A Summer Senior Session | Raccoon Mountain and Downtown Chattanooga

It may be hot and humid in Tennessee in the summer, but it was a really fun time to schedule Hayden’s senior portraits! Summer is actually Hayden’s favorite season and she was starting cheerleading camp early, so we decided to take photos before school started in the fall. Hayden’s mom booked me in April for prom pictures with her friends, so I was excited when they reached back out for her senior photos. We had to split up her session on different dates due to weather, but Hayden’s senior session at Raccoon Mountain and around downtown Chattanooga is one of my favorite shoots to date!

Fun Facts About Hayden

Hayden is currently a member of the Class of 2024 at Rhea County High School. She is a cheerleader and loves hanging out with her friends, especially at football games. Hayden is such a sweet young lady! She is outgoing, kind and caring. You can tell from getting to know her that she loves her friends and family. Hayden’s personal style ranges from glam, modern, preppy and some boho. Pink is her favorite color and she definitely made sure to wear her floral dress and pink heels for her dream outfit during her session.

Hayden loves her puppy dog Pixie, so Hayden’s mom Rebecca brought her to accompany Hayden in some of her pictures. She also brought along her letterman jacket and a bouquet of flowers. Hayden loves shooting outdoors with lots of scenery but also enjoys the downtown/city area as well. They booked a full two hour session so we could travel to two types of locations. Before the session, I met with Hayden and her mom on Zoom so I could see her outfits. She also sent me photo ideas via Pinterest.

Raccoon Mountain and Downtown Chattanooga

Hayden’s first location for her senior session was at Raccoon Mountain in July. This spot has been on my bucket list for a while! We had already rescheduled her session twice due to all of the rain we were getting in Chattanooga, and it looked like storms were on the way again. However, we decided to go ahead with the session that night and scheduled Hayden’s professional hairstyle from my friend and artist Amy Phillips. We started photos at the loop that goes around the reservoir. Since Hayden loves scenery, I made sure to get the mountains in the background.

Even though we could see the clouds getting darker as we kept shooting, we took advantage of the wind when Hayden changed into her second outfit. All I can say is that wind absolutely blew us away! You couldn’t have gotten better wind from a machine in a studio. It was Mother Nature at it’s finest! We drove to one more spot at the bottom of the mountain for a few more photos, but then it started pouring. We postponed the remainder of Hayden’s session for the following month.

For the second half of Hayden’s senior session, we first went to the Sculpture Fields at Montague Park in downtown Chattanooga. I brought along my big peacock chair and Hayden included her dog Pixie in some of her photos. We also incorporated her letterman jacket that she earned for cheerleading. This location had so many different spots in a small area that gave me a lot of variety. Our last location was one of the parking garages. We got there just as the sun was peeking around the buildings in the background. This location was my favorite place in town for her senior portraits. Hayden got to wear her dream outfit that consisted of her floral mini dress and pink heels. She later changed into a ruffled white top with jeans. I kept shooting until we ran out of light.

Hayden has plans to attend Chattanooga State after graduation and major in business finance. I can’t wait to see her take on the world! Hayden, thank you so much for choosing me as your senior photographer this year! I loved every minute!

If Hayden’s senior photos are totally your vibe, then let’s connect! Head to my contact page to fill out my form about a session or to book directly with me, follow this link!