Meet Marissa! She came all the way down here from New Mexico!! She’s currently a senior at Belen High School and does so many extracurriculars!! She is her school’s volleyball team manager, is in drama/stagecraft club, will be starting her swim season soon and hopes to join track at the end of the school year. Marissa is very interested in make-up and art, and hopes to succeed in something within cosmetology one day.

I absolutely ADORED Marissa’s outfit choices! So many cute and unique pieces I haven’t seen before and were really fun to photograph. Her pretty white body suit….CUTE! We got super lucky with awesome lighting at the beach too and her photos were breathtaking. I feel so honored she flew in from New Mexico for her L.A. chic senior portraits!! Don’t be afraid to reach out to me even if you’re out of state! I’m very accommodating and would love to shoot your senior portraits too!

ALL ABOUT MARISSA!

Q. College Plans? If so, where?
A. Uncertain at this time

Q. College Major
A. Cosmetology

Q. What kind of look were you going for in your senior photos?
A. The look I was going for in my senior photos was LA Chic. I consider myself a city girl and wanted to take my senior portraits in a city where I see myself in a couple of years.

Q. How was your experience during your senior shoot?
A. Two words, MEMORABLE and AMAZING. My experience with Tara and Sarah was beyond outstanding. Tara and Sarah were super friendly and kept me at ease the entire time. They were both encouraging, directed me with my movements and let me know when I was slaying each shot. They made me feel empowered and beautiful. I felt like a superstar and the photos revealed just that.

Q. What’s one piece of advice you’d give to anyone getting their senior photos taken?
A. Be open to suggestions. I am not one who usually wears bold colors and accessories, but when Tara and Sarah recommended a bold lip color, hat and choker to pair with one of my outfits, that particular photo shoot brought out another side of me. It was like I was free to be a whole other person and felt totally comfortable with it. It was fun, fresh and I didn’t feel nervous at all.

Q. How many outfits did you take?
A. I took 7 outfits to LA with me from New Mexico. I emailed a photo of each of my outfits to Tara before my photo shoot so that she could better determine what location would be mesh better with my style.

Q. Would you have taken more or less, reasons why?
A. If I lived in the area, I probably would have taken more because then I wouldn’t have been limited to the selections of mixing and matching according to the destination.

Q. Did you accessorize differently with each outfit?
A. I’m not one to wear accessories on the daily, so Tara was super helpful in that department. She brought a few accessories that I could wear for the photo shoot. I loved all of her suggestions! The accessories really pulled the looks together.

Q. Did you take any props or try to incorporate any activities that you’re in?
A. No because they would have taken up too much space on the plane. I did wear my letter-man’s jacket though which has all of the activities that I’ve been involved in.

Q. Any tips on how to prepare for the session or must have things to bring?
A. Have a vision of what you want in your photo shoot and communicate it with the photographer. Make a checklist or take photos of each of your outfits on before going to your shoot. This way, you know what you wanted to wear when transitioning into each look. My mom took a rolling suitcase and had each outfit in a garment bag with the accessories which made changing much quicker.

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. I gathered inspiration for hair and make-up from Tara’s senior photo gallery. The make-up looks and hair styles were all natural and stunning, which is what I was looking for in my selections.

Q. Did you find a store that had everything you were looking for?
A. I purchased a couple of items online from Shein and Hollister for my photo shoot (black and white romper and off the shoulder body suit), but for the most part my clothes were from mine and my sisters closet.

Q. What ended up being your favorite outfit and why?
A. My favorite outfit was the white off the shoulder bodysuit with the light wash jeans. This was my favorite outfit because it was delicate and natural, just like me. Every photo with that outfit was my favorite. I think my family bought most of the photos in that outfit too.

Q. Let’s talk about locations. What location(s) 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. The location that we shot at was in the Venice area. I relied on Tara’s suggestion because she knows the area and it was close to a beach. I really enjoyed the culture in the area, the colors and the environment.

Q. What’s on your BUCKET LIST of things to do or see?
A. 1) I want to visit Paris, France.
2) I want to model in fashion and be featured in a magazine.
3) Become my own boss.
4) Travel.
5) Learn how to play the piano.
6) Stop procrastinating.

Q. FUN FACTS ABOUT MARISSA!
A. 1) My favorite movie is White Chicks. I laugh every single time I watch it and me and my family reference a line from that movie almost every day.
2) My least favorite subject in school is math.
3) My favorite subjects in school are psychology and art.
4) My favorite restaurant is a cafe called Blended.
5) My favorite place to shop is of course the mall. My favorite stores are Sephora, Aldo, Forever 21, Hollister, PacSun, and Windsor.
6) My favorite beverage is blackberry vanilla tea from Sonic or anything from Starbucks or Boba Tea.
7) My favorite super hero is Batman.
8) I love New York City and want to move there one day.
9) People say that I have an intimidating look and think I’m stuck up, but really I’m just shy until you get to know me.

Q. Tell me 2 truths and 1 Lie
A. 1) I love cats. I want to own 50 cats and name them each after the state capitals.
2) I broke my foot tripping over my shoe lace during soccer practice. Tie your shoes people.
3) Being on my phone is my least favorite thing to do (of course a lie).

Q. Is there anything you would have done differently for your shoot?
A. If we had more time, I would have chosen to take photos in Downtown LA. I love tall buildings and the City vibe, however I got to experience a new few locations of California that I have never visited.

Q. What was your favorite thing about your session or the overall experience?
A. Everything was my favorite. The make-up and hair session to the very last shot on the beach was all very memorable. Tara was funny, engaging, real (honest) and most importantly genuine.

Q. Why do you think senior portraits are important?
A. Senior portraits are important because they capture the person at the peak of their most memorable time in life. Being a senior marks the end to a whole life’s chapter while also depicting the very start of a whole new beginning. Your senior photos can capture more than just a look, it can capture an emotion and a memory.

Q. Why did you choose Tara Rochelle to take your senior pictures?
A. I knew I wanted my senior portraits to be in California. I looked at a lot of photographers online and Tara’s style resonated with the look I was wanting. The photo quality along with the other senior testimonials were what I was looking for in a photographer. Hands down, Tara and her team are well worth the lifetime investment.

Check out Camryn’s Downtown L.A. Senior Pictures if you loved Marissa’s LA Chic Senior Portraits!