ALYSSA

ALYSSA | HALF MOON BAY SENIOR PORTRAITS

Senior Portraits | Class of 2027 | Half Moon Bay, California

Alyssa is a high school senior, and before this session, the only portraits she'd ever had taken were on school picture day. So we traded the gym backdrop for a beach in Half Moon Bay, a golden evening, and plenty of room to just be herself.

She brought two things that mean a lot to her: the stuffed dog she's had since she was little, and her Bible. Both ended up being some of my favorite parts of the gallery.

High school senior in a cream satin dress smiling over her shoulder as waves break behind her on a Half Moon Bay beach
Senior girl walking barefoot along the shoreline at golden hour, glancing back at the camera in Half Moon Bay
Senior leaning against a golden sandstone rock and smiling at the camera on a Half Moon Bay beach
High school senior walking along the water's edge with the Half Moon Bay coastline and hills in the distance
Candid wide shot of a high school senior near the waves, sun glowing over the Half Moon Bay coastline
Backlit golden hour senior portrait of a girl brushing her hair back on the sand in Half Moon Bay
Class of 2027 senior smiling beside the ocean during her senior portrait session in Half Moon Bay, California
Senior walking toward the ocean at sunset, her footprints trailing across the sand in Half Moon Bay
High school senior standing among ice plant on the coastal bluffs, looking back over her shoulder in Half Moon Bay
Senior in a cream dress standing on a green and orange ice plant bluff above the ocean in Half Moon Bay
Close-up senior portrait of a girl resting her chin on her arm while holding her childhood stuffed dog
High school senior sitting in the sand hugging her childhood stuffed dog at golden hour in Half Moon Bay
Senior sitting in the sand with her arms around her knees, smiling at golden hour on a Half Moon Bay beach
Senior holding her Bible and smiling over her shoulder on the dunes above a Half Moon Bay beach
High school senior sitting on the dunes reading her Bible in golden light at Half Moon Bay
Senior lying in the sand reading her Bible in warm sunset light at a Half Moon Bay beach

We started down by the water while the light was still bright. A few classic portraits first, then a lot of walking, wind in her hair, and the in-between moments where nobody's really posing anymore.

Then we headed up to the bluffs, where the ice plant was glowing in the late sun. It gave us a completely different feel without ever leaving the beach.

Back on the sand, out came the stuffed dog. There's something about bringing a piece of your childhood to your senior portraits that just gets me. It's a little bit of who she was, sitting right next to who she's becoming.

We saved the Bible for golden hour. Alyssa's faith is a big part of her story, and we didn't want it to feel like a prop. So we kept those photos simple: her, the pages, and the last of the sun.

Your senior portraits should feel like you, not a school picture. If there's something that makes you, you, whether it's a guitar, a jersey, a stuffed animal you're not ready to part with, or the book you reach for every day, bring it along. I'd love to plan a session around it.

See more of my work at here, or check current availability for your own session.