Folsom High School Senior Portraits | Ryan Zang | Sly Park
Vista Del Lago Senior Pictures | Charlotte Daysh | Lake Tahoe
We found this gorgeous grove and beach in Lake Tahoe for Charlotte’s senior portraits over the summer. She has a passion for dance and Disney! I fully expect her to be a Disney princess someday. For now please enjoy her posing with the magical Tinkerbell!
MGP Model Team 2022 | Galentine’s French Picnic
French picnic was the inspo behind this Galentine’s themed shoot with Team ’22. I was feeling pretty rusty after being on maternity leave for the past 4 months but the girls were so patient with me and were very helpful with coming up with ideas. I always say my sessions are a collaborative experience. The more input I get from my model the better the photos turn out.
MGP Model Team | Lake Tahoe Snow Shoot
I love going to the snow for photoshoots! It is just a fun change of pace and you get the chance to try out new things. I have been dying to do a team shoot in the snow and we finally got to do it this year! With of course a fun Valentine’s Day theme. The girls loved getting to hold the balloons in the photos. I suspect because it made them feel young again. You can’t not feel good carrying big ole balloons around!
When you’re on the MGP Model team there are so many options for fun team shoots. Sometimes I come up with the ideas and sometimes the girls come up with them. Either way we always find a way to make it happen!
Oak Ridge High School Senior Pictures| Madi Ciampi | Melissa Goodland Photography
I love the vision Madi had for her session. She knew exactly what she wanted for her senior session which made the shoot that much more successful. A good direction and vision can really impact the way your portraits turn out. I know it can be overwhelming trying to plan out your shoot but that is why we have a planning consultation and a few phone consults leading up to the session.
We started Madi’s session on R street because she wanted the look of the tall downtown buildings, then headed to the succulent garden at the capitol, and ended things with the city scape and tower bridge in the background. I really got to use my creative juices when it came to Madi’s session. She was such a natural in front camera and was really good and flow posing!
Vista Del Lago Senior Portraits | Alex Ferron | Melissa Goodland Photography
The moment Alex sat down at our consultation I knew his session was going to be an absolute blast. He just exudes happiness and charisma. Then when he told me he collects shoes, I knew my vision of his session was complete. I asked him to bring his collection to the session and the rest is history! Just take a peak below.
Alex recently was nominated for Mister Vista and it couldn’t be more deserving. So proud of this fella. One of the nicest humans I have ever met. He was so jazzed during the entire shoot. If you know Alex you know his smile is contagious.
Vista Del Lago Senior Pictures | Rachel Ocampo | Melissa Goodland Photography
Meet Rachel, a senior at Vista Del Lago High school. What I loved about Rachel’s session is that she put a lot of thought into the locations she wanted. She holds a lot of sentimental value associated with Old Folsom. In fact if you scroll down you can see Rachel posing in front of Hacienda Del Rio Restaurant, the place her parents met. As well as in front of Sutter Street Grill, a place she used to go as a child often. Unfortunately the owners of Sutter Street Grill retired right before her session but the sign was still on the windows as you can see in the pictures below.
It makes such a difference in your session when you put thought into your locations and outfits. The pictures will hold so much more meaning later on when you look back at them. During your consultation we will go over all these important details.
Later we went down to the water and Rachel was so stunning in a blue flowy dress. I love photographing seniors with the rainbow bridge in the background.
Pleasant Grove High School Senior | Sydney Langford | Class of 2021
Meet Sydney, a senior at Pleasant Grove High School and a model with the MGP 2021 team. Sydney has added so much to our team this year. I Met her during her boyfriend’s ordering appointment last year and knew right away I wanted her on the team. She has such a calm demeanor and is game for anything, like sitting in the middle of the road for this oh, so sweet shot! She just lets out a little giggle and then says “OK!”
Syd really wanted her senior pictures taken next to a barn and because this girl loves going on drives, her and her mom went looking all over for barns, where we wouldn’t be trespassing. Thankfully, we found this barn on the side of the road which was perfect. Then we headed back to Folsom and down to Lake Natoma to get some gorgeous photos by and in the water. When you have two bodies of water in your town it is always a fan favorite to have some portraits taken by the water.
Kind, sweet Sydney has a lot planned for her future. She wants to be a cosmetologist and medical assistant, perhaps going to Paul Mitchell or BYU. She plans to also go on a mission in a few years! This girl has high hopes for the future and I can see why!
Thank you for allowing me to be part of your senior year and hopefully giving one thing that was normal in 2020!
Sayonara 2020
Sayonara 2020 Its been real… enlightening, challenging, boring and well just unlike any other year. We have questioned every fiber of what normal looks like and what life is supposed to be. It has been quite the existential crisis for some. It has also brought people together and helped them find their “Tribe”.
I highly recommend picking up and reading Tribe, by Sebastian Junger. Junger lays out the importance of having a tribe. Jerry Landrums Synopsis of the book points to he juxtaposes American Indian tribal society against modern American society. Tribal communities faced existential challenges ranging from starvation to murderous attacks from other tribes. In order to survive, each member had to do their part. Because of their loyalty to the group, freeloading, treason, and cowardice were rare occurrences; but when they did occur, the tribe acted decisively. In modern society, such cooperation for survival is not necessary. There is no need to work together in agricultural or hunting endeavors to survive. The result is a comfortable but isolated way of life.” I see this becoming so relevant right now. During a time of such such unknown, people are holding on tight to their beliefs more than ever and have found solace in finding like minded individuals. Their tribe is formed and through it they find their voice.
Now this post was not intended to get philosophical. It was meant to show off the fun shoot I did last year with my seniors right before 2020 hit. My seniors had so much excitement in their eyes getting ready to turn the corner into their last semester in school and venturing out into the real world. But the real world slapped them in the face in March when they learned that their little bubble of high school had been penetrated and all the excitement they looked forward to in the coming months would be stripped away from them. What did they do? Sure they cried and sulked for a few days but most of all they persevered and were resilient. They found new ways to celebrate, some were so creative.I was so proud of these seniors. Just as I am so proud of this year seniors.
This next year will bring so many challenges just like the previous but with time we learn to adapt to the new normal and we start to find importance in things that might not have been as clearly layout to us before. We have learned that we crave connection with others and we cannot get every joy in life from our devices. I hope for you that this year brings clarity it what really matters. That you can find your tribe and feel a connection with someone.
