15 Jun Session Share: A First Communion, from Kathleen Papageorgiou, of Jules and George Photography
Inspiration: I took my inspiration for this session from two key elements. The first was this young lady’s flowing red locks. Because her mother sent me a snapshot before our session, I knew what I was working with and both her mother and I wanted to feature her hair long and loose, with some simple adornment. My second inspiration came from the custom First Communion dress I knew Emma would wear. Since she would be dressed in white, I planned some strategic pops of color to infuse sentiments of spring and childhood into the photos. I also knew I would have some very rich opportunities for black and white imagery with the dress and the dramatic lighting inside the church. To say I was excited is an understatement!
Favorite Moment: When we walked into the quiet church, Emma needed no direction whatsoever. She immediately assumed a very calm demeanor (we had been goofing around just prior to this, telling jokes and laughing. Keep in mind, she’s seven! I was impressed). She became serene and just internalized the peacefulness of the tiny church.
Biggest Challenge: The biggest challenge of this session came a week before the session. I had a very difficult time getting permission to photograph inside any local Catholic church. After calling around, wringing my hands a bit, contemplating a plan B …. this lovely church graciously agreed to let us in. Since it is in the small town where my clients live, and they drive by it every day, it has significance for them and ended up being a perfect match.
Final Thoughts: I very much wanted to expand this session so that it wasn’t solely about capturing her important milestone of First Holy Communion. Of course, the special dress and church setting were crucial, but equally as important was capturing Emma’s spirit. By including a casual outfit in with this session, and conducting this part prior to the church portion, I achieved my goal of photographing a relaxed, carefree Emma and carrying that feeling into the more formal part of our day. Once the church photos were accomplished, we came full circle and had Emma kick off her mary-janes and let down her hair. While still wearing the dress, Emma went barefoot in the grass for some well-earned twirling. It was ideal!
Kathleen, thank you for sharing a lovely girl, and a lovely session with us. We are so impressed by your dedication to finding the perfect setting for your client!
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