I did a bit of traveling in the Midwest last month… to Virginia for a wedding, to Michigan to visit family, and to Chicago for a conference. One stop was in Traverse City, at Michigan’s northeast tip, where my mother’s family has roots. While I was there, Steve & Kathi asked me to take senior portraits of their 17-year-old daughter, Melissa. As you know from my previous post, what started as a portrait session for Mel turned into a dual photo shoot on Empire beach. You’ve already seen Steve and Kathi’s anniversary photos, now here are the lovely Mel’s senior portraits!
Mel spent most of her childhood in lower Michigan, about an hour from where I grew up. Both of our famillies decided to relocate when we were Sophomores in high school. In my case, this was 1998, in Mel’s, 2008. For both of us, the move was to a better environment— but we still lost touch with our longtime friends. That’s a very difficult change, but Mel has stayed positive, which makes her shine from the inside out.
The last time I saw Mel, she was probably nine or ten years old. Since then, she’s grown into a beautiful lady, with style and sensibility. It’s funny how as time passes, the distance between years seems smaller— I couldn’t believe that Mel is still ten years my junior.
Here’s a few more of my favorite shots of Mel, basking on the beach. Be sure to check out the rest in the gallery below!
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But as fair warning to the world… if you’re mean to Liz, she may just put tacks in your bed to get back at you. (True story.)
