Meet Aunika

Kennedy High School, Class of 2027, and honestly one of the most easygoing seniors I've photographed in a while. We started her session in uptown Marion, then made our way over to Wanatee Park for the second half, and the two locations gave us two completely different feels in just one afternoon.

We kicked things off uptown with her first look which was jeans, a plain white tank, and Birkenstocks. Simple, comfortable, and exactly the kind of casual, candid energy that makes for my favorite kind of senior photos. I love the character Marion gives without trying too hard, and we tucked into a few shaded spots to keep the midday sun from working against us.

On our way from uptown to Wanatee, we made a quick detour to a little spot I'd been wanting to try for a while tucked in right off the roundabout by Starbucks. It's the kind of place most people in Marion drive past every single day without a second look, but it turned out to be exactly the hidden gem I was hoping for. I'm not giving away the exact location (a girl's gotta have her secret spots), but it's proof that some of the best backdrops in this town are hiding in plain sight.

From there, we headed to Wanatee Park, starting near the tall grass and water while she was still in her casual first look. This is where my favorite little unplanned moment happened. Aunika picked a few wildflowers along the way and tucked them into her pocket, and it ended up being the kind of small, candid detail that makes a session feel like her, not just a posed photoshoot.

After that, she changed into outfit number two for the flower field: a long, off-white lace dress that was about as dreamy as it sounds. It was the ideal way to close out the session.

Here's the thing about this session, it was early afternoon and it was hot. Like, really hot. We shot from 1:00 to 2:30 in the direct heat of the afternoon, and I was constantly scanning for shade, adjusting angles, and trying to keep both of us from melting. Aunika never once complained. Not about the heat, not about switching outfits in it, none of it. She just kept showing up for every shot with the same easy confidence, and it shows in every single image.

You'd never guess from these photos that we were both silently dying out there. That's the part I love about sessions like this and the final gallery only shows the good stuff, but I'll always remember the senior who just rolled with it.

If you're a Kennedy senior (or anywhere in the Cedar Rapids/Marion area) looking for a session that feels this relaxed, [let's chat about your own senior session].