Softball Slugger {Virginia Sports Photography}
Today I get to watch this young lady sign to play Division 1 college softball at Longwood University! I’ve known Alexis since we moved here in 2005 and my son was on her T-ball team. The girl was a superstar even in kindergarten.
I was honored to take her senior photos this year, and not just because she plays my old sport–man do I miss it even still–but because I’ve been lucky enough to take her older sister Bailey’s senior photos in 2015, her cousin Meghan’s senior photos last year (which I clearly haven’t shared yet…grrr) and her other cousin Laura’s senior photos this year, too (will be sharing recent shoots shortly) and let me tell you this is a family of really strong, wonderful, talented and beautiful young ladies!!
I am so proud of Alexis for all her hard work and determination. She’s not terribly tall and had been told before that she wasn’t going to be “enough” for D1 softball–tall enough, strong enough, etc–she told me. However, she would not accept that and she has worked her butt off since to become that amazing athlete she is. She holds the VHSL record for number of home runs hit in one game–with 3–and she had more than 30 home run balls with her the night of our softball shoot a couple months ago, and has hit even more since–she’s strong enough for sure!!
I know we have some more softball ones to create, Alexis, but I just needed to share these and say CONGRATULATIONS on today. YOU EARNED IT!! ❤
Woodland Witches {Halloween photoshoot}
Once upon a time, in a faraway land (OK Greene County Community Park but humor me) there lived four witches who celebrated Autumn each year together…
I love being creative. I write stories in my head all the time, not to mention writing for a newspaper. And while I always forget the fact, photography for me is creative. A photography session is not just looking through a shutter and clicking a button for me. I always have a plan, one that I’ve worked out with them, to help tell their stories. I love talking with the young people I photograph–learning their hopes and dreams and I honestly love that!
One of the big reasons I have senior models is so that I can be even more creative. Your typical senior photos that hang on the parents’ walls are the slightly touched up, big smile, extra beautiful photos. And believe me that’s awesome! The senior photo I have of my daughter on the wall isn’t small and I love it. I’m making the one for my son as he’s Class of 2018 as well. But the fun shoots, the memories we can build getting creative, I live for that! And this year that’s what I’m really digging into–that creativity. And the shoots help me stretch my technical abilities, and are not extra for the seniors to participate in. No one must participate, of course, but when they do we have a fabulous time! Sign up for 2019 or 2020 any time on my website.
It started with the masquerade ball in the spring, and peacock, also in the spring then to Steampunk in the hot summer and then moved to the four elements fairy photoshoot in North Carolina (posting soon). Now here’s a photoshoot that celebrates autumn/Halloween in a creative, unusual way. I KNOW those that drove by to soccer games/practices that day wondered why there was so much colored smoke in the trees and along the route into the park 🙂
I made the flowered crowns and gathered most of the items for the outfits, and added bits of details for their makeup with shiny beads and glitter. Lizzie looked absolutely AMAZING! And hers was one of the smokebombs that definitely didn’t have issue lighting!
Alexis’ hair was already blue and for that I’m so excited! We didn’t take any of her other senior photos with her blue hair, and that’s OK, but I definitely wanted some and this was a perfect theme!
Clarissa was such a trooper with the long blue eyelashes. This is definitely NOT the way she usually wears her makeup or dresses but I bless her that she was up for the challenge! Sometimes doing these themed, styled photoshoots means the seniors give up a bit of control in clothing, locations, props and looks (though I’d NEVER force anyone to do something they felt uncomfortable doing!) and that can help bring them out of their shells a bit more, too.
I really have NO IDEA how I’ll survive without Sarah next year. I mean I’m thrilled for her and her future, but I am going to miss her! I’ve had her in front of my camera so many times, not to mention assisting a bit on a firefighter calendar photoshoot that was TOO MUCH FUN! We learned a special fact about smokebombs that become duds…sparklers can light them! When I saw that sunflower I HAD to get it and I immediately thought of Sarah!
When the red smokebomb haze didn’t actually disappear with no wind, Clarissa and Alexis jumped up a hill for a bit with the red smoke behind them. Love it!
Hope everyone has enjoyed our (HOT) autumn because I think it’s about to get really cold really fast! We’re probably due for a few big snow storms this winter…maybe even an ice storm (or maybe that’s just the next themed shoot!).
Choose Adventure {Terry Beigie Photography Steampunk Photoshoot}
“Steampunk is an eclectic world of cogs and rivets. It is airships, goggles and steam. It is romance. It is traveling on clouds and diving beneath rugged waves. It is adventure.” Aether Emporium
I have been enjoying my Class of 2018 seniors to NO END! I love all my clients, of course, but for different reasons. This year’s class is one of imagination, adventure and a willingness to GO FOR IT! Life is about taking those chances. I realize I’m just an old lady telling you guys that, but I have the benefit of a time machine–I can look back through my memories and see where I have regrets. All of my regrets (at least most) have to do with a lack of self-confidence and unwillingness to branch out and try something, go for it, become a BOSS. I may have opened my own photography business, finally, but not until I was almost 40 years old.
I have wanted to do a Steampunk photoshoot since Treasure Planet came out (I loved that movie way more than my even my kids did!)
A HUGE thank you to the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke, and its awesome steam engines, for allowing us to do this photoshoot over the summer. I am pretty sure it was THE hottest day in all the world but Clara and Devin were such total troopers!! So many younger kids kept staring at them and loved their costumes. And we loved that!! Plus we had a lovely lunch with Devin’s grandparents, Diann & Pat, who live in Roanoke. Costumes: most of the items were made by me, or at least embellished by me. I made Devin’s cane and gun, and his dad, Derek, supplied the boots and one of his necklace embellishments. Clara’s mom, Jenni, had the first necklace she allowed us to use.
Believe in yourselves and take the adventure!
If you’re interested in helping me bring these creative photoshoots to live, sign up to be a Class of 2019 model or a junior model by emailing me at terrybeigie@gmail.com.
Masked {Central Virginia Concept Photographer}
I love to do group photoshoots with my Terry Beigie Photography senior models and this year we did a masquerade party. And it was FREEZING outside 🙂 But the girls were awesome and we had a blast. Plus I had some of the best hair and makeup artists ever helping me.
I love the idea of a masquerade party and not sure why we don’t do them as a society any more. Isn’t it fun to be hidden and observe? Or is that just the journalist in me? I had hoped to this shoot for 2 years but … life. Thank you to my Class of 2017 and Class of 2018 models who were able to participate!! These young women are some of the strongest, smartest, talented, most wonderful young people I know. I am always so humbled and honored when people ask me to do their senior portraits. Nothing means more to me than creating amazing images that they can look back on years and year from now and realize they had an absolute blast their last year of high school!!! As you can see I could not convince my boy to pose for any real masquerade ball photos but he did with his girlfriend Clara and one of his longtime friends Sarah–friends since dawn of time I think.
Huge shoutout to Gabrielle Nigmond of Countryside Enterprises, LLC. in Ruckersville for allowing the use of the indoor space because it was COLD that day and I had not yet moved into my own studio. Also thanks for being an awesome storage space on Route 33 there for all my “junk” (i.e. props, et. al.)! Love it!!
Makeup artist: Kenzie Durrer
Hair: Akela Instagram: @thatcreativeone_
Hope {Concept Photography Central Virginia}
Andrea {Themed Photo Session Photography}
Back to Andrea having no luck! The date we picked for this portion of her session ended up raining all morning. We weren’t sure it would pass but thank goodness it did! We kept the session and it was gorgeous! She had this red flapper dress she really wanted to wear and that’s her 1950s Kodak camera in the photos with the red and white dress! It’s her dad’s car from the 1970s that allowed me to finally utilize the awesome authentic late 1960s prom dress(Thank you Karen!) and I swear Andrea looked like a princess in it.
Andrea is a photographer in her own right, as well, and wanted to showcase it a little. That’s my Baby Brownie Kodak camera from the 1930s and the Kodak Brownie that is blue from the 1920s for the Gatsbyesque purple dress.
This was an amazing session. Thank you so much Andrea! And good luck at Christopher Newport next year! ❤
Andrea Class of 2017 {Albemarle Senior Photographer}
Andrea is an artistic and beautiful young woman! But we had terrible luck getting her session done. She wanted flowers, specifically sunflowers, so we worked hard to find some still in bloom. The weather was overcast, but for a photographer that’s not a bad thing, so we traveled to Chiles in Crozet because we noticed they still had some in bloom. As soon as we started the session it started to mist. Turns out there were only a few still blooming there, but there were other gorgeous wildflowers happening there so it wasn’t a total loss. We went with it for as much as we could until you could see droplets of rain on her clothing and it stopped making sense to take photos through it. But I will say we were hitting the shutter and moving locations and poses like mad women 🙂
Since we were only there for about a half hour we finished up her session a few weeks later in another location and we were rewarded with an incredible sunset! We were able to schedule another session for later that month to finish out everything, coming in another post! Thank you so much for your patience and willingness to just go with it, Andrea. I loved your sessions! ❤
Karin {Albemarle High Senior Photography}
Karin is a photographer in her own right. She takes amazing portraits and creative sessions and is heading to college to pursue her dream in an artistic field and I could NOT love that more than I do. I wish I went a creative way in college; journalism isn’t as creative as I like to be so I’m glad I found photography even if it was later in life.
Karin chose to do her session in one of the most beautiful places in our area in Madison. She had accompanied me as a second photographer and assistant during the mermaid shoot and thought it would work for her session, too. When we went back the water was terribly low in the Robinson River but we were able to get some great ones in the water.
Karin is a joy to be with. She knows how to pose because she’s a photographer and she’s very easy in front of a camera (unlike me). I love spending time with her and I just know her art is going make an impact on our world one day. ❤
Taylor Cheerleading Session {Sports Senior Photographer}
We had so much fun with Taylor’s Cheerleading photos. She was on the football sideline cheer team and the competition cheer team this year — and all throughout high school she did basketball cheer as well. It’s a lot of work but she did it with all smiles.
We waited until football practice was over even though they don’t practice on the main football field just because I was afraid they might freak with the green smoke bombs! Yet, no one, not even the people running the track from the community, asked us what that cloud of green smoke that traveled the air across the field and over by the schools was. I couldn’t help but laugh at that.
We were supposed to take a winter session but our winter in Virginia has been such a jerk with almost no snow at all. I thought we were getting some in March but we barely got a dusting. Not worthy of photo session. Such a bummer. But we did get an amazing fall session that will be posted a bit later, and of course, her summer session. Taylor has been an amazing model this year, and posting soon I’ll add the parachute dress shoot I did with my Class of 2017 models. So much fun, and even though it was cold they were such troopers!
Thank you Taylor for letting me spend this amazing time with you and getting to know you and your mom better. I adore you both, honestly I do. ❤
Anthony Terry {Va Urban Senior Portraits}
How can anyone not enjoy hanging out with Anthony Terry? I mean he’s funny, sweet and an absolute joy to photograph! Plus, everyone just calls him Terry so that’s funny when other people are around 🙂
We took a couple really special photographs with the picture of his father, who has passed away. I got his mom to agree to be in one photo with him so I count that as a win for me. I’m not sharing either of those because those are personal to their family. I’ll let them share if they decide to do it!
The day we were going to take his outdoor photos it was close to 105 degrees so we opted for the basketball indoor photos instead. Terry had an amazing basketball season reaching 1,000 points and being asked to play in an all-star game. I may have been on my deathbed but I was totally cheering for him and Kam’Ron from Greene County!
I really adore Terry & his mother, Denise, and can’t wait to hear where his future takes him. He’s going to do great things, I just know it! Thank you for letting share this special time with you guys! ❤
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