A Long Run with Lily: Capturing Her Senior Photos

I just wrapped up my last studio session with Lily, a high school senior from Marion, AR who I've had the pleasure of photographing since she was eight. Our first shoot together was at the Memphis Botanic Garden, where she was all smiles at a tea party set up in the Alice in Wonderland area. Fast forward to her senior year, eight years later, and it's been quite the journey watching her grow up in front of my camera.

As a high school senior photographer, it's always rewarding to see clients come back. Each photo shoot has marked another chapter in her story, and I'm grateful that she and her mother have stuck with me through the years. It's not lost on me how much trust they've put in me to capture these important moments. Family sessions, Mother Daughter sessions, senior sessions, “just because they can” sessions, : ) . It's a genuine pleasure to work with folks who value what I do and keep coming back season after season.

From those first playful photos at the garden spinning her princess dress to the confident young woman standing in my studio this morning, it's been a rewarding run (so far). I'm thankful to Lily's mother for letting me be a part of it and for choosing Smith Artisan as their portrait photographer year after year. From the bottom of my heart, thank you!

Donnie Wayne Smith May 7, 2024