Throwback Thursday! I am so excited to bring back one of my models from my class of 2018 Senior Model Team! Meet Maddie! She recently graduated from Saugus High School in the Santa Clarita Valley and is currently working on her associate’s degree at College of the Canyons. I first met Miss Maddie when she was eight years old during her family shoot I shot back in 2008, and then I had the opportunity to shoot her senior portraits in downtown Ventura!

I had such an amazing time capturing her senior moments in Ventura. The weather was nice and the company was awesome! Maddie’s entourage consisted of her mom, Kit, and aunt, Stacey. She was lucky enough to have her aunt bring her up some adorable outfits from her clothing boutique in San Clemente! So many cute clothes! I knew going in to Maddie’s shoot that she wanted a more simplistic, natural look for her portraits, and I think her location decision was just that. From the gorgeous downtown to the fun beach, Maddie’s pictures turned out awesome! Here are just a few (or a lot) of my favorite pictures from her shoot!

All About Maddie

Q. College Plans?  

A. I currently am attending College of the Canyons to earn my associate’s degree, and then I plan to transfer to a university to earn my bachelor’s!

Q. College Major?  

A. Business Administration    

Q. What extracurricular activities are you involved in?  

A. All 4 years of high school, I was a part of my high school volleyball team! Now I’m a part of a few clubs on my campus.

Q. What’s on your BUCKET LIST of things to do or see?  

A. (1) I want to visit Time Square for New Year’s Eve (2) Go on a Mediterranean Cruise so I get to see places like Italy, Croatia, etc! (3) Road trip across the U.S. (4) Learn to wakeboard

Q. FUN FACTS ABOUT MADDIE!!  

A. Favorite ice cream is mint chip or vanilla
Favorite beverage would have to be green tea lemonade
Celeb crush is Justin Bieber
Favorite restaurant is Sushi Song
Favorite subject is math
Least favorite subject is history
Celeb crush will always be Justin Bieber
Best H.S. memory would have to be at a basketball game my sophomore year against West Ranch where we were down by 3 with a couple seconds left and one of our players made a 3 pointer to tie the game and send it into overtime!! Our student section has never gone crazier!!
Best thing about being a senior is finally being at the “top” of the school and being able to go to every school event and do everything because there was barely any homework (at least for me;))

Maddie’s Look on Her Experience

Q. How was your experience during your senior shoot?  

A. I had the absolute best time at my senior shoot! My mom and aunt joined me and I couldn’t have asked for better people to come experience this with me. Tara makes you feel like you’re a supermodel and the only person that matters during your shoot!! She’s so focused on making you feel amazing and makes sure this is the best senior experience ever!!

Q. What’s one piece of advice you’d give to anyone getting their senior photos taken?  

A. Do your research ahead of time! Don’t wait until the last minute to decide what outfits you want to bring, what makeup you want and how you want to style your hair. Pinterest will be your best friend through it all!!

Q. How many outfits did you take?  

A. 6 outfits    

Q. Would you have taken more or less, reasons why?  

A. I liked the amount of outfits I brought, but the more the merrier! That way if one outfit doesn’t work out, you have back ups.  

Q. Did you accessorize differently with each outfit?  

A. I personally didn’t bring many accessories. I’m not really a jewelry person or accessory person, but for one outfit, Tara, my mom, and my aunt insisted on me wearing a hat and I’m forever grateful they told me to because I loved it!

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

  A. Beauty sleep is crucial the night before! Water and snacks are super important because it’ll probably be a long day. Bras, bralettes, pasties, etc are always good to have extras of. A comfortable pair of shoes is a must because there’s a lot of walking from location to location.

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 fell in love with a previous model’s makeup that Tara shot before hand that was featured on her instagram.

Q. Did you find a store that had everything you were looking for?  

A. All of my clothes were either from my closet or brought to me from my aunt and her clothing boutique!! 

Q. What ended up being your favorite outfit and why?  

A. There’s a tie between two outfits…I LOVED my black and white outfit with my hat because I would’ve never thought I liked myself in it and I totally did!! I also was obsessed with my two piece outfit on the beach because it was completely up my alley and was super cute and beachy!!

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. I chose to do my senior portraits in downtown Ventura and the beach and I loved it!! I chose that location because it had a downtown vibe but also a beach to take pictures at. I also have spent a lot of my life in Ventura, so I felt I wanted to capture my senior moments there because of the history. I think the beach is more my style, so I wouldn’t have changed a thing:)

Q. Is there anything you would have done differently for your shoot?  

A. Nothing!! I loved everything about my shoot and pictures!    

Q. What was your favorite thing about your session or the overall experience?  

A. I loved feeling like a supermodel and looking at all the beautiful pictures during the viewing session!!    

Q. Why do you think senior portraits are important?  

A. I think senior portraits are important because they capture who you are your last year in high school before you move on to bigger and better things. I think these are the pictures that will last a lifetime and you will always be able to look back on them!  

Q. Why did you choose Tara Rochelle to take your senior pictures?  

A. Tara shot my family photos when I was 8 years old and they were amazing! I’ve also had many many older friends who had their senior portraits done by her and I lovedddd them!! I wanted to have that experience for myself my senior year. I had been following Tara on social media for a long time, so I always knew I wanted her to be the one to shoot my portraits!

If you loved Maddie’s simplistic, beach style senior portraits in downtown Ventura, check out Lexy’s fun Senior Portraits in Santa Barbara California!