Senior Portraits Charlottesville | Alley – LCHS – Class of 2016

Alley | Louisa County High School – 2016

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! I had a blast with my family but it’s time to get back to updating my senior portrait blog posts! This has been my busiest fall ever and I am honored that so many people in the Charlottesville area have chosen me as their senior portrait photographer!

Today I’d like to introduce Alley, a senior from Louisa County High School’s Class of 2016. When Cathy (Alley’s mother) first contacted me to set up a session, she told me that they were relatively new to the area. Although they live in Louisa, Alley is a city girl at heart so they wanted something urban but weren’t sure where to go. Luckily, I LOVE urban sessions and knew the perfect spots to take them.

I’m sure it can be a little nerve-wracking to have a portrait session when you’ve never even met the photographer before. That’s why I suggested an in person consultation before the actual session date. Alley and Cathy came to my studio and brought along the outfits Alley was contemplating wearing. She had SO many great choices, it was hard to choose but we finally narrowed it down a bit.

We then talked about her hair & make-up for the session and I showed examples of the different urban areas we could use. Of course we also talked about Alley’s love of reading, (I feel the same way), our favorite movies and tv shows and bunch of other non-photography topics! I had so much fun meeting them both and I knew the session was going to be fantastic!!

On the day of the session, we met at one of my go-to locations in Charlottesville for urban sessions. I love all the different colored buildings and I always manage to find some interesting details there that I’ve missed in the past. The weather was absolutely perfect and Alley looked so amazing!

Good gravy Alley, you’re killing me…your eyes are so very gorgeous! She was a natural in front of the camera, and could change from smiling to a smoking serious look at the drop of a hat!

A quick outfit change and we continued on with the session. I am absolutely in love with this denim jacket with the leather sleeves!! Funny side note about the photo on the right. In order to get the perspective I wanted with the clouds behind Alley, I had to get down really, really low. You should have seen me sprawled out flat on the ground, trying to avoid the cigarette butts that were scattered about! 🙂

I’ve said it time and time again but one of the best things about urban sessions is how different they can be! I’ve used this location many time in the past but this time, one of the stores had their rolling garage door open. How fabulous is this blue screen behind Alley? The addition of the hanging globes were icing on the cake!

We then moved onto another favorite urban location in Charlottesville, the IX Art Park. This is another place that is always changing but remains super cool no matter what they do to it!!

Remember me talking about Alley’s love of reading? I thought this was the perfect place to add it into her session. I’m sure the people at the Art Park must have though I was crazy when we drug all these books out of my van but I didn’t care. I knew the photos were going to look fantastic!!!

In my opinion, it isn’t an urban session if you don’t take at least a few photos in a parking garage…especially if you’re rocking a leather jacket & boots combined with a sparkly dress! Alley, I kid you not, you look like a rock star!!

At the end of the session we were rewarded with the most amazing sunset! It always amazes me that depending on where you stand right before dusk, the sky can look completely different!

Senior Portraits Charlottesville - Ali Johnson Photography (16)

The sky kept changing colors so I had Alley switch into her last outfit. I knew that we had to take a few photos with her Nirvana shirt (a band that I love by the way!) and this was the perfect place to do it! This last series of photos are some of my favorites ever! The dramatic sky coupled with Alley’s red lips and her cat eyeliner are absolute perfection!!

Thank so much for a wonderful afternoon Alley & Cathy! I had SO much fun with you guys (we literally spent most of the session laughing!) and I didn’t want the session to end! Good luck with your future plans Alley and enjoy the rest of your senior year!

CLASS of 2017 – Have you applied to be an AJP spokesmodel yet? If you’re interested, find out more information here.

CLASS of 2016 – Though I do have a few winter openings available both in the studio and outdoors, if you’d prefer a spring session it’s never too early to get on my calendar. Contact me today to schedule your session! | 434.906.0418 | photos@alijohnson.com

Ali Johnson is a portrait photographer specializing in senior portraits in Charlottesville, Albemarle, Louisa and Fluvanna County VA

January 8, 2016January 11, 2016

Senior Portraits Charlottesville | Brianna – FCHS – Class of 2016

Brianna | Fluvanna County High School – 2016

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! I loved spending time with my family but now it’s time to get back to updating my senior portrait blog posts! This has been my busiest fall ever and I am honored that so many people in the Charlottesville area have chosen me as their senior portrait photographer!

Tonight on my blog we have Brianna, one my awesome senior reps for Fluvanna County High School’s Class of 2016. I photographed her back in March with the rest of my 2016 reps and then again in June when I took her yearbook photo but this was my first time having a session with just Bri!

I’m not sure if you guys remember but back in September, we had a ton of rain. I mean a TON…it seemed like it rained forever!! For photographers that schedule sessions every weekend, this can be a total pain! Thankfully I have a studio that I can use as a back-up plan.

Though I’m very happy to have my studio as an option, I was a little bummed that I couldn’t photo Brianna outside. That quickly changed though when I saw all of the wonderful outfits she’d brought with her! She was crowned Miss Fluvanna 2014 and has so many beautiful prom/pageant dresses..I was in heaven!

We started out with a casual outfit but then decided to have the rest of the outfits be about glamour and drama!

Senior Portraits Charlottesville

Seniors often ask me what they should wear for their session and my number one answer is layers! This is a perfect example of why…all it took was a quick removal of her denim shirt and we had a different look for Bri!

Senior Portraits Charlottesville

We upped the glam level with her next outfit by adding in some pearls and sparkly shoes. Bri can totally rock the serious model stare but you can see that she couldn’t hide her true bubbly personality for very long! SO adorable!!

Charlottesville senior portraits ali Johnson Photography (4)

Then it was time for full on elegance with the rest of Briana’s outfits. As she changed into her first gown, I changed up my lighting to have more of a dramatic feeling. Brianna, you are absolutely gorgeous!!

Another thing I love about studio sessions, is that we get a change to play around with my style closet. I had Bri try on a sequined mini-dress that I had. She looked incredible in it, but wanted the photos to have more of an elegant feel to them. We took some black sequined fabric I had, wrapped it around her waist and ended up with an amazing impromptu long dress! She looked so regal and powerful in it, I had to take one with her Miss Fluvanna crown!

A quick background change as she changed into another fabulous outfit. I love this color on you Brianna and the texture in the dress is fantastic! 🙂

Charlottesville senior portraits ali Johnson Photography (11)

We ended up the session with? You guessed it…another incredible gown! This time though we changed it up a bit. Brianna is an amazing athlete so we wanted to give a quick nod to the sports she plays: softball, basketball and volleyball. Smart, beautiful and athletic? She’s a triple threat! 🙂

When Brianna applied to be one of my senior reps last year, she wrote in her application “I enjoy doing things in our community and helping others. My passion is for children that have had to endure cancer. I lost my very best friend at 13 from cancer and I wish to make a positive impact one day in fighting that dreadful disease.” That really touched me and I thought that this was a very sweet way for her to pay a tribute to the friend she lost. Brianna recently passed the Virginia state board test and became a registered CNA (Certified Nursing Assistant). I know her family is super proud of her and all the amazing ways she’ll be helping people!

Thank you so much for a fabulous afternoon Brianna and Pam (Bri’s wonderful mother)! I had the BEST time with you guys and look forward to both your color inspired session and the outdoor part of your session this spring.

CLASS of 2017 – Have you applied to be an AJP spokesmodel yet? If you’re interested, find out more information here.

Ali Johnson is a portrait photographer specializing in senior portraits in Charlottesville, Albemarle, Louisa and Fluvanna County VA

December 14, 2015January 10, 2016

Senior Portraits Charlottesville | Miranda – FCHS – Class of 2016

Miranda | Fluvanna County High School – 2016

I’m slowly but surely getting caught up on my senior portrait blog posts! This has been my busiest fall ever and I am honored that so many people in the Charlottesville area have chosen me as their senior portrait photographer!

Tonight on my blog we have Miranda, a senior from Fluvanna County High School. I first met Miranda in June when she came to me for her yearbook photo. I mentioned her how fantastic her make-up looked (those eyes, those cheekbones!) and she told me she was studying cosmetology in school. We discussed her being my make-up artist and she was totally on board! I’ve been wanting to incorporate make-up into my sessions for those that are interested so it was perfect timing!

During her yearbook session, we talked a little bit about her upcoming lifestyle session in October. We went over clothing choices and locations, and Miranda decided she’d have part of her session in the studio, incorporating her love of cosmetology and part outside. I was so looking forward to it but Mother Nature had different plans for us!

When the day of Miranda’s session finally rolled around, we were in the middle of almost two straight weeks of rain! We went ahead with the studio portion of session but unfortunately had to postpone the outdoor part. Any disappointment I might have had dissapeared when I saw all of the incredible outfits and props she brought with her to my studio!

Miranda wants to go to Liberty University in the future so this was the perfect way to show her excitement! She also painted this Class of 2016 sign…totally adorable!!

After we took some photos of Miranda in a casual outfit, we decided to go full on glamour with the rest of her outfits! She looks so beautiful and regal in these series of photos and my gold chair was the perfect addition!

Charlottesville senior portraits ali Johnson Photography (6)

Miranda had SO many fantastic outfits with her, I felt a little like I was playing dress up with a life-sized Barbie! I got a little more dramatic with my lighting and even pulled out my sparkly background to add a little extra razzel-dazzle to the photos.

Charlottesville-senior-portraits-ali-Johnson-Photography-(15-1)

Another fabulous outfit change! Holy cow Miranda, I love these photos! You look like you’re six feet tall! 🙂

senior portraits charlottesville

We ended the session with a few photos to show Miranda’s love of make-up. They brought along a super cool mirror from home that they’ve had for quite sometime. When Miranda’s mom told me that Miranda usually does her make-up sitting on the floor in front of a mirror, I knew exactly what I wanted to do!

senior portraits charlottesville ali Johnson Photography (12)

I absolutely adore her expression in theses photos…especially the one where she’s holding the hair dryer!

senior portraits charlottesville ali Johnson Photography (14)

I has SO much fun with Miranda and her mom and can not wait until we have the outdoor part of her session this spring.

CLASS of 2016 – Though I do have a few winter openings available both in the studio and outdoors, it’s never too early to get on my spring calendar, contact me today! | 434.906.0418 | photos@alijohnson.com

Ali Johnson is a portrait photographer specializing in senior portraits in Charlottesville, Albemarle, Louisa and Fluvanna County VA

December 13, 2015January 10, 2016

Senior Portraits Charlottesville| Landon – LCHS – Class of 2016

Senior Portraits Charlottesville

Landon | Louisa County High School – 2016

Today on my blog we have Landon, a senior from Louis County High School. I first met Landon and his father in July when they came to my studio for a yearbook photo session. Landon had his outdoor session scheduled in September so I was happy that I had the opportunity to meet him beforehand. It helps to give me a glimpse of their personalities before the big day!

Landon was so easy to work with during the yearbook session! In no time flat we had this fantastic yearbook photo and they were on their way back to Louisa. With all of my yearbook photos, I edit and resize them to the precise yearbook specifications and then deliver the files to the yearbook adviser myself. It’s one less thing that you have to worry about with your senior year!

Summer flew by and before I knew it, it was time for Landon’s lifestyle session outdoors! I met Landon and his parents one beautiful afternoon in downtown Palmyra.

Landon brought his Celtic’s hat and jacket with him and I was beyond excited! That’s one of the many things I love about lifestyle sessions! While he looked fantastic in his formal yearbook photo, his lifestyle session really let his personality shine through!

Senior Portraits Charlottesville

I love that within this small area, I can get so many different looks out of a session. We were in the middle of Fluvanna County but managed to get a both natural and a little bit of an urban feel to the photos. It was the perfect combination with Landon’s awesome style.

Senior Portraits Charlottesville

Landon had said that he wasn’t sure if he wanted to smile in his photos but thankfully, that changed! He has the most amazing smile, it would have been a shame not to show it!

Senior Photography Charlottesville Ali Johnson Photography (10)

Thank you for a fantastic session Landon! I really enjoyed getting to spend time with you and your parents. Enjoy the rest of your senior year and good luck with your future plans.

CLASS of 2016 – Though I do have a few winter openings available but in the studio and outdoors, it’s never too early to get on my spring calendar, contact me today! | 434.906.0418 | photos@alijohnson.com

Ali Johnson is a portrait photographer specializing in senior portraits in Charlottesville, Albemarle, Louisa and Fluvanna County VA

December 12, 2015January 10, 2016

Senior Photography Charlottesville | Makayla – FCHS – Class of 2016

Makayla | Fluvanna County High School – 2016

I’m slowly but surely getting caught up on my blog posts! This has been my busiest fall ever and I am honored that so many seniors in Charlottesville amd the surrounding area have chosen me to document this important time in their lives!

Though the majority of my senior session take place outside, I love it when someone decides to have their senior photography session in my studio! It’s perfect because we can literally have the session anytime of day, in any kind of weather…we have much more flexiblity than with an outdoor session. That’s why I was happy to photograph Makayla, an adorable senior from Fluvanna County High School one evening after school.

First we took her yearbook photo and then we moved onto the fun stuff! Don’t get me wrong, formal yearbook photos are great and Makayla looks absolutely gorgeous (her eyes are SO beautiful!) but changing up your outfit really allows your own personality shine through!

Senior Photography Charlottesville Ali Johnson Photography (5)

Makayla brought the best outfits with her, right down to her shoes. If my feet weren’t so big, I might have been tempted “misplace” a few pairs of them behind a backdrop! 🙂 I was so glad that she took my suggestion to wear this sparkly tank top that I have in my style closet. It added the perfect touch of glamour to go along with these photos.

While she quickly changed her outfit, I switched out my backdrop and we continued on with the session. Makayla wasn’t feeling well that day but you’d never know it. She managed to look stunning throughout the entire session!

Another quick outfit change but this time, I used a purple gel to light up the background. This was my first time doing this and I was thrilled with the results! Not only did it perfectly match Mayakla’s dress but it’s so cool to be able to make my grey background, any color that I want!

Senior Photography Charlottesville Ali Johnson Photography (6)

Thanks for a wonderful session Makayla! I had so much fun with you and your parents. Enjoy the rest of your senior year and good luck with your future plans. Oh and congratulations on passing your CNA exam! I know you’ll make an amazing nurse!

CLASS of 2016 – Though I do have a few winter openings availablebut in the studio and outdoors, it’s never too early to get on my spring calendar, contact me today! | 434.906.0418 | photos@alijohnson.com

Ali Johnson is a portrait photographer specializing in senior portrait photography in Charlottesville, Crozet, Keswick, Albemarle and Fluvanna County VA

December 11, 2015January 10, 2016

Senior Photography Charlottesville | Dorothy – FCHS – Class of 2016

Dorothy | Fluvanna County High School – 2016

I’m slowly but surely getting caught up on my blog posts! This has been my busiest fall ever and I am honored that so many seniors in the Charlottesville area have chosen me to document this important time in their lives!

Though the majority of my senior session take place outside, I love it when someone decides to have their session in my studio! It’s perfect because we can literally have the session anytime of day, in any kind of weather! When Dorothy, a beautiful senior from Fluvanna County High School contacted me about a studio session, I was really excited!

Not was Dorothy crowned Miss Fluvanna 2015, she was also selected as the 2016 Charlottesville Dogwood Queen! Her parents were telling me a little bit about what is involved to be chosen as Dogwood Queen and I have to say, I’m impressed but I’m not surprised. I didn’t spend that much time around her but I could tell was a sweet and kind person she is!

Senior Photography Charlottesville Ali Johnson Photography (4)

After I took a few photos of Dorothy wearing her crowns (a first for me!) we moved on to her yearbook photo and other outfits. Not only is she such a sweet girl but she is drop dead gorgeous too!

This photo may be one of my all time favorites! Dorothy, your eyes are absolutely amazing! You have such an elegant old Hollywood look to you…I swear you remind me of a young Bette Davis!

Senior Photography Charlottesville Ali Johnson Photography (8)

Thanks for a wonderful session Dorothy! I had so much fun with you and your parents. Especially your father…he keep cracking me up! 🙂 Enjoy the rest of your senior year and good luck with your future plans. I know you’ll do amazing things with your life!

CLASS of 2016 – Though I do have a few winter openings available, it’s never too early to get on my spring calendar, contact me today! | 434.906.0418 | photos@alijohnson.com

Ali Johnson is a portrait photographer specializing in senior portrait photography in Charlottesville, Crozet, Keswick, Albemarle and Fluvanna County VA

December 8, 2015January 19, 2020

Senior Photography Charlottesville | Lexi – FCHS – Class of 2016

Lexi | Fluvanna County High School – 2016

Things have been so busy around here, I’ve fallen way behind on my blog posts! I’m not complaining though, I love senior photography and am honored that so many seniors in the Charlottesville area have chosen me to document this time in their lives!