Sporty & Classic Vibrant Fall Senior Photoshoot with luke
Newbo | Pinicon Ridge Park | Alburnett High School
What a fun photoshoot I had with Luke (and his mom/dad)! I don’t do a lot of senior photoshoots for guys any more, but I knew I’d most likely be doing Luke’s senior pictures for a few years now. It all started when I met his older brother Zeb and we had a WHIRLWIND of a time for his senior pictures (his blog here), and then I did his sister Hannah’s photos TWICE for a double senior session (her blog here) a few years later, and then it was Luke’s turn. When I first did Zeb’s photos, I remember Luke mentioning that he was excited for his senior pictures. I wondered if that was still going to be the case several years later (I doubted it), but he WAS!
I know he wasn’t looking forward to the long day that we had planned for him or some of the outfits his mom had picked out, but he was a trooper! We had the perfect, colorful fall day for him, and all worked out exactly as planned - although it COULD have been a low-key disaster as I was {this close} to running out of gas during our travels. But Luke and his mom didn’t know that… until just now! haha - oops!!
Let’s get started on the story of Luke’s senior photoshoot! Now, I usually write these within a month of the photoshoot so it’s fresh in my memory but my hands have been a bit preoccupied while taking care of my baby the last few months and I haven’t had the time to sit and type. So let’s see how well my memory serves me!
I met with Luke and his mom for their consultation and we planned out his session. He wanted to include wrestling and simple low-key outfits, she wanted our Schneider-kid-special with the “Friday Night Lights” football field after dark pictures. And I think everything turned out SO cool (but also low-key) ;)
We started the day meeting at Newbo Market. I knew we would have a lot of stops in the day, so I tried to build Luke’s schedule with as less driving time as possible, AND I didn’t want his photos to look like cookie-cutters of his siblings photos either. So we ventured around Newbo, hit up my favorite spots, but didn’t stay too long. Since it was overcast on his photoshoot day, we decided to mix up the schedule a bit and go right out to Pinicon Ridge Park. First stop: long grass. Luke’s mom has a big canvas of each kid’s senior pictures and we needed something with a similar aesthetic to match the other two!
We ventured up the hill to get to all the beautifully colored trees, and I love how simple and classic these turned out!
After an outfit change, we headed to the main attraction at this park - the bridge! I always LOVE how perfect this spot is in the fall. The rustic red bridge backed by the colorful trees is perfection!
Luke had noted he was interested in water pictures for a part of his session, but in our plan of the day, I wasn’t sure there would be any areas along our route that would work. Boy, was I wrong!! I scoped out this location a few days before Luke’s shoot and I LOVED it. It’s definitely going to be a must-shoot spot at least once this year, too! And even though I wasn’t sure how water pictures in the fall season would work aesthetically, I think they turned out gorgeous!
Next up: Alburnett High School. We started in the wrestling room. Tried some different poses, different lighting techniques and even used the atmosphere spray for some cool vibes. (Note: they didn’t end up picking any with the spray, but this stuff leaves some residue and is stinky. Be prepared for a quick cleanup!) Then it was on to the football field.
We were snapping away, waiting for the sun to set so we could the night-time photos with the stadium lights and we had a bit of a panic set in… we hadn’t seen anyone pull up that was supposed to turn on the lights! So Luke’s mom made some calls, but no success. His dad showed up with the work lights to light the scene - yes, we could have used my professional lighting at this point, but we wanted his photos to match his siblings and if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, as the saying goes. His dad and mom both tried to reach the person who would be turning them on for us. We remember being told that they take, like, 20 minutes to turn on. They searched for the light switches. Nothing! We start coming up with a backup plan for a second photoshoot, JUST to capture these images on a different day. And then, as the sun is officially set, exactly at the time we said we would need them on, the person in charge comes to turn them on. They turn on IMMEDIATELY. We had panicked for nothing and it all worked out, of course, like it always does!
So we took a ton of epic “Friday Night Light” photos and Luke (ok, all of us) were pretty tired and ready to wrap up the photoshoot. We said walked back to our vehicles, reminiscing on all of the crazy photoshoots we have had over the last few years, laughing about my much-needed stepladder upgrade and said our goodbyes. The last of the Schneider’s to graduate - it kind of feels like the end of an era to me. But look at all the adventures we’ve had together! (And I think it’s officially time to plan those updated family photos- haha!!)
Your calendar likely fills up as fast as mine does and it’s SO easy to forget to schedule photos! If you are graduating in 2025 (or a parent of an upcoming graduate) - reach out with any questions or to start planning!! Check out my Senior Gallery or contact me for more info!
