Unlike Sara’s first round of senior portraits in Edwin Warner Park, this senior portrait session in Percy Warner was not really planned in advance. On our drive to MidState & All-State orchestra auditions this past Saturday, I asked Sara if she had any thoughts on what she would like for her second round of senior portraits. She mentioned that she would love to have some with fall colors and in Middle Tennessee those colors are fading quickly.
On the spot, we decided to scope out some places on our way back home that afternoon and then do a session later in the evening. We settled on the main steps in Percy Warner where there a LOTS of options for great photos (even though it is BUSY).
Click on the images below to see some of our favorites (and read more below)…
The Warner Parks, and especially these steps by the main entrance, are very special to our family. We have spent a lot time hiking, walking, running, and exploring these parks, and have done several family portrait sessions on and around the steps over the years (I also did a senior portrait session for Kate on these steps four years ago).
Sara’s big ask was that she wanted to be able to sit and lay down in a pile of leaves. Well, we saved those shots for last in case she got dirty from the ground. In the background of the shots where she is sitting in the leaves, you can faintly see a portion of the main gate to Percy Warner. This was meaningful to me, because it reminded me of the first time Sara ran the 5.8-mile loop with me in the park. The 5.8 is daunting because of the massive elevation change, and completing it for this first time as a new runner is quite an accomplishment. In order for it to be “official”, the 5.8 has to be from gate-to-gate, and I vividly remember taking a selfie with her in front of this gate after we finished it together!
Even though the park was very busy as anticipated, we got the most out of the remaining fall colors, and are very pleased with how they ALL turned out. What do you think? Which ones are your favorites?
On a side note, this was my first session after recently adding a Nikon Z8 to my camera options. While I still love my Z7II for portrait and low-light photography, the autofocus and speed of the Z8 is amazing. Excited to see what it can do in performing arts environments!
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