Mike went to high school with Paul and now lives with his family in Washington state. They come back to Rhode Island every summer to visit Mike’s family, but this year’s trip would be a little extra special: He needed senior portraits for his son, Noah! High School graduation is a major milestone worthy of professional photographs anyways, but because they are needed for yearbooks, they are must-haves!
Noah’s parents’ main preference were photos that showed Noah’s personality in a creative way; Noah’s main preference was to have his photos taken near Narragansett Beach. Not a problem! We coordinated two dates based on their availability while they were in Rhode Island. We say TWO dates because we always schedule a rain date for outdoor photo shoots, and it’s a good thing we did, because the only day it rained this dry summer was the first date we scheduled - Thankfully the rain date worked perfectly!
Noah is a senior (go class of 2023!) at Eastside Catholic High School in Sammamish, Washington. Since he loves the beach, we made his request for beach photos happen. He is also active with football, track and field, shot put, and discus. Despite living on the west coast, he loves all the Boston teams and follows the PC friars as well. With all his athletic interests, we knew we would have to include at least some of these elements into his portraits. He is hoping to major in high school history education and attend university in Rhode Island; with his love of New England sports, he is going to fit right in here!
In the end, we captured some awesome photos of Noah along with some group shots of the whole family - it is a milestone for them, too, after all! His mom, Kathleen, kept saying "You really got Noah!" which is just the type of thing us photographers strive for and love to hear!
Thoughts from Noah’s parents…
Why was it important to have your family photographed by a professional photographer?
Family photos and High School Senior photos are important so that we can capture the family as it grows. They help us to find creative and fun ways to express ourselves and to have photos in a place we may not otherwise had photos taken.
What made you want to hire me for your family portrait session?
After Mike talked to Nicole and Paul it was clear that they could do pictures at the beach and be able to get the best pictures of our son who is not usually thrilled with doing photos.
What was your favorite part about working with us?
We loved worked working with Nicole and Paul. They made the session fun for our senior and included fun photos of the whole family. It had been a long time since we had a professional couple or professional family shoot. Nicole was flexible and so willing to get Noah to look his best and not hate having his photo taken. Nicole captured some really incredible photos of Noah. She got several of his true, genuine smile – not his I am smiling to get this done as fast as he could!
Did I help solve any unexpected problems that may have come up during planning your session?
The original day that we were supposed to take the photos it rained most of the afternoon. It made me appreciate that Nicole wanted a couple of days that would work for us in case of inclement weather. I never expected to have to use our second day but so glad that Nicole thought ahead in case of that situation. During the day it rained she checked in often so that we knew what was going on.
Was there anything that you learned about me and how I shoot that you didn't know ahead of time?
We learned that you think quickly on your feet! You came up with some really good photos with impromptu ideas and was really good with my somewhat reluctant senior in high school. You took enough photos to make mom and dad happy but not so many that Noah was complaining and bored. You were so easy to work with and took the right amount of time to come up with some really good photos to choose from. So easy to work with; I am so glad we went with you and would easily have you do more photo opportunities in the future.
What tips could you offer another family about the importance of hiring a professional photographer vs a friend with a camera?
You have been so helpful deciding what photos we should cut down. She explained which ones she liked and why; Her guidance on the details of the pictures has been invaluable.