Zachary knew exactly how to stand, where to put his hands, how to lean, how to emote. Direction? He needed very little, it any, of it.

See, most senior guys have rarely spent much time in front of the camera. So when we do a shoot with them, we usually have to be very explicit about how we want them to pose. Put this hand there, bend your knee like this, give us this expression.

Not so with Zachary. Turns out he has done some modeling in the past, and knew exactly what to do. And he was willing to make suggestions about things that he wanted to do that were always spot on.

That makes things so much easier on us, especially during the shoot, but even more so once it’s over. With a model that can pose themselves the way our Senior Model from Powell High School can, it opens up a lot of possibilities about how we want the final image to look. If you notice in several of the shots below, we were able to make them look like some very familiar fashion ads that you may have seen. That’s all because Zachary was such a natural in front of the camera.

His shots show that. Hopefully, you will agree.

If you go to Powell High and would like to have a Senior Xperience like Zachary, see him for a special discount. Coming tomorrow: Kelly.

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But one night a couple of years ago changed all that.

LaDonna and I were taking the photos at our son’s school’s prom, and Darian was the guest of one of the students. She was strikingly beautiful in her dress and with her hair done. My perception of her obviously changed and I thought right then and there that she would make a great Senior Model for us one day.

Now flash forward to a couple of months ago, and we are sitting at a table with Darian and her mom, discussing just what her Senior Model Xperience was going to be like. I couldn’t help then thinking back to that night at the FCA prom and how it was all working out the way we had hoped.

And just as I had expected, Darian was a joy to work with on her shoot. She is obviously still just as beautiful as ever, but her wonderful personality makes that beauty stand out even more. That smile on her face — totally genuine. She was game for anything we wanted to try and even had a few suggestions for poses and looks of her own.

Pretty sure that I nailed it on that night a few years ago when I speculated that Darian would make a great Senior Model. Hopefully, you’ll agree.

If you go to Gibbs High and would like to have a Senior Xperience like Darian, see her for a special discount. Coming tomorrow: Zachary.

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We were sitting there with the lovely Breana and her mom, Lisa, discussing our Senior Model program and the Senior Xperience, and I had to stop myself from staring. Breana reminded me so much of someone, but I could NOT think of who it was. It didn’t hit me until after the meeting was over and we left.

Cheryl Ladd.

OK, I know I’m dating myself here, but I was a huge Charlie’s Angels fan when I was a kid in the 70s. I had a notebook with Farah’s picture on it, and a t-shirt of the Angels. Watched the show every chance I got. I loved them all, but my favorite was Cheryl Ladd. There was just something about the way she looked that screamed All-American wholesomeness. But she could also had a sultry seriousness about her as well.

Breana is the same way.

Put her in her Anderson County cheerleader uniform and it’s all hot dogs, apple pie and good times on Fall Friday nights. But she can do New York Fashion Model, and do it fantastic. She knew just how to stand, just how to pose,  just what expression to have. Shooting her Senior Model Xperience was pretty much just hitting the shutter button and making sure we had the lights in the right place. About the only downside was that it started raining just a few minutes into her outdoor shoot and we had to call it quits. But we’ll rectify that soon.

So take a look at Cheryl, … er, Breana’s Senior Xperience. Enjoy.

If you go to Anderson County High and would like to have a Senior Xperience like Breana, see her for a special discount. Coming tomorrow: Darian.

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We all were. It may have been sunny outside the day that we did Rebecca’s Senior Model Xperience, but the temperature was only in the 50s and the wind was howling. Saying that there was a chill in the air was an understatement.

Rebecca, however, was suffering a lot more than the rest of us. At least her mom, LaDonna and I had on jackets and pants. Poor Rebecca had just brought summer tops and shorts for the outdoor portion of her shoot, not exactly the attire of choice on a cold spring day.

But our Senior Model from Karns High School was a real trooper and you would never know from the images how bad her teeth were chattering. We managed to get in about 45 minutes at one location in Grainger County and then slipped down the road to a friends’ house with a breathtaking view for a few more amazing shots before it became too much for Rebecca to stand anymore. Her studio shots, where the climate was much more tolerable were just as amazing.

And just so you know, we are already making plans to do a second short outdoor shoot with Rebecca, this time when she can wear those summer outfits and not risk exposure. Until then, there are these shots to enjoy.

If you go to KarnsHigh and would like to have a Senior Xperience like Rebecca, only warmer, see her for a special discount. Coming Monday: Breana.

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Girls like Morgan are so much fun to shoot.

As a photographer, you long for subjects that have the ability to show different sides of their personality in front of the camera. For some, this is incredibly difficult. They are either shy, or feel awkward and are just intimidated by the camera and the lights. For some, it’s a lot easier to be themselves in their images.

And then there are those like Morgan.

In almost every photo from her Senior Xperience, it seemed like our Senior Model from Alcoa High School showed us something a little different. We loved that she brought her prom dress to her shoot (a first for a Senior Model) and we got some really cute shots with it. Then she changed into her soccer uniform, and suddenly she looked like she was ready to put us into the wall. And on the Bailey Farm, she was equal parts romantic leading lady and playful kid.

She had a blast and so did we. Hopefully that comes out in her images. Enjoy.

If you go to Alcoa High and would like to have a Senior Xperience like Morgan, see her for a special discount. Coming Thursday: Rebecca.

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After all, it’s a great opportunity to get a professional photo shoot and possibly earn great photos and products cool gifts.

But Andrea … well, let’s just say her level of enthusiasm has been pretty high, right from the beginning.

From the first time we met with her, she has been all about being one of our Senior Models. She could hardly wait for the day of her shoot and she came to the studio rarin’ to go.

We think that really came through in her images. Andrea is one of those young ladies who can have multiple looks — one minute she is just as cute as she can be, and the next those dark eyes can just smoulder. Her serious looks are phenomenal, but she can also laugh and giggle and look beautiful doing it. She really wanted a city atmosphere for her outdoor pictures, so we toured around Market Square and Crutch Park, and slipped down to the railroad tracks and the Old City for a few as well.

A talented musician, she is member of the band at Halls High School and is also in the Key Club. It was important to her that her Senior Portraits capture who she really is.

Hopefully we succeeded.

If you go to Halls High and would like to have a Senior Xperience like Andrea, see her for a special discount. Coming tomorrow: Morgan.

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The shot below of the lovely Nichole in her ballet dress, leaping into the air with her arms raised, is one of the most popular images we have ever posted to Facebook. It seems to strike a chord with just about everyone who sees it.

It’s all due to the beauty and talent of Nichole, one of our Senior Models from Alcoa High School. A wonderful dancer with the Appalachian Ballet Company (like another of our Senior Models, Cayllah), Nichole really wanted part of her Studio P Senior Xperience to showcase that aspect of her life. We were all too happy to oblige and those shots were amazing.

But then all of her shots were. Although we generally like to do the studio and outdoor shots for our Senior Models in the same day, in Nichole’s case, we had a weeks’ delay because the day of her studio shoot it came a torrential downpour. It was worth it, though, because her images at the Bailey farm were just as incredible.

Nichole has just been a wonderful addition to our group of Senior Models this year. We think you will agree. If you go to Maryville High and would like to have a Senior Xperience like Callyah, see her for a special discount. Coming Monday: Andrea.

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But to ask a teenage boy to sacrifice Easter dinner with his family….well, that is asking A LOT! But that’s exactly what happened when we scheduled Tyler’s Senior Model Xperience for the night before Easter. The same night his mom’s family had their Easter dinner scheduled.

But Tyler took it all in stride and we had a great shoot in the studio with his football gear. We also went out back and shot some on the railroad tracks. We then headed to the Halls High School football field and his mom left for the family dinner. The day was perfect and, with all the recent rain, the football field was very lush and green. Tyler had brought his football and he played catch with our son, Grant, in between some shots. Grant got his running in for the day and had a great time too!

The sunset was spectacular as you can see in some of the shots below and we were able to get some fantastic shots on the bleachers. The same bleachers where the Red Devil faithful will be cheering on Tyler and the rest of the football team this fall.

Tyler is a great guy and we enjoyed the time we spent with him.

And, by the way, his family saved him some food so he did get to enjoy his Easter dinner after all!

If you are a current junior at Halls High School and would like a Senior Xperience like Tyler, see him for a special discount. Tomorrow’s Senior Model Xperience: Nichole.

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See, most of the time, our Senior Model from Lenoir City is behind the camera instead of in front of it.

Hailey is a member of the journalism staff at Lenoir City High and helps with the school paper and yearbooks. After high school, she plans to study art, possibly photography, so doing a Senior Model shoot was something that she was totally excited about doing.

And even though she may not have been used to being in front of the lens, she handled it like a pro. She has a natural flair for expression (love her raised eyebrow look) and she did a great job with posing and moving.

Her outdoor shoot on Market Square in Knoxville was a bit of an adventure. We did it on a Saturday, which is probably the busiest day of the week in that area of town, at around 6 at night, which is the busiest time. But because it was busy and we parked near the top of the garage, we got the idea to do a few shots from the roof that turned out amazing.

But then, really all of Hailey’s shots were pretty awesome. We think you’ll agree.

If you are a current junior at Lenoir City and would like a Senior Xperience like Hailey, see her for a special discount. Tomorrow’s Senior Model Xperience: Tyler.

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You almost have to pick it up and see which un-beautified stars look like themselves and which look … well, not like themselves, to put it mildly.

The first time we ever met Natalie, our Senior Model from Farragut, it was pretty easy to tell which category she would fit in. Even with very little makeup, she was stunning in every way possible.

Maybe it comes as much from her inner beauty as her outward appearance. A self-described “joyful person,” Natalie is a giver who loves to meet new people, and I has a passion for those in need. She is known for her enthusiasm, having been voted “Most School Spirit” at Farragut.

That’s easy to see from her Senior Xperience photos. It was hard to get her not to flash that beautiful smile during the shoot, and there wasn’t a single moment where we weren’t having a blast. From the studio to the Old City, it was a totally great time.

We believe that came through in her pictures. Enjoy.

If you go to Farragut and would like to have a Senior Xperience like Natalie, see her for a special discount. Tommorow’s Senior Model: Hailey.

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