Rachel is currently a senior in high school and will be graduating in just a little over a month. Her senior session took place at a beautiful venue located in Young Harris, Georgia, just under five minutes from Young Harris College. Rachel was determined to have a location that included a barn, mountain scene, and rustic vibe.
When speaking to Rachel's mom, Kim, I shared The Barn at Young Harris, as I knew it would be able to check off each item on Rachel's list. Right around a two hour drive north from their home, Rachel and her mom turned it into an overnight opportunity to visit family that lived nearby.
The Barn at Young Harris is a beautiful wedding and event venue that is well known in the North Georgia area for its panoramic mountain views, rolling pastures, flowing creek, and gorgeous barn pair with covered pavilion. This location truly has it all and the owners are some of the sweetest you'd ever meet.
Rachel's session was 90 minutes and with an outfit change, I felt confident we would occupy every bit of that time with all the captivating locations on the property.
We first started her session in the small field and garden area just off of the pavilion. This was the perfect spot with lighting. Rachel indicated in her questionnaire that she wanted florals, so I picked up this floral arrangement that had the perfect balance of simplicity and eloquence. There was the slightest breeze that graced her hair just the right way for her photos through the warmth of the sun.
Throughout Rachel's session, she needed very little prompting for posing suggestions. She has a beautiful smile that is full of charm and a lively personality that is contagious. When you're around this sweet girl, you're bound to have the best day!
On the outer parameter of the pavilion, there was a vintage faux window. Rachel was quick to "go with the flow" while we tested out several poses until we captured the perfect one with the window.
One of the many reasons I use a questionnaire with my clients is to gain a better understanding of their vision for out photography session. This includes outfit changes, multiple locations, and special props to be included. I offer several different props for senior sessions and Rachel showed interest in a graduate cake.
Rachel shared some design ideas of what she was interested in and after presenting her with a few examples, she decided on this beautiful floral design.
I knew this design was one that my talented local baker Jojo's Cookie Boutique could do perfectly, and that it was indeed.
Rachel takes pride in caring for her skin and hair, so it was no surprise that following graduation, she plans to attend Athens Technical College to pursue a career as an esthetician.
Photographing Rachel was such a joy. Her adventurous personality led us all over the property, capturing the most beautiful photos that complimented her vivacious personality. There's a gorgeous tree on the property that is uniquely formed. We used this to our advantage and experimented with a few poses.
On the back side of the property is a flowing creek that has a quaint little porch with a sitting area. What began as my intention to get some shots on the porch quickly changed when Rachel and I both looked at each other and said "Let's get in the creek!" So, of course off the boots and socks went. I rolled up my jeans and Rachel held the end of her dress, and into the creek we went. We treaded right into the middle of it.
The day was absolutely gorgeous, offering the best lighting for each location we photographed at; so much so, that you'd be fooled to think of how warm the water was. Quite the contrary...it was freezing. Thankfully, we were able to capture some beautiful shots in just a couple of short minutes.
After this, Rachel changed into her second outfit for the session: A beautiful corset top, paired with jeans and her embroidered boots. The venue offers on site bridal suites for the bridal party, so we were able to utilize one these for Rachel's privacy while changing. We revisited a few of our favorite spots from photographing in her dress, but changing it up some as we went.
The red barn that we photographed against is actually the indoor location for formal events and weddings at this venue. It's embellished with rustic accents outside, such as these beautiful wagon wheels, whiskey barrel and churns repurposed to hold floral arrangements, and comfy rocking chairs.
The final location for the last few photos was towards the front of the property. We traveled up to the black fence where a beautiful mama and calf pair of Highland cows are pastured.
Rachel wanted a few more photos with her hat, but the sun just wasn't favoring the poses we were wanting. Nevertheless, we improvised and was able to use her hat to our advantage while blocking the direct sunlight from over-exposing Rachel's fair skin. We also used these to add some variation in editing styles to enhance that rustic vibe Rachel was seeking.
This is the perfect time for senior sessions to ensure sending out announcements to loved ones prior to graduation.
When you're looking for unique locations that offer panoramic views and beautifully painted mountain backdrops, be sure to book with Laurel & Pine Photography for your photography needs.
