Meet Katerina, Class of 2020
What do you do when it is your own child graduates high school? Try not to cry.... at every photography session. Our family grows up so fast! My husband and I are thankful that we have our walls decorated with our favorite family pictures over the years as well as portraits from each duty station. @collstreetphotography @olveraphotography @sandypuc
Meet our daughter, Katerina! Many clients have seen her assisting me at sessions and she is often my proofreader before my blogs go live. Today, this blog is all about her and a sample of what a full senior session entails. Cap and Gown mini sessions are great, but a full senior session is the best for capturing your senior's true personality. Katerina has just graduated from Irmo High School in Columbia, SC. She was an international baccalaureate (IB) student and a team captain on Irmo's swim team (Go Yellowjackets!). Her favorite part of high school was the swim team, theater, chorus, her IB philosophy class, and hanging out with friends before school. Her favorite hobbies include reading, writing, Netflix, being in plays and musicals with her friends and asking mom for Starbucks. Her favorite restaurant is Chick-Fil-A and one of her favorite quotes is “Pain, joy, frustration, euphoria, everything. It all passes. It all keeps moving. Wherever you are is temporary.” -Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Irmo High was not always her home, she had to change high schools after her sophomore year when my husband received orders for Fort Jackson. She previously attended Judson Early College Academy in Universal City, TX (Go Raptors!). Being a military kid is not easy. Deployments, moves, saying hello and goodbye to friends every 3 years, and changing schools makes everyday life a little more challenging. It's not easy walking into a new high school, let alone one that is 5 times the size of your old school and where you don't know anyone, change swim teams, learn your way around a new town, and still keep up with school. Katerina has taken it all in stride. I know she misses Texas but she is grateful for the experiences she gained at Irmo. My husband and I are very proud of our girl and can't wait to see what the next chapter holds.
Katerina has chosen Clemson University as her next home where she will study graphic communications (Go Tigers!). I did not start out planning 5 different photography sessions, it just happened. COVID shutdowns, cap and gown delivery delays, and life, in general, spanned her senior photography experience over the course of this year. I encourage my seniors to have a few outfit changes, everything from fancy to casual so we can capture all of their moments. For those who play sports, I will travel to a game or incorporate their sport into our shoot. It is so important to recognize their accomplishments and the different parts of their personality. All too soon they will be out of the house but your portraits will last forever.