Ty | Wheatland, WY Senior Photogrpaher

Back in Wyoming, August means only one thing.

Not Back-to-School Time.

Not Soak-up-the-end-of-the-summer-by-the-pool Time

No, no my friends. August in Wyoming is County Fair Time. Ty's mom and I were unsure about when the best time for scheduling Ty's session since their county fair would just be wrapping up and state fair would kick off soon after. I knew that Ty really wanted to have some shots with his show steers so we decided to kick off the session at at the ole Platte County Fair.

Instead of just shooting him and his steers in a nice patch of green grass with trees, I opted for keeping context in the photos and shooting them right by his stall set up at the fair. Plus, we could get his family's farm sign in the background, which is kinda neat.

Ty is so soft spoken (and uber smart!) I had to work my tail off to get a chuckle out of the kid. 

We got to spend part of our session at, hands down, one of the coolest locations I've had the chance to shoot in - an old sugar beet processing plant. You can see more about the great location here.

Ahhh, I just adore this photo in B/W...

 We found ourselves back at Ty's farm as our session was winding up, and as I walked past this old barn stacked full of hay, I knew it would be a winner. The light from the big door was just perfect and the setting was fitting for an country boy from Wyoming. Dontcha think?!?

Pensive. Serious. Intelligent. Just a great BigStar Senior!

-KB

Boys | Class of 2012 Recap

Girls have gorgeous long hair, super fun clothes, sky-high heels and bright, glossy lips.

Ok, let me re-phrase this...

Girls have gorgeous long hair that constantly blows in crazy directions,
Super fun clothes that are too tight/gap/sag/or skew just enough to throw a great shot off,
Sky-high heels that are anything but practical,
and bright, glossy lips that never fail to attract fly-away hair

Girls are so glam and natural to photograph, don't get me wrong, I love photographing girls. But boys... Boys are just...easier.

Just easier in the sense that we just get to hang out for 90 minutes and shoot the breeze without this photog constantly checking makeup/clothes/hair/sanity (just kidding!) And that's precisely what I was able to do with my two senior boys from the Class of 2012.

Colby and I met over in Laramie, WY at the Albany County Fairgrounds on a very windy day, which meant I didn't have to be on Hair Lookout throughout our whole session. With a Polo sweater, starched jeans and square toe boots, Colby's style is just so cowboy hip. I totally dig it!

For the second part of his session, Colby took me across the yard to his grandparents' horse barn. Choosing a session location is always so much fun for me. It provides a feel and theme for the photographs I make and when I have a chance to shoot in a location that my senior has a personal connection with...well, it's just the icing on the cake!

Teddy was my other senior boy in the BigStar Class of 2012 and hailed from my alma mater, the Cheyenne Central High School. Together, we hit up one of my favorite locations in Chey-town. Located in North Cheyenne, the Bar X subdivision was built on land originally owned by an area farm family. The few outbuildings still remaining are in great shape and surrounded by trees, tall grass and rusty gold, known to most as "junk."

With Teddy in tow, we were able to sneak into Frontier Park, home of the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo. Ok, there wasn't much sneaking. The gate was open...With so much history behind "The Daddy of 'em All," it's no surprise that we found ourselves in one of the horse barns that's seen rodeo traffic year after year.

Typically my photos have a super fresh, sunny feel, but this location was perfect for some low key photos using the big sliding doors as a natural softbox. So much fun!

Hands down, these guys were a blast to work with. And you know the funny part? Earlier this year, both were chosen to serve the Wyoming FFA as State Officers. (Fun Photog Fact: I was a FFA member and the 2005-2006 Wyoming FFA Secretary.) So, I had the chance to photograph them together when I worked for the Wyoming FFA Foundation as the official photographer for the Wyoming FFA Convention.

My goal is to tailor each session to complement the personality and interests of each BigStar Senior that I photograph. Boy or girl, city or country, hipster or jock; each of my seniors are a rockstar in their own way and it's just a ton of fun to create images reflecting them.

Sadey | Class of 2012 Recap

When the Facebook message came in from her FFA advisor at Laramie High, I couldn't have been more relieved. Got your email. I have a girl who would be perfect for the job. Motivated, smart, personable and interested in photography. With the 2011 Wyoming FFA Convention just around the corner, I had put a call out to area FFA advisors in search of an intern to help me through the week's events.

And that's how I met Sadey.

After the Convention wrapped up we stayed in touch; I loved hearing about her journey into photography. So it's safe to say that I was ecstatic when she asked me to be her senior photographer. A kinder-hearted, sweeter, harder working girl than Sadey would be tough to find. On top of it all, she's a total cutie and made my job behind the lens soooo easy.

She's just such a darling! I cannot get over her eyes - so pretty!

Always with a quick smile, even at my lame jokes. Reason #4,235 that she's one of my favs!

And my favorite shot of our session...

Pretty. Dreamy. Natural. Romantic. My heart sings. :)