#senior session

I met Allison and her mom, Christa, on a warm Friday afternoon on the UNM campus, where we were able to get a variety of photos of Allison for her Senior Portrait Album! It was a pleasure to work with these wonderful ladies on this photoshoot, and Allison knocked it out of the park with these photos!

Have you ever noticed how we all seem to be trained to look at a camera anytime someone pulls one out? It doesn’t matter what kind of camera it is, either! It could be a phone camera, a pro-grade DSLR, or a point-n-shoot, any time someone pulls one out to take a picture of a moment, we all stop what we’re doing and look at the camera! Now, there is a reason that we’ve been trained to do this, but this isn’t necessarily what we should be doing any more.

When photography was first invented, creating a single image took upwards of 5 minutes. It took this long because the chemical reaction that actually caused the recording of the image took that long to gather enough exposure to light to fully react and record the image. During those 5 minutes, people couldn’t move, because if they did, their image would become blurred and would effectively be ruined. This is why most antique images feature people who aren’t smiling. And, because the process was so expensive, of course people wanted images of their faces to preserve what they looked like! So, we became trained to look at the camera over time!

But, as time and technology have progressed, we have achieved the ability to take hundreds of photographs in less than an hour’s time. We can afford to take many different versions of poses quickly and effectively, and so capturing special moments of interaction have become possible. These moments of connection with loved ones, especially on special occasions, are so important! It is argued that these moments of connection are what separate us from the animals. They are the moments we live and love for. And, often they are the reason someone pulls out a camera in the first place!

Estevan is one of the most impressive young men I know! He has overcome so many challenges in his young life, that it’s hard to even know where to begin writing this blog post! See, Estevan has a fused spine and Autism, but NEVER has he let those things get in the way of anything he wants to accomplish!

Estevan has run Cross-Country for the last four years at Los Lunas High School, finally earning his Letter this year. He also runs Track for his High School Track and Field team. Estevan LOVES to participate in these sports because they keep him outside- a place he loves to be! And, after attending one of his meets last year, I can see why his teammates adore him! He is a one-man cheerleading squad for his teammates when he’s not running himself! He is the definition of a team player.

Estevan’s other interests include playing video games on his X-Box, going to see movies in the theater, and hanging out with friends. He’s most looking forward to his actual graduation ceremony in the spring, as well as showing his underclassmen friends that despite their obstacles, they shouldn’t let anything bring them down.

When he gets to college, he plans to study science. He’s passionate about paleontology, having a great interest in dinosaurs. I’m pretty sure he’s planning on attending UNM so that he can stay close to home and family.

In honor of his graduation, Estevan and his family are planning a trip to New York City to celebrate.