FIRST LOOK: Michael's Senior Portraits

I got to spend part of Labor Day taking the first round of my brother Michael's senior portraits. We plan to do more in some different locations when the weather cools down a little and we have some more time. When I initially when through the 300+ photos I snapped, I pulled out a few favorites to quickly edit and share. I was mostly excited to get these photos out because it's the first real session I've done with my new camera!

I can so easily see the difference in the beauty and quality of these photos compared to the ones I took with my old camera. The operator is still the same, my eye hasn't changed, but the photo quality itself is a million times better! I feel like it backs up my training and practice as a photographer.

I bought my first camera as a broke college student, so at the time it was pretty great for what I could afford. I was taking a photography class and rather than share one of the school's few rentable cameras with classmates, I opted to buy my own. It paid off not only in doing my homework for the class, but getting the opportunity to start taking photographs for friends and family.

Over time, however, the quality of my camera began to decline as the quality of others improved. Camera companies were constantly adding more megapixels and camera features. Anyone and everyone was suddenly becoming a "photographer" simply because they had a nice camera. Don't get me wrong, I love that cameras are opening a door to helping the masses take great photos. But at the same time, there's no replacement for training and years of practice.

I'm so excited to explore the options and possibilities of photography with this new camera. I love when photographs can freeze a moment of our lives and convey emotion, personality and passion. It's something we can't quite replace as time rushes forward and life moves on. We now have this great ability to keep pieces of our past forever, in a beautiful and rich representation.

For this particular shoot, I really enjoyed getting to capture my brother in this stage of life. Senior year is like a deep breath before everything changes. It's the threshold of adulthood, a slice of time in which you're still a kid living at home, and yet you're preparing to move on to a new, totally different reality.

I love that everyone's story is different after high school ends. A lot of people move on to college, but each one is so different, different places with different people and different experiences. I can't wait to see what my brother's story will be, and I'm excited to be apart of this time of transition. I get to capture some special moments and cheer him on at the same time.

I know that Michael will go on to do some really great things. He's a special person with amazing gifts and talents. He's creative and funny, intelligent and musical. Things always seem to come easy to him, so I know he'll be able to succeed at whatever he wants to do.

Congrats on making it to senior year, Michael! Finish strong and don't forget to have some fun! I love you!