Today on the blog I am featuring the editorial senior portraits in Santa Barbara,California with Miss Sophie! Here in Southern California, I have the luxury of some pretty amazing locations! In todays blog feature you’re going to see amazing modern senior portraits in Santa Barbara California! Meet Sophie! An incredible girl I met when I started photographing her older sister a few years back. Sophie is has the absolute sweetest personality with a heart of gold and the most incredible blue eyes! It seems every time I post or show a picture of Sophie, everyone knows who she is and people say the nicest things about her. It makes me so happy when I have a great connection with a client (like I do with Sophie) and then I hear how well liked she is. I feel like everybody and our hometown knows her and absolutely loves her. She has been a dancer for many many years and it is a captain for the Hart dance team at her school.
For Sophie’s senior session, she decided to do the LUXE session which includes three hours of shooting time and some incredible options for locations are right there in Santa Barbara.We started off at some cool city locations, went to the beautiful Santa Barbara Mission, then off to another awesome urban location, and finally ended at a beautiful beach in Montecito, California.
Let’s chat about wardrobe for a second..how incredible is her styling? I love that she brought a huge variety of clothing including super cute flowered Doc Martin boots paired with a leather jacket which we then accessorized with pink fun earrings, a hat, and a cute little handkerchief around her neck. She also brought a beautiful Free People dress, some items from her favorite brand Natural Life, and, of course, the session would not have been complete without using a beret for one her outfits because her mom absolutely loves them!
I highly recommend when planning your senior portrait session, to bring a lot of variety including : Jeans, pants, skirts, dresses, jumpers, and anything you can to help give the most variety of the clothes. By doing so, you’re able to do more things when it comes to posing and also helps to give so many more looks to keep your session interesting.
Enjoy!
Just by combining some unique locations and great outfits you can get great editorial senior portraits just about anywhere!
- College Plans? If so, where?
A. 4-year university, still waiting to hear back from schools!! - Q. College Major
A. Hospitality Management - Q. What extracurricular activities are you involved in?
A. Dance!!! I’m the captain of my high school dance team at Hart! I also compete and train at To The Pointe Dance Centre! I love Pilates and plan to get certified in it when I turn 18! I’m very creative and love to craft whenever I can. I love working with kids and helping out others any way I can. - Q. What kind of look were you going for in your senior photos?
A. I wanted a look that really showed off who “Sophie” was as a senior in high school! I was going for a more Urban/City vibe but also a very carefree/happy look! My shoot was everything I wanted and couldn’t be more perfect! - Q. How was your experience during your senior shoot?
A. It was a blast! From hair and makeup to styling to shooting everything was perfect! Tara made me feel so confident and comfortable. I made the best memories and was laughing & smiling the whole time! - Q. What’s one piece of advice you’d give to anyone getting their senior photos taken?
A. Don’t be nervous! It’s so much fun and you have nothing to worry about! Tara makes you feel like a super model and it’s truly the best feeling! When it comes to clothes- if you can’t decide what you want to wear, BRING OPTIONS!! It’s better to bring more and not wear all of it then to not bring enough. Definitely try to have a favorite outfit or two that is a “must shoot” for you! Also, if you don’t like something, speak up! They are your pictures! Example: if you want a lighter makeup look tell the MUA, if you are dying to shoot in your senior sweatshirt tell someone! - Q. How many outfits did you take?
A. I only took pictures in 6-7 outfits! I brought around 10-11 but I brought some options of extra basic shirts and graphic tees! - Q. Would you have taken more or less, reasons why?
A. I think I brought a pretty good amount! If anything I would have taken less. I’m super indecisive and wanted Tara to be the decision maker so I brought more! Tip: Don’t bring an outfit from home as an option that you absolutely hate and will be mad if you end up wearing it for your shoot! If your indecisive like me, this helps narrow down some options if you have too many at home! - Q. Did you accessorize differently with each outfit?
A. Yes! I did a lot of accessorizing on my shoot with each outfit! I definitely had some outfits I wore more jewelry with and some I wore hardly any. Bring options! Personally I love funky statement
Jewelry, but I did bring some delicate pieces! Creative, colorful earrings are tons of fun! - Q. Did you take any props or try to incorporate any activities that you’re in?
A. I took a lot of of my “spirit wear” and my varsity jacket from my high school team! I brought my pointe shoes since I’m a ballerina too! I definitely recommend bringing an outfit or some things that mean a lot to you if your on the fence about it. You don’t always have to wear it! - Q. Any tips on how to prepare for the session or must have things to bring?
A. Wear a button up top for hair and makeup! Bring a pair of comfy shoes (flip flops) in case you have to walk on your shoot! You may end up being in a situation where you have to walk a while to your location, you don’t want to do that in heels! Get excited for it and trust the process! Everything will work out amazing! Don’t forget shoes, socks, bras, jackets, and jewelry. When you’re planning out what clothes you’re bringing to your shoot, that stuff easily slips your mind!! - Q. Any tips on hair/makeup? Where did you get your inspiration for this? Did you bring in pictures or have a plan prior to your styling?
A. Look on Pinterest! Personally I love a more natural look with golds/Browns/neutrals so my makeup matches all my outfits, but you want to pick a look that matches you! Bring in pictures from the internet or even look at Tara Rochelle’s Instagram feed and screenshot what you like for you! If you decide to get your nails done for your shoot, French tip, pale pink, and nudes are always a good option! They match with everything and look pretty! - Q. Did you find a store that had everything you were looking for?
A. Free People!!!!! If I had to choose one store, Free People had almost everything I wore on my shoot! Brandy Melville, Forever 21,and Tilly’s are all awesome places to shop too!!! Go to your favorite stores and just look around! Start early so you have time to find things you really love! In general, most of my accessories from my shoot were from Forever 21! I great place to look for reasonable priced shoes is Target! Steve Madden also has great sales and sometimes you can get a really nice pair of heels for a steal! I personally shot most of my looks head to toe in Free People! - Q. What ended up being your favorite outfit and why?
A. I loved them all so I couldn’t pick! My varsity jacket was fun because it showed “me” and had everything I love in it, but my high-end fashion look I shot on the steps with tons of accessories was so sassy and fun! I loved them all! - Q. Let’s talk about locations. What location did you choose for your session? Why did you choose that location? Do you wish you would have gone some place different or would you suggest where you went?
A. I shot my senior pictures in Santa Barbara! I’ve also shot Santa Monica, Hollywood, Nature, Malibu, and destination! They all were so fun and perfect but gave off completely different vibes! Think about if you want the beach/fields/city/urban/nature and ask for help if you don’t know where to shoot! I personally think your location should be some place that matches your personality! - Q. What’s on your BUCKET LIST of things to do or see?
A. I want to travel tons of places but currently on my list the top places are:
Greece
Jamaica
Egypt
Thailand - Bora Bora
I want to travel and do photoshoots all over the world! - Q. FUN FACTS ABOUT SOPHIE!!
I’m really good with kids!
I’m OCD and struggle with anxiety
I love following in the footsteps of my sisters 🙂
I can’t wait to get married and have kids and a family of my own one day ❤️
I’m snow queen in the nutcracker this year!
Favorite Ice Cream: Vanilla or Cookies and Cream
Favorite Beverage: Virgin Piña Colada or water lol
Favorite Fast Food: Chick Fil A
Stupid Human Tricks: I can hold a head stand for an obscene amount of time
Favorite Place to Shop: I’m definitely a shopaholic!!! Lately I’ve done a lot of shopping at Sephora, Urban Outfitters, and Lululemon!
I HATE math 🙁
Celebrity Crush: Peyton Meyer - Q. Tell me 2 truths and 1 Lie- (be sure to tell me which one is the lie)
A. I’ve been to all 50 states (lie)
I’ve been dancing for 15 years (true)
I’m the youngest of 5 (true) - Q. Is there anything you would have done differently for your shoot?
A. I can’t think of anything! Everything was as perfect as I imagined! - Q. What was your favorite thing about your session or the overall experience?
A. Shooting with Tara! Her personality and talent is incredible and it just made the whole experience of senior pictures more amazing! - Q. Why do you think senior portraits are important?
A. You look back at them in ten years and you want to love them! They are Used for EVERYTHING!!! - Q. Why did you choose Tara Rochelle to take your senior pictures?
A. She is A W E S O M E!!! I ❤️ Tara!!!
Did you love Sophie’s editorial senior portraits in Santa Barbara? Would you like to do your own shoot and have a blast? I’m almost completely sold out of spring 2019 senior session dates but have a handful of openings. If you want to see some more inspiration of how I shoot and my style, check out this Los Angeles Senior Portraits session or check out my website!
comments +