Lily's Downtown Springfield Senior Shoot

This senior shoot is all about Lily. A 2021 senior from Kickapoo High School. Lily, I am so glad we re-scheduled this shoot. The day before was gloomy. Cloudy. Rainy. Intermittent Thunderstorms. Not this day! It was beautiful. The sun was shining. Temperatures in the 50s. Only slightly chilly. We met in front of Hollywood Theatre in downtown Springfield. Lily and her family were waiting in the warm sun. Lily, I felt so bad that I put you guys right back in the shade lol Rounding the corner, into what I thought was going to be our fist spot…..Lily, I swear I waited there over ten minutes with hardly any traffic. The minute we tried to shoot, every car in the city started passing by. Silver lining, Lily got to see the car of her dreams. If memory serves me correctly, it was a light blue Camaro? If I’m wrong Lily, please correct me in the comments! But hey, if you do ever get that car I would totally be up for that photoshoot!

As we wandered down the street. We found the coolest wall. Right next to Nonna’s cafe. Fun fact about this section. I have been eying it for years, but it’s been walled off due to construction. Lily even mentioned that she had eyed it on their way in. Great minds think alike! When you’re downtown, all sorts of things can happen. Like, I might never forget that there was a recording playing that made me feel as though I was in a war museum. 😂 Turns out there was a small rally going on in the square. No worries though! 100% safe. 😉

On the way to this killer white brick wall, we might have passed by Norman's bridal. One thing I learned about Lily is she loves spending time with her friends. She even mentioned how this is something very important to her in life. Upon seeing the store, she mentioned how fun it would be just to go try on dresses with her friends. Lily, I think you were pulling on some heartstrings with your Dad. Sorry, Jeremy 😉 Lily, you didn't know this, but I had to be very careful around this comment because I LOVE WEDDING DRESSES!! EEk. If you said you wanted to go to that, I would have dropped everything I was doing to go look at wedding gowns. It’s kind of a problem lol

Remember how I said you never know what’s going to happen when you're downtown? Lily I want to include this, just so it’s forever remembered as part of your senior shoot. We saw a random dog on a balcony walking on top of the railing. I’ve seen cats do this, but I have truly never seen a dog do that in my life lol

At the square, hints of Christmas decor were popping up. My heart longed for the big Christmas tree that gets placed in the center. But I know it’s coming. I placed Rylee in the perfect spot with the sun shining directly behind her illuminating the outline of her hair….and a skateboarder plopped himself right behind her 😂 One thing about shooting in areas with people, flexibility is key. The good news is, we moved to an even better location!

Jordan Valley is Springfield’s downtown park. In the summertime, the park features a large water feature that families flock to in order to cool off. This time of year, the water feature was turned off and full of leaves. Which meant we had the park to ourselves!!! The second I took a shot, I was in LOVE with the lighting. Always save the best for last!! Here we got to do...wait for it… a CONFETTI Shoot!! Lily, I am thrilled that you share my passion and excitement for these pictures because they are SO FUN. If you haven’t seen the most previous senior shoot I did, click here. This will bring you to Rylee’s shoot, who happens to be Lily's sister! I did confetti with both of them and I am hooked!!! Jeremy, Lily’s dad, gets some props. He was fully prepared for this part of the day. He had watched me do the sequence in my previous weekend shoot with Rylee and knew the whole sequence and which I items I needed in the right order 🙌

Lily is planning to attend OTC after graduation. This is a smart plan Lily! I like it, if I were to do it again, I would make that same choice. When asked about any future careers or dreams, Lily mentioned that she wants to work with children. Physical Therapy has crossed her mind, but she’s not sure yet. Lily, from what I can tell you definitely have a passion for working with children and I can tell through your current job experiences that you truly enjoy it! Four years down the road, please give me an update because life can take us down a road that we never would expect.

Lily, thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to capture memories for your senior year! You were such a trooper because it was CHILLIER THAN I THOUGHT! I got in the car and realized it was 48 degrees. 😲I had no idea and you didn't even let it bother you. Also, thank you for the eyelash tips. I am definitely going to try out those magnetic ones you were talking about. 😉I know your senior year has been unlike what you imagined. Those two days a week in the grand scheme of things aren't so bad. ;) Whatever else this year brings you, cherish every moment and take LOTS of pictures. These are memories you will look back on for the rest of your life.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Lily, Class of 2021