Renaissance Park Senior Portrait Session | Class of 2025

Spring senior sessions are always special, and Thomas’s senior portraits at Renaissance Park were no exception. Shot last spring in the heart of Chattanooga, this session was the perfect reminder of why listening to our clients is one of the most important parts of being a photographer.

As photographers, it’s easy to imagine that “dream” session with the perfectly styled outfits, flawless hair, ideal location, and golden light. While those sessions can be beautiful, they aren’t always the goal. Our job isn’t to create a version of our clients that fits a trend or someone else’s vision. Our job is to showcase who our senior clients truly are, capturing them as their families see and love them every single day.

Thomas graduated from McCallie School in spring 2025 and is now attending UT Chattanooga, where he’s studying accounting and business. From the moment we started planning his session, it was clear that his mom’s biggest priority was for him to look natural, relaxed, and comfortable. This I found out was exactly why she booked me after finding my website through a Google search for a Chattanooga senior photographer.

Thomas is athletic, energetic, and incredibly loyal. He loves wearing hoodies (ooh, me too!), playing basketball, working out, hanging out with friends, and anything involving cars. One of his favorite parts of the session was including his black BMW, which added such a personal touch and made the images feel even more “him.” Blue is absolutely his color (and I stand by that!), and his playlist was full of rap and hip hop. I had never heard of the bands he requested (I’m old haha), but it added to the fun and helped him feel relaxed and confident.

After shooting this session, something really stood out to me as a photographer. Another photographer online commented that Thomas’s hair looked “messy” and should have been matted down. My response was simple: that’s how my client wears his hair, and I wouldn’t change it. That’s who Thomas is and honoring that matters.

Thomas has an incredible smile, a great personality, and was so easy to talk to. He genuinely enjoyed having his photos taken, which isn’t always the case with senior guys, and his comfort truly shows in his images.

The biggest compliment? His mom loved his senior photos so much that she booked me again for family portraits this past fall and ordered additional digital images. Getting to see Thomas again, hear about his college adventures, and continue working with their family was such a full-circle moment. This is exactly why I do what I do.

I loved how comfortable and relaxed Thomas’s senior portraits were at Renaissance Park and his high school. If you’re looking for a photographer in the Chattanooga area who prioritizes authenticity, comfort, and capturing your senior exactly as they are, I’d love to connect! Click on the “book now” option to contact me for more details!