Taking my cousin’s senior photos in 2020 felt especially meaningful. It was such a strange and difficult time, with the pandemic changing so many of the moments students normally get to celebrate. Like so many seniors that year, she had to adapt to so much uncertainty. Being able to carve out this moment just for her, to celebrate who she is and everything she had accomplished, felt really important.

We chose the abandoned military fort at Fort Stevens on the Oregon coast, which made for such a cool and dramatic backdrop. The old concrete structures, the wind off the ocean, and the wide open space gave the whole session a feeling of strength and resilience that fit the moment perfectly.

More than anything, I just felt proud of her. Proud of the way she handled such a difficult year and proud to capture this milestone in her life. Even in the middle of such a hard season, she deserved to have her moment, and I’m so glad we got to create that together.