When you are grounded and rooted through life, it can be precious and simultaneously dizzying watching the cycle of life progress all around you. Growing up, I moved just about every year so I didn’t see those natural progressions in the lives that surrounded me. There was always a fresh new crop of people soon to be seen in the rear view mirror.
Click here to contact us re your own custom portraits.
But my 30+ year married life has been a chapter that allowed me to put down roots that have given me a true view into the cycle of life. One of my great delights has been to witness my niece, JDP senior Tessa, grow from a precious and warmly welcomed newborn to the incredible young woman she is today.
I’ve chronicled her life several times over the years, but there’s one piece from her childhood that always gets me. This painterly piece of childhood wonder and fascination had me thinking of Mary Cassatt, the American impressionist painter as I worked on it.
So how awesome that Tessa would be surrounded by the studio meadows again for portrait.
Tessa attends South Carroll High, same as her mom did years ago. She’s making quite the mark academically and athletically as well. This year Tessa as a senior, was surprised to see her cross country team full of freshman. However, that helped propel her into a leadership role that was a blessing for the team as well.
Click here to contact us re your own custom portraits.
Tessa’s family lives and breathes athletics. Blog followers may remember their most recent family portraits or her brother Camden’s senior portraits. Tessa played soccer and lacrosse for years, at times with her parents in coaching roles. She’s loved all her pursuits and credits wall ball for developing her upper body strength and muscles! Currently she’s fully vested as a competative distance runner year round.
This year I noticed we had 5 JDP seniors who I had also photographed as little girls. I invited those 5 to a bonus creating opportunity at the local Reese carnival. We created quite a stir and had an absolute blast! Watching the little girls look up at my JDP seniors with such awe and delight was precious!
Tessa’s family has three Doodles, but Hux is Tessa’s and she loves this sweet boy whole heartedly. He was a blast in studio and entertained us with all his antics! Mostly though, he just wanted lovings from his Tessa!
Click here to contact us re your own custom portraits.
Tessa loves her music and has gone old school with a gorgeous album collection. Top on her list is Taylor Swift. She’s been to see her in concert twice and the 2nd time was in London! She, her mom and sister all hopped a flight and had a whirlwind 2 days in London to catch the international leg of the Era’s Tour. Making memories that will last a lifetime!
I always say, portraits should be a launchpad for your stories to be told. I imagine Tessa, as a grandmother one day, regaling her grandchildren with a story about a whirlwind trip to London to see a musician who had captured her imagination.
Click here to contact us re your own custom portraits.
Tessa is serious about her fantasy world reading and her academics. She is in the biomedical tract at Career Tech. She’s unsure what this will look like in her future, but is considering lab/research work focus.
Tessa loves times with her friends and they will sometimes create photoshoots of each other. Or they are likely hanging at Starbucks before shopping and enjoying Cain’s chicken together!
Click here to contact us re your own custom portraits.
Tessa brings her competitive skills, well hones in her athletic family, to racing long distances. Aside from cross country, Tessa is a distance runner in track and field as well. The 800 and the 1600 relays are her jam! Regardless of the field she’s on, her small stature never registers in her mind as a factor. She’s quick and a force to be reckoned with!
Click here to contact us re your own custom portraits.
Tessa got Everemore vibes with this springtime fairytale feel set up we created for her! Tessa and I crafted story lines for most of her setups throughout her session! We’ve been doing that her whole life though…whether it was Barbies walking down home made runways wearing our custom created dresses or the Junie B. Jones books that cracked us up as I’d read them to her. There’s always story to our engagement, so how fitting that we continued to craft story throughout her portrait time!
Click here to contact us re your own custom portraits.
Tessa, what a delight it’s been to see you grow from the curious little girl who’d jump into my lap for another round of storytelling to the young woman who is equally as curious and ready to make her mark on this world! You are a blessing! No matter how old you get, you’ll still always be my Little Lou Who!
