Graduation

After four sweet years as a student at the University of Florida, I have finally graduated! Yahoo!

I knew I wanted to take my own portraits, as the sessions I've done in the past with friends have always been really fun and gratifying. With a little help from my mom, sister, and tripod, I set out in my new party dress to some of my favorite places on campus. The reality of a summer graduation in Florida set in, and after about an hour and a half of sweat and mosquito bites, a sudden downpour ended the session early.

Here are some of my favorites:

 

As it happens, I ended up being the first person in line--- for ALL of the Bachelor's degrees for the Summer 2012 commencement. There I am next to the woman in the orange and blue robe! I would consider UF lucky that the conferral of degrees started off so dashing.

This shot of my mortarboard was taken by my Dad. I was proud that I made it look so pretty! The flowers are from Martha Stewart's line of scrapbooking supplies in Michael's and the patch I brought back from Stockholm. Representin'.

Orange Keds!

 We also took a few shots at the stadium the evening before the ceremony, which was a good idea because the field was totally empty and the weather had cooled down by then.

 

 Thank you to my family for coming out to celebrate this accomplishment with me, for supporting me along the way, and for the month's worth of cake that I now have to grapple with. Go Gators!

Graduation - Danae

I like to take graduation pictures for my close friends, so today's shoot with Danae for her December graduation was no different. The sun finally came out after days of rain rain rain and empty white sky just to set again in a subtle golden glimmer, just enough light to tromp around in the forest and run up spirals into the pink-orange sky, laughing and wondering how four years could have passed us so quickly. I really enjoy doing this. Maybe one day someone will pay me for it, but for now I get so much satisfaction in spending time with people I care about, creating a visual, maybe tactile memory that they can look back on and share with their family. Plus, she paid me in beer, which is really a testament to how ingrained in college life I really am.

As much as I like taking classic portraits, the kind you can imagine seeing framed at your Grandma's house for the rest of your life, what I love even more are the more personal and goofy outtakes. I can feel the laughter behind the camera lens, the silly poses and gestures that are sometimes captured, not meant for anything other than to laugh at later, candid like our humor, our adventures. They are the ones I'll look back on as portraits of people I really grew to love.

contemplating why these yellow poles went to waste this season.

These last two are totally candid and personal. The right was taken in the football stadium, quiet and empty as the night drew near. The one on the left makes me swell with so much emotion. We were descending on a spiral from the sky during last minutes of sunset to an already-dark street after looking out over the treetops and rooftops of the city we've grown to call home (but clamor and scramble to get away from as soon as we can.)