I graduated from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff in 2017, and it brings me great joy to be able to continue taking senior portraits for others upon their graduation. Old main holds a special place in all of our Lumberjack hearts. Many fell in love with NAU at these steps of old main—others have met their person here, got engaged, and heck—I got to capture someone’s wedding ceremony right in this spot. Old main holds such a magical feeling. Time + time again, it is the spot to commemorate all of those years of hard work and take graduation photos. This particular session, I got to capture my dear friend Carlee; graduating with her Masters degree. A proud, proud friend I am!

So as I go on and on about Old Main, your senior portrait locations do not have to stop there. They can be anywhere that is special to you or just a dang good backdrop. Like the Mt. Humphrey and the San Fransisco Peaks in Flagstaff. But let’s keep looking at Carlee’s awesome photos for now.

Senior portraits were actually a big part of me getting into photography. I picked up my first professional DSLR camera in high school, started capturing all of our school activities, and eventually friends started asking me to take their high school senior portraits. I love capturing people and being able to capture who they are in settings that make them show off their personality. It’s a big reason why I got into photojournalism studies in college and why I ended up doing portrait photography today!

Here’s a photo of me back in 2017 right after graduation. I asked my family to come with me to look at Old Main and of course, take a photo. I handed my dad my Canon camera at the time and asked him to snap a few. Forever a NAU Alum.

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For your photo session, let’s live a little.

This skateboarding couples photo session in Flagstaff is a perfect example of my process. When I talk to my clients about their photo session, I love to ask about, brainstorm, and talk through a vision—a photo session concept. Let’s get one thing straight…yes we are taking professional photos and your standard stand-there-and-smile-at-me photos that we can hang on grandma’s fridge will happen. Although,

Earth Below Photo is all about telling YOUR story and creating a feeling.

Lifestyle photography is my expertise and provides timelessness and excitement about your photo gallery for years to come. The photo session itself isn’t a “photoshoot” it was the day you and your partner hiked a mountain together…baked your favorite dessert together…explored the desert…chased some waterfalls…or like you’ll see here in this post…went skateboarding together.

Whether you decide to go on an epic adventure, take a walk downtown, or get cozy at home it’s all about the both of you. It’s about hearing less of “how should we pose?” and more of “wait! I forgot this was all for the photos.” Granted, getting your photos taken will never feel like normal life or authentic, but the goal is to create a comfortable and unforgettable experience.

Coming up with a photo session concept also means that when it comes to your session day, you and your partner are in that headspace already. It becomes exciting and we are all creating together!

I’m a Pinterest lover, but I am starting to steer clear of creating mood boards for photo sessions. I think sending over that photo that inspires your next session is super important, but let’s not limit ourselves or set ourselves up with these expectations. That can only lead to disappointment for both you and I, because we truly will never be able to do the exact same. Plus copying someone isn’t cool. The bottom line is: Let’s create our OWN expectations and tell YOUR story…not someone else’s. Now that’s cool beans.

So what’s the moral of the story? Let’s do something fun and create together for your photo session!

I look forward to our next session together.

-Amanda