Meet Sarah! She is one of my class of 2020 seniors on my model team and one of my most recent seniors that I’ve shot! Sarah currently attends West Ranch High School, hoping to attend University of Washington or San Diego State University next fall to study biology. Besides her senior portrait session, Sarah has done a few creative shoots with me too, which were incredibly fun!!

Sarah decided to do her senior shoot at one of Southern California’s most buzzing beach towns, Venice! Venice, California is most known for it’s bohemian spirit and upscale commercial buildings, so I thought it was a perfect place to reflect Sarah’s style and personality!

ALL ABOUT SARAH!!

Q. College Plans? If so, where?
A. Not sure yet, hopefully University of Washington or San Diego State University

Q. College Major
A. Biology

Q. What extracurricular activities are you involved in?
A. Swim, volunteering at The Gentle Barn, and lifeguarding

Q. What kind of look were you going for in your senior photos?
A. I really wanted a variety of looks going in. I didn’t want all of my photos to look the same in the same locations. I also wanted a pretty natural look and didn’t want the photos to look over edited or fake.

Q. How was your experience during your senior shoot?
A. I don’t even have words for how amazing my senior shoot was!!! Tara and my hair and makeup artist Melanie did such an amazing job and I am so in love with the photos. Tara made me feel so confident and was so helpful in the entire process between choosing outfits, locations and giving directions during the shoot. It was definitely one of the most memorable days!!

Q. What’s one piece of advice you’d give to anyone getting their senior photos taken?
A. Don’t be nervous!! I was really nervous going in because I am such a perfectionist and I wanted everything to be perfect. Tara was so incredibly helpful with everything and it made the experience SO much easier. Don’t stress out about anything because everything will turn out amazing in the end!!

Q. How many outfits did you take?
A. I took 6 outfits to my shoot

Q. Would you have taken more or less, reasons why?
A. I honestly don’t think I would have taken more or less. I felt like all of my outfits were a little bit different so there was a good variety between them!

Q. Did you accessorize differently with each outfit?
A. I brought 4 different pairs of shoes, so I reused a few pairs with my outfits. I also brought a hat and some light, dainty jewelry to go with my outfits.

Q. Any tips on how to prepare for the session or must have things to bring?

A. It is definitely a good idea to bring too many things than too little! I had thrown in a few more pieces last minute that ended up making a really cute outfit!! Don’t hesitate to bring a ton of options, Tara is great at picking out which ones will look best in certain locations.

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. Trust the makeup artist!! Melanie did an AMAZING job on my hair and makeup and I could not have been happier! I had a few inspiration pictures for the shoot that I found on Pinterest. I wanted my face makeup to be pretty natural so it would match nicely with all of my outfits.

Q. Did you find a store that had everything you were looking for?
A. I got most of my clothes from Urban Outfitters and Princess Polly, and most of my shoes were Steve Madden! I even found one of my outfits in a cute little boutiques in Venice!

Q. What ended up being your favorite outfit and why?
A. I think my favorite outfit was the orange plaid pants with the denim jacket and hat! We decided on that outfit the day of my shoot and I loved it!! I think it looked really good with the dark lip and I loved the location we shot it in! I think it all came out SO well!

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. We shot in Venice! I didn’t really know where I wanted to go for my senior shoot, so Tara helped me figure out the best place that would look best with all of my outfits! We decided on Venice because there is quite the variety of looks there.

Q. What’s on your BUCKET LIST of things to do or see?
A. I would love to go to Europe, especially Greece and Paris!
Skydiving
See the Northern Lights
Go to all 50 states
Be fluent in another language

Q. FUN FACTS ABOUT SARAH!!
A. Favorite restaurant- Cafe Gratitude
Favorite color- Lavender or Orange
Favorite place to shop- Urban Outfitters
Favorite food- avocado toast
Least Favorite school subject- History
Favorite School Subject- Science
Celebrity Crush- Shawn Mendes or Cole Sprouse
I’m a lifeguard
I love going to concerts
I would love to work in the medical field one day

Q. Tell me 2 truths and 1 Lie
A. I am vegan
I am the oldest sibling
I have never been out of the country (LIE!)

Q. Is there anything you would have done differently for your shoot?
A. No! I think everything turned out amazing and I don’t think I would have changed anything

Q. What was your favorite thing about your session or the overall experience?
A. Honestly, I think my favorite thing about my session was the energy. I felt so confident and Tara and Melanie were so much fun to be with the whole day!! They made my experience so special and it was unlike anything I had ever done!!

Q. Why do you think senior portraits are important?
A. You are only a senior in high school one time and I think it is something that should be cherished and remembered! What better way to do that than senior portraits!

Q. Why did you choose Tara Rochelle to take your senior pictures?
A. I had seen a lot of Tara’s work on social media and I loved how unique every photo looked. I also LOVED all of the fun studio looks and how personalized her senior shoots are!!

If you adored Sarah’s Senior Portraits, check out Marisa’a Senior Pictures at Venice Beach in Southern California!