Carina Senior Portraits - Mercer Gardens

Carina was for sure she wanted outdoors shots with green and nature. Mercer Botanical Gardens is an excellent location choice for such pictures. We started the shoot in a pretty red strapless dress which really popped in the scene. Carina plays the violin in her school Orchestra so we got some shots with her violin to honor that. Later she switched into a more casual outfit with jeans. She really wanted to get some shots with some long grass. Thankfully, Mercer has a new expanded section in the back and there was some long grass back there for this shot. One of her favorite shots was her squatting in this grass. We finished up back towards the front of the gardens with her school t-shirt and letterman. Her mom really wanted a nice shot with her letterman and we definitely gone one with that. Overall this shoot went really well and Carina was quite pleased with her results, as was I.

Lily's Senior Portraits at East End Park - Kingwood, Texas

Lily is a family friend of ours who was a cheerleader with my daughter, so making sure we got great senior portraits was definitely a must. She was really into something outdoors and wanted tall grass. At the time of year we were shooting, the tall grass was a bit of a challenge, but East End Park in Kingwood, Texas came through in the clutch with their ever popular tall grass.

Lily showed off her excellent long flowing hair and did a great job of not over-bearing her makeup. I liked the color pallet she chose for her outfits for this shoot. She also made sure to accessorize as well.

We started our shoot at the pier walk way that goes to Lake Houston. There was some nice green surroundings and some water areas that fit her future career, marine biology. She is studying at the University of Southern Mississippi, as you can see in one of her photos. We got some casual shots there and her cap and gown photo as well.

We then made our way back to the open fields of grass for some shots in a beautiful brown skirt and also an orange dress as well. My favorite shot with a lot of grass surrounding her in and around the frame was made with a 70-200 2.8 lens. I had to change perspectives to make that shot by getting down low and shooting from literally ground level.

For the grass shots, we got some near the edge, some deep inside the grass and some in between. At the end of our shoot her dad put a little flower on her ear to really set up a cute shot of her. Little things like this are so cute and really make neat shots.

Overall, I’m really pleased and excited with how her photos came out and so was Lily and her parents.

Rylie's Senior Portraits at City Place in Spring, Texas

Rylie and her mom knew right away they wanted to have her senior photos that were both a little urban and also outdoors, so my typical park/garden or Downtown Houston wasn’t going to be the best fit. I had only shot one engagement session there before, but I definitely thought of City Place near The Woodlands, Texas.

Rylie did her own makeup and hair which were beautifully done. She had her eye on a few different outfits for the shoot. Her first outfit was a lovely white dress that went really well shooting in the green, outdoors areas. She also had a coral colored dress, a college t-shirt and these awesome jeans with cute heart patch/ruffles.

At the start of her session, we started at a bridge and worked our way to some tall grass and a bridge on the pond. I used my pop up tent for outfit changes, which is really helpful for senior portrait sessions. We then made our way back to the small park area and then to some spots along the shopping area. We also squeezed in a few cap and gown shots with a borrowed gown from her friend.

I did use some off camera flash. I used a Godox AD200 with the new Magmod XL that is great for run and gun shooting outdoors. It was actually a must because of the strong wind that would have took out any umbrella or softbox. She wanted a confetti shot which came out perfect with the wind.

After shooting my first senior session at City Place, I definitely can see myself going back to shoot there. It’s got a variety of spots for different shots, which can be a bonus for someone not wanting to commit to a park or garden, nor downtown either. I’m quite pleased with the results of this shoot.

Matison Street at Mercer Botanic Gardens

Matison and her mom knew right away they wanted to have her senior photos taken at Mercer Botanic Gardens in Humble, Texas. I knew right away that this was an excellent choice because I’ve shot many times there in the past. Needless to say, I was excited about going there again for some beautiful senior portraits.

Matson chose two outfits for this shoot and I think they were absolutely beautiful for her look and really made the portraits shine. She chose a green dress and a white sweater with orange skirt. The hat she brought was so cute and just added extra to the outfit for sure. Matison came to her shoot, makeup all done and looked ready to rock her session.

At the start of her session, we started up front at the Gardens with mostly greenery and a pop of other color. We did the ivy column, which is a fun spot. We also shot on the wooden bridge there as well. After that we went to the restroom (very handy for portrait sessions with outfit changes) for Matison to change outfits. We then went more to the back, where the roman columns are and the skinny Cypress trees are. We grabbed a few by a pond and then finished up with some color at some flower beds in the back.

Mercer Botanic Gardens asks for no extra equipment like lighting, so we worked with the natural sun that we had. A late afternoon start helped us a ton. I also brought a reflector/skim as well. We wanted a confetti shot, but they ask for no confetti on the grounds either. That’s no problem as I simply photoshopped in some Confetti. I’m definitely going back to shoot at Mercer as much as possible. It’s a green location, for both the girls and the guys!

Kaitlyn Senior Portrait Session

Kaitlyn looked fabulous for her senior portraits this year. The location she chose was Mercer Botanical Gardens which was a beautiful choice this early spring, where there were lots of colorful blooms all throughout. Kaitlyn is a 2020 graduate of Atascocita High School in Texas. She is planning to pursue nursing and is slated to attend Texas Lutheran University next fall. The outfits she chose were very nice and stylish. I’m glad Kaitlyn chose Zam Photogrpahy for her senior session!

How to Personalize Your Senior Session

Your senior session is all about YOU! We want to make sure that we really show off your personality and make your photos unique to you. Now is the time to start planning your session so we can fully showcase you during your photo shoot. Think about your routine – where you like to go, what you like to do, etc. We want to get to know you through your photos. We’d love for you to take a list of your hobbies and extra-curricular activities and send them over to us so we can help you prepare your perfect session.

Below are some ideas of things you might want to incorporate in your session. These are just suggestions to get your brainstorming started:

• Sports

• Art/Theatre

• Music

• Favorite movie or book

• Your job or the career you’re planning on going into

• Your car

• Your school

• Your future college

• Your pet

• Your BFF

• And don’t forget about your favorite hang out – whether it be a coffee shop, park, football field, book store, etc. We can try to add this location to your session.

Alyssa incorporated basketball into her shoot because that was her biggest passion in high school.

Best friends Hailie and Sean had their senior shoots together on the same day so they could pose for a few pictures.

Hailie Senior Portrait Session

What a beautiful senior portrait session for this class of 2019 graduate from Hargrave High School. Hailie is one of my former students for the past three years. It’s been so cool to watch her grow these past few years. Hailie chose this beautiful location at Mercer Botanical Gardens near Humble, Texas. The garden is beautiful with lots of shade, color and different backgrounds. My personal favorite is the bamboo garden. I love that spot!