Jared, known as “Elmo” to his friends, was a wonderful senior to work with and photogenic with it as well! He’s an avid and dedicated runner, spending many hours training on the trails of Shelby Farms Park in his pursuit of cross-country racing (he’s a member of the cross-country team for St. Benedict high school). So, after meeting with him to talk about his interests and learn more about his personality, it became obvious very quickly that Shelby Farms would be the ideal location in which to photograph him for his senior portraits.

The weather on the afternoon we chose for the session couldn’t have been better, the location was perfect, and Jared was very relaxed and comfortable as we made our way around the lake trail, finding interesting locations to create these portraits on the way.

Thank you to Jared and his family for allowing me the wonderful opportunity to work with them to create this set of portraits that I know will be treasured for a lifetime.

Our lives are a series of important milestones (childhood, graduation, marriage, raising a family) and we value our photographs so much because they capture memories of such happy times. But, it goes much deeper than that – we’re not only holding on to memories, but also what it felt like at the time, the emotions and love that go with those memories.

I believe being a photographer isn’t only about creating photographs – it requires empathy to truly capture those “images inspired by you”. Later, as you admire your portraits, you’ll recall the feelings of love and joy from those precious moments.

It’s tempting to put off having portraits created “until the time is right”, but our daily lives conspire to keep us distracted from the most important things. Our children will only be this age RIGHT NOW; there’s only going to be ONE wedding day; senior year is GONE before you know it; our families are ALWAYS worth celebrating…

Take time to connect with the things that inspire you – call NOW for a friendly chat about how professional portraits can enhance your life and the lives of those you love.

This week, I added a new video slideshow to the Senior Portraits page of the web site.

I had so much fun putting this together and would like to thank all the seniors we’ve photographed so far this busy season for making it a wonderful experience!

Here is a great new senior portrait that we created on the beach in Florida, early one morning. Reid accompanied our family on vacation, and we thought it would be a lot of fun to create some portraits for him while we were down there, especially as he will be a high school senior this year.

Because I create all of my portraits outside, away from the stuffy and impersonal confines of a studio, I like to include the environment of the portrait as an integral part of the photograph to help convey a sense of who the person is, their interests and their personality. In this instance, Reid enjoys skimboarding (which I can personally testify is a lot more difficult than it looks ), so I suggested we take some photographs of him at the beach enjoying his sport.

The sun rose over the water at about 6:15am and we were lucky enough to have the beach almost to ourselves. After spending time to create a great series of action photographs, we took a moment to produce this portrait of Reid with his skimboard. The rising sun provided the majority of the lighting, with some additional fill light added from an off-camera flash.

When I saw this wall in midtown Memphis, while on an urban senior portrait session, I couldn’t resist using it as a backdrop for a series of portraits of Anne, pictured here.

To a photographer, backgrounds are every bit as important as the subject, and this one was a real beauty – a work of art. Whether someone was paid to create this, or it’s simply a piece of random street art, doesn’t really matter – it provided the perfect backdrop for an urban-style street environmental portrait.

Other images from this portrait session can be found in my Seniors 2010 Album on Facebook.

Senior Portraits 2009 – Kelsey:

I am so pleased to post this latest senior portrait, of Kelsey. She was amazing to work with and the whole session was exciting and so much fun for everyone.

As with all of our senior portraits, we held the portrait session outdoors in an environment that was both familiar and important to Kelsey.

We spent almost 3 hours creating portraits in different settings and in a variety of outfits, starting out with one of her horses as a companion in the photographs. We also photographed her with her younger brother, and created some wonderful images that I know the family will be thrilled with.

Working in a relaxed manner with no time constraints really allows our subjects to be themselves, leaving them free to concentrate on having a fun time.

You can see more images from this session in my Facebook album – Seniors 2009.

To book a senior portrait session, simply call today at (901) 606-9105 or email me for more information.

Downtown Memphis provides a wealth of possible locations for portraits, especially senior portraits, and last night’s session in Harbortown was no exception. With Andrew & Buddy, both graduating seniors from Christian Brothers High School, we started out by the Mississippi river in the green belt river park. The setting sun provided an ideal backdrop on the river, with a wonderful array of delicate colors.

After the sun had gone down, we moved into the streets of Harbortown to find some other great locations, using the street lights and buldings as interesting backdrops.

Many thanks to Buddy and Andrew for making this a fun portrait session, and I am looking forward to working with you both again.

It’s senior portrait time again! NOW is the time to be scheduling your senior portrait session with us and we still have some openings for ambassadors, with a free session and discounted prints etc.

Call me today at (901) 606-9105 to chat about your senior portraits and some of the different and unique things we can offer.

Calling all 2009 Seniors!! How would you like a FREE portrait session for your 2009 senior portraits?

I’m currently seeking senior portrait models, both girls and boys, for the 2009 season to join my 2009 senior portrait ambasssador program.

Your senior portrait session is absolutely FREE, and you also qualify for great discounts on final print packages too.

Not only that, but you can also earn referral fees for other students you refer to us for their portraits.

BUT HURRY – I only have 6 openings per school. To apply, just visit the web site and fill out the ambassaor application form, by clicking here.

If you, or someone you know, is a 2009 high-school senior in the Memphis area – then apply today before all the slots are filled.

Graduation for 2009 seniors is approaching fast! That means it’s time to think about Senior Portraits again. I really enjoy working with these young people – they are so full of energy, enthusiasm and vibrancy with a wide spectrum of interests. They have their whole lives ahead of them, and this very exciting time is something I love to capture and preserve for them.

For 2009, I’m planning an ambassador program for seniors, where students will be rewarded for referrals. I currently have room for up to 5 seniors from each school to act as ambassadors for Merrick Photography. That means a FREE senior portrait session on location, as well as discounted wall portraits and print packages. This is a great deal for those who get on board early.

The schools I’m interested in include:

• Fayette Academy
• Fayette Ware High School
• Christian Brothers High School
• St. Agnes Academy / St. Dominic School
• Hutchison School
• Memphis University School
• Briarcrest Christian School
• St. Benedict at Auberndale High School

I have to limit the ambassador program to 5 seniors from each school, so if you or someone you know is interested in participating I advise you to book early to avoid disappointment!

For more information, call me at (901) 606-9105 or email me with any questions.