Between Florida, West Virginia and Ohio, I've had a great time shooting with and getting to know this class of 2026. Pretty sure Mason and I both just about froze to death on his first session at Tanks Stadium... Cash thought we were gonna catch a trespassing call... Holland came down to St. Cloud and we knocked out an amazing first shoot and never went more than 5 minutes from my house (that was awesome)... Rylan brought his A-Game on every session with all of his sports / casual looks... Gracie was determined to get us in trouble with the parking garage security more than once and we got some crazy good beach shots over in St Augustine... the Shashy brothers showed me just how serious they were with their hunting... I got multiple shoots in with Elise and somehow we avoided tick bites on her most recent one out on the farm... Caden showed off his soccer skills in the studio... and Ashton was able to fit me in to his busy schedule and did a quick mini-shoot on his lunch break from work! And hopefully I'll get one more shoot with him before it's all said and done — even if it's after graduation... I got a chance to work with Kyndall for the first time outside of volleyball and got some gorgeous photos of her... and I even got a couple of bonus seniors — Michael and Leyton (catch him on YouTube).

All that and I still have a few shoots left to do to wrap up the Class of '26 — and then it's on to 2027. Who wants to make some fun memories and get some great senior pictures along the way? I'm looking for seniors in the Ocala and St. Cloud areas of Florida as well as my usual stomping grounds up in West Virginia and Ohio. If you want in on the fun, click below to fill out the senior "vibe check" form so we can get things started!

"We blinked and now we're here somehow..." — I've heard that sentiment year after year from senior parents over the last 15+ years. One minute you think you have all the time in the world, but the next thing you know, it's time for football two-a-day practices, band camp, volleyball tryouts, etc — signaling the beginning of the last chapter of high school for senior athletes.

Senior sessions are such a great way to capture your senior’s athleticism throughout their last ride. Team picture day allows for a couple of minutes (at most) of camera time while trying to accomodate the whole squad— but senior shoots are dedicated solely to your athlete. Whether we’re talking about a multi-sport athlete (like Rylan here) or a single-sport specialist, we can take the time to capture the details that matter most. And we’re not just getting in-uniform shots, we’re also getting those casual, every day looks, maybe something dressed up and even those cap-and-gown shots to really ‘cap’ it off.

If you’ve ever worked with me through your athlete’s team or individual picture day, you’ve already experienced one side of what I do.

But here’s something I hear all the time from parents down in Florida:

“I didn’t even realize you did senior pictures" and I guess that's on me — I thought I had been doing a better job at marketing here. In West Virginia, 90% of the work I do is senior portraits... in Florida, it's been the opposite — but I'm hoping we can change that. 

And a legitimate question I've been asked a time or two when it comes to senior athletes is “Can't we just do the pictures from team picture day.” 

But honestly — those two experiences couldn’t be any more different.

Team & Individual Picture Day: Built for Efficiency

Picture day is designed around one thing — getting every athlete photographed quickly and consistently. Coaches and administrators rarely want to spend any more time than absolutely necessary, so the thought of getting too creative goes right out the window pretty quickly. 

That means:

• A tight schedule

• Limited time per athlete (usually just a couple minutes)

• One or two setups

• A line of teammates waiting

The simple goal with these is to get clean, consistent images of every player on the team. And it serves its purpose well. You get photos of your athlete in uniform, representing their team, in that specific season. Even how I do it — spending up to a minute or two with each athlete — is almost unheard of in volume sports photography. In most cases, athletes are lucky to get more than 3 pose options. I move quickly and try to get  6-10 pose options (or whatever we can get within a couple of minutes) before moving on to the next person. 

By the time it’s your turn, you’re either just ready to get outta there and go get something to eat or hoping to just get a couple good ones—and then it’s over before you’ve really had time to think about it. 

Senior sessions are meant to feel completely different from picture day.

There’s no line waiting behind you. No rush. No pressure to get it right in the first few minutes. Instead, the whole thing slows down a bit and starts to feel a lot more relaxed.

It’s just us, working through it at a pace that actually makes sense.

We take our time moving through different setups, locations, and looks—not in a forced way, but in a way that lets your athlete ease into it. Whether we’re mixing sports, casual outfits, or just keeping it simple, the goal is to let things unfold naturally instead of trying to check boxes as fast as possible.

Because the truth is, most seniors don’t walk in feeling totally comfortable in front of a camera.

It usually starts a little awkward. It's not uncommon for a senior to start the session not really knowing what to do with their hands, their smile, or even where to look.

But then we get about halfway through that first outfit and we start to see a change. They start to trust the process (especially after they've seen a couple sneak peeks on the back of the camera). They loosen up, they start to feel more like themselves, and you can actually see that confidence start to come through. That’s the part parents always talk about later — and it’s something you just don’t get when everything has to happen in a couple of minutes.

It also gives us room to try things. To change things up. To lean into what actually fits your athlete instead of forcing them into one look or one idea. Some moments end up more serious, some more relaxed, some just feel real—and that mix is what makes it all come together.

We’re not trying to rush through a handful of photos and call it a day.

We’re just taking the time to capture who they are right now—before everything changes a little.

Picture day serves a very specific purpose. It captures a moment in time — your athlete in their uniform, representing their team during that season. It’s quick, efficient, and designed to make sure every player is photographed consistently. What you walk away with is a clean, simple record of that experience… a team memory that marks that chapter.

Senior sessions are something entirely different.

Instead of capturing a single moment, they’re designed to tell a full story. Not just what your athlete looks like in uniform, but who they are right now — across different environments, different moods, and different sides of their personality. The result isn’t just a photo… it’s a collection of images that actually feel like your athlete, not just their sport.

This is where it starts to really hit you. 

Not just in the technical quality of the images, but in how they feel.

With time on our side, confidence builds naturally throughout the session. Expressions become more relaxed, less forced. What starts out a little unsure often turns into something much more authentic. By the end, they’re not thinking about the camera anymore.

That kind of transformation rarely happens in just a couple of minutes.

This is one of the biggest concerns I hear... and it’s a fair one.

It's true, many athletes aren’t naturally comfortable in front of a camera — some were born to be in front of an audience.

And that’s exactly why my senior sessions are structured the way they are. We're not rushing and definitely don’t expect it to click instantly. We build into it and by the time we’re halfway through, it can be a completely different experience than when we started.

That transformation is a big part of what makes these sessions special — and pretty much the opposite of team picture day. The worst outcome you should have to worry about is hearing "Well that wasn't as bad as I thought"... but more often than not, you'll get something more like "that was actually fun". 

Many seniors choose to go beyond a single session. And we can accomplish a lot with one — or even multiple sessions — around different sports, seasons, looks and environments. That means your home turf (literally). 

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach. It’s designed around what matters most to your athlete.

The honest answer is — most families don’t realize they want both — until picture day is already over..

Team and individual picture day serves an important purpose. It captures your athlete as part of something bigger — the team, the season, the shared experience. It’s about documenting that moment in time, in uniform, alongside teammates they’ve practiced and competed with. Those images become part of the story of that season.

Senior sessions, on the other hand, are about something much more personal.

They’re designed to capture the individual — who your athlete is outside of the lineup, outside of the schedule, and outside of a single moment. It’s an opportunity to slow things down and create something that reflects their personality, their confidence, and the different sides of who they are at this stage of life.

When you look back years from now, both of these serve a purpose.. but they tell very different parts of the story.

Picture day captures the team. Senior sessions capture the person.

And together, they create a much more complete picture of what this time in your athlete’s life actually looked and felt like.

I highly recommend... 10/10. If you’ve ever looked at picture day photos and wished there was more… this is that ‘more.’

I open a limited number of senior sessions each season so I can give each athlete the time and attention they deserve.

If you’d like more details or want to see what a session could look like for your athlete, reach out and I’ll walk you through it. And if you know RIGHT NOW that you want to get on the books for the Class of 2027, click the link below and fill out the senior "vibe check" form. 

I can't wait to work with you!

– Howie

It seems like I've been shooting Kylie's pictures forever. I guess it probably has been 10 years since the first time I had a session with her and her younger sister, Hailey. Just like with a lot of seniors coming up for the class of 2020, I was floored when I actually realized she was a senior this year (I think that calls for a split screen later on in the year). But for now, let's take a look at the first images from her summer studio session. Most were actually taken outside the studio, but still.. 

A few times a year, I get the opportunity to work with a senior away from central West Virginia, where we call home. Sometimes it requires special arrangements to coordinate the shoot, and sometimes it lines up with a vacation or a work trip I'm on. When Zoe came in for her consultation, we were discussing the details of destination shoots and we learned that we'd both be vacationing in Florida during the same time in July. Even though they were still a couple of hours away from where I would be, it was too good of an opportunity to pass up. I drove down to meet up with her and her family in Siesta Key. Along the way, I picked up my friend Octavious — he's a Florida based photographer and was kind enough to bring along some of his own lighting equipment so I didn't need to pack all of mine. After battling heavy winds, rain and lightning the entire drive, we got to the beach at around 7:30 and were already in sunset mode. We were only able to knock out a couple of outfits, but wound up with some great images that will be an awesome addition to Zoe's senior portrait collection. Here's a little of what we were able to get.

Before heading to Florida, I told Justin to be sure to pack up his football uniform so we could go ahead and knock out some of his football shots one evening with some downtime. Thankfully it wasn't one of the hotter days we've had on this trip — I might have felt bad having Justin standing there in full gear, posing and jumping, etc. I had hoped for a little more daylight before we got in to that evening look, but the sun dropped behind the trees during dinner and by the time we got out in the back yard, it was already starting to get duskish (I think I just made up that word). Regardless, we got some good football pics to kick off his senior pictures. Going to get some more looks before this trip is up, so check back on the blog for those!