Desiree | Senior Photos | Green Bay East High School

How I met Desiree is not the "standard" way that I usually meet my seniors for portraiture. You see, typically the moms call me and thats where it all begins. However, the process was much different this time.

Part of being a small business owner is not only providing excellent goods and services to your community for profit, but giving back to your community is absolutely vital. I understand that what I offer is a luxury brand and service and I wanted to gift this experience and my products to a younger generation as the senior photo extravaganza was beginning back in April. I wanted to hand select a senior model that not only represented my brand well, but it needed to be someone who was making a difference in our community.

I reached out to Heather Faulkner, the new Green Bay area director of YoungLife for help. "YoungLife is all about inviting kids to follow Christ, care for them regardless of their response, and change lives in the process through relationships. YoungLife leaders in Green Bay go where kids are at, have a party with a purpose called Club and have small group Bible studies called Campaigners. Each summer leaders also have the opportunity to take kids to Young Life Camp, aka the best week of their lives. YoungLife also has a one on one mentoring program as well to help kids grow emotionally, spiritually and academically." - Heather Faulkner. I knew that Heather would be the best resource for me to find the most appropriate candidate for my project and boy did she deliver!

Meet Desiree

Heather and I met in February/March to go talk about what type of "face" I wanted to represent here in Green Bay and I wanted it to be a kid who was making an impact. Shortly after Heather replied to me that Desiree was a great fit! Today she describes Desiree as, "an amazing girl who has been a part of Young Life since her freshman year of high school. She is a leader among her peers and is always pushing herself to grow and recently enlisted in the National Guard. As Desi's Young Life leader it has been an honor and privilege to walk alongside of her in the hard stuff and the good stuff of life as a teenager. She is so beautiful inside and out and I am so proud of her. Her future is so bright and we are so excited for her."

And after meeting her and getting to know her myself I couldn't agree more!

Her session began the way we always do for each session I offer here! Professional hair and makeup was done by one of my favorite hair and makeup artists Angela Marie Makeup Artistry!

After hair and makeup we began shooting inside the studio with some beautiful natural light!

We then took advantage of going out into the downtown area, which happens to be right outside of the studio to get some textured backgrounds!

Our last stop was right at East High School to capture some shots of her in uniform!

Desiree has already accomplished so many things. She cares about others and wants to make a difference in herself and those who are around her. She is passionate, radiant and frankly one of the coolest girls I have ever met.

I want to express how important it is for us to reach out to one another and help one another. I feel absolutely honored and grateful for being able to share my gift with with world and help shine some spotlight on young women just like Desiree. We as people often take for granted the impact we can make on one another just by showing up having some compassion and pouring love onto one another regardless of who they are or what their situation might be. I truly beam with thankfulness knowing that I was able to provide Desiree and her family with a memory that will forever be documented in her journey of life. A gift that she can be proud of and blessed by and look back on and say, "I am pretty awesome if I do say so myself!"