whole shoot - thank you so much!
A moment back in time, earlier today, Ali & her Mom enjoyed such a relaxing experience at Gene Juarez in Redmond. Both had hair by Mandy, and make up by Joni. Such a fun experience. Photo-ready by the pros with no stress:
After Ali's Alley, we moved on to a lonely dirt road stretching into the forest. I was pretty excited about bringing a favorite family vehicle into our shoot. This 1972 Chevy truck is a classic that Mike had searched for until he found it. I love the color, inside & out. Alison likes to use it in the summertime with her pup, Pauli Girl. We had fun with various angles with this big ray of sunshine :)
We wanted to incorporate Ali's competitive side by showcasing her hurdling, without actually traveling to a school track. So this long road was ideal. Hurdling has always confused me - and it was fun to see how Ali hops them so speedily and easily, and I can't even wrap my brain around how to get my legs over the barrier without plowing through it - it's a brain twister - goodness! So fun to see Ali in action! A clip is in the video at the end of this post. Before beginning the action, I thought that even her stretches were picturesque :)
Go time:
And we are off to the races:
Back to Ali's home,
The front yard is lakefront, a beautiful small lake in the hills of Carnation. What is better than dancing with Daddy on the dock?? I think any girl of any age would enjoy this :) I would!
And seriously, where are the dancing photos with Mom?? Good gravy, next time we photograph this family, Shannon gets the something-crazy :) But meanwhile, I like the bright-eyed cuties together here:
As the evening is winding down, it seemed a good time for some mellow acoustics by Miss Alison Joy. I love these:
As our light disappears, our stomachs make themselves known - it's dinnertime, and there is a double date in the works tonight :)
The family leaves to make a night on the town - and Jo & I are feeling content and glowing because we had such a good time.
I enjoyed meeting this family of 3 with their tight-knit relationships and sense of fun. I enjoyed the tears that came so quickly to Shannon's eyes as she watched her daughter getting her portraits made at their family home. It's too close for me, it feels, I'll be there in 5 years with my eldest, Joy... I like that Mike & Shannon and my husband & I all share a love of that name :) Later, I enjoyed meeting Alison Joy's close friend, Beth, and hearing that they have memories together that stretch back soooooooo farrrrrrr back. Senior portraits are taken at a precious time of life! Just before all that is familiar become memories to cherish, instead of present-day-every-day-life! Oh! Let's end with a little video:
