David K. —Heritage ‘24

I met David about a year ago as we were both in the same cornhole league. he’s a solid player and the two of us had some great battles, both individually and with our respective teams.

David, the first soon-to-be graduate from my alma mater, was also the first subject to use fishing as part of his portraits. and it’s worth noting I got absolutely drenched while location scouting at Haithco Park in Saginaw. I went out a couple days beforehand when I got home from work, and while I was at the opposite side of the pond the sky opened up and poured on me. thankfully I had the insight to bring a rain jacket with me, but it was still essentially just a Band-Aid.

it was such a pleasure to work with David and his family. they took me to a park I didn’t even know existed on the southern part of Saginaw and it turned into a solid spot to shoot. I’ll have to explore it on my own time; I’m sure I’ll make it back there as a location again soon! and his girlfriend Giana came along and even got in one some of the photos at the end!

David, although you’re not sure what you want to do yet after high school, I wish you the best of luck in whatever you choose. I appreciate getting the opportunity to work with you, and I look forward to seeing you around the cornhole circuit soon!

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Kennedy H.— Swan Valley ‘23

I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Kennedy since she was a young girl, so I was blown away to, first, know she’s finally a senior, and second, have her parents trust me to take her photographs.

Kennedy’s session was a special one for me, mainly because I had to hobble around while I recovered from an Achilles injury, but also because outside of family she’s the one client I’ve known the longest. I owe a ton of gratitude to her mother Lisa and sister Addy for helping me lug around my gear as I was still getting my footing underneath me — pun intended!

prior to this shoot it was more than a decade since I had seen Kennedy last (that’s what happens when I move away!), so it came as a surprise to learn about how she’d been since we last saw one another and to learn she will be joining the United States Air Force after she graduates high school.

best of luck in the Air Force, Kennedy. you’re destined to do great things!

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Kess M. — Jay County ‘22

despite spending almost nine years working in Jay County, Indiana, and taking pictures of hundreds of Patriot athletes, Kess McBride is the only Jay County High School senior I was fortunate enough to have for a senior session.

as a baseball/softball player for most of my life, the catching position holds a special place in my heart, and when Kess’s parents asked me to shoot his senior photos the idea for a composite shot of him batting while also catching at the same time immediately popped into my head. it wasn’t the easiest photograph to make, but it was still fun to see the final product.

not only did we have a great time shooting at Don E. Selvey Field and Harold E. Schutz Memorial Stadium at Jay County, his family’s property in rural Dunkirk, Indiana, was a beautiful second location.

Kess, it was a pleasure getting to work with you for this session, and it was amazing seeing you grow into the person you’ve become!

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Shayla G. — Ottoville ’22

Shayla, an Ottoville ’22 senior, is “the one who started it all.”

It was her shoot that made me want to pursue photography outside of what was required for work.

I am so thankful for her family for entrusting me with capturing her senior photos, two years after I photographed her brother Nolan. I had so much fun working with the entire family both around Grand Lake and in Ottoville.

while my experiment with smoke didn’t go as well as I hoped, Shayla was still a sport in supporting my idea,s especially with the composite edit; I didn’t tell her what I was going to do and she was gracious enough to roll with it and let me try. now that it’s complete, it is by far my favorite photograph.

enjoy your senior year, Shay. it goes by too fast!

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