Andi Andi…. What a gem of a young woman with such a beautiful smile. Andi is super easy going and chill, and has that cool girl next door look about her. Such a pretty and fun girl. For our shoot, something in the hills seemed to suit Andi and her awesome style, so we ventured out near Carbon Canyon Park after a visit to the Grand, and my incredible stylist Bree. For this Saturday morning shoot we started out with this fabulous rusty gate {bless their hearts, Andi and her mom both were up quite early so we could shoot without dealing with overhead midday light}. Parked nearby were all sorts of passerby- many people mountain biking, hiking, or.. lucky us.. horseback riding. I must give credit to Andi’s mom, who spotted our beautiful friend from afar. Woman after my own heart, she was after the owner of that gorgeous horse calling out to him. It was really cute when Andi and I approached him, he told us his horses name {Buttercup? Wildflower? Ahhh…. shoot.. what was her name!?!}… but the best part was how this gorgeous animal interacted with my gorgeous Senior; giving kisses, and posing for the camera. Now, it must be said.. this was unplanned. Andi is not an equestrian; I didn’t take her to horse country because of a love of horses… (BUT how cool would it have been had she been?! I know.. I’m just not that awesome to be able to maneuver such a idyllic situation on the spot.. but still.. it was pretty rad}.
After our lovely adventure in the hills, we moved on to a stable area. A few years ago when the fires took over Brea, a local Brea stable had partially burned down and left behind this awesome reddish, rusty looking structure. I’d driven past it for months, and yet haven’t been over there in about a month. So I was completely surprised when what I wanted had been plowed to the ground.. confession- yes, I sometimes have to improvise on shoots. I had really wanted those stables for Andi and had been saving the location for her for some time.. so it was a major bummer when it was gone. BUT… score… we used this fantastic horse training area at the stables. It was perfect actually- all sorts of fabulous architectural lines. I loved that location, so it all worked out.. whew {as I drag the top of my hand across my forehead}….
The last part of our shoot is probably the most special. When I called Andi to discuss her shoot several days earlier, I mentioned that her last outfit should be something meaningful, or special.. perhaps her cheer uniform, or some special memory from her childhood. Her response to me was to do something for her mom. For many who don’t know Andi and her family, Andi’s mom is a breast cancer survivor who fairly recently went through the difficulty and stress of recovery. What a beautiful child; to want to do something special for mom in that way. As we discussed it, I felt it would be fun and less obvious if we simply used pink balloons for the shoot, and experimented with that. Andi is also in the process of starting a fund-raising program in Placentia that is supporting and raising funds for breast cancer research- what a young woman! So so special. It was such a pleasure to photograph Andi with this in mind, and to know how much this family has endured. I love the strength in her poses and the joy behind them. Incredible. I seriously love this family. And PS.. I’m totally in love with Andi’s black dress… I want it to be mine!!!
Andi.. girl… you kill it! Count me in for help with fund-raising. It is incredible what you are doing, and I know that this year, your last high school year, is going to be filled with blessings and joy as you pursue your dreams and achieve your goals! Much love!