Kylee.... a fellow creative...Oh how I love that you push the limits and allow me to feel extra creative in this tiny little town. Earlier this year Kylee had the awesome idea to do her first session at the fair and it was AMAZING!! We stuck to downtown Lima for the 2nd half and I was not disappointed at all when she showed up in her sweet pink fur coat <3 <3 

Alexis is one of our 2019 senior models! She split her 2 hour senior session in two. First we explored downtown Lima and second popped on over to Bluftton...I always love visiting the home town <3 

This girl can ROCK a serious face....but of course we had to throw in some smiles for the momma :)

Working with Deacon was so fun! I work with a lot of senior girls...and I love each and every one of them ♥ I really do, but it was nice to switch it up with a good looking guy like Deacon. He was willing to do everything I asked and he totally thought I was hilarious (no he didn't but he would humor me and laugh occasionally lol) I had a great time hanging with him and his mama...I don't know about that first shirt he wore though ;) 

Friends the Fall busy season is in full swing! It is crazy, but also awesome to photograph so many amazing people! In the meantime.... this time of year my blog can fall a bit behind. 

Back in AUGUST...(yikes) I got to photograph this beauty at a super neat property in the Shawnee area <3 Shaylen was one of our senior models this year so of course she was a natural. 

Just stop it..... I LOOOOVEEEEE this senior session!! How fun!! Kylee is one of our 2019 Senior Models. I knew from working with her earlier this year that she is a beautifully unique individual so I was not surprised when she asked to do part 1 of her session at the fair. It honestly fit her so well with all the bright color and was so different than what other people were doing. I loved every minute it of it and I know I looked like a crazy person squatting down in the middle of the midway to get a shot and asking to sit on the skiball. But I honestly don't care...I have come so far since I started my business! I used to get nervous taking a client near a busy street where...gasp... people could see us. Now if you are close to me during a shoot, you BETTER be watching, because I will probably back right over you lol. Can I get a back up beeper made for a human???

We chose downtown Wapak and The Temple of Tolerance for part 1 of Cammy's senior session. I seriously had so much fun with her! She was instantly at ease in front of the camera and giving me micro-movements without coaching <3 This girl killed it! 

I seriously don't know how we keep getting SOOO lucky with our beautiful models each year!!! These 5 were so easy to work with and so freaking gorgeous! Simply Torn and Beauty by Jill knocked it out of the park again and the icing on the cake was our beautiful location at the gorgeous Jameson Manor. Everything flowed together beautifully, and I couldn't be happier with the results.

​We started out again at Beauty by Jill, where they warned the girls that this shoot is supposed to be a little out of the box so they won't be getting looks they would normally wear :) The makeup line that was used is actually a product of a Lima native. The line called Macy & Mia is super fun and affordable! They have the cutest unicorn makeup brushes, really fun colors and is available for purchase at Beauty by Jill on Main! 

​Everything went perfectly and we were even ready to head to location a half hour early! Way to go Beauty by Jill team!! Once at location Jamie and Jenna of Simply Torn put their sweet skills to work styling the outfits from top to bottom, complete with adorable gold tattoos <3 

​Jameson Manor is such a cool place and we literally spent 2/3rds of the shoot in 1 room!! I love to photograph there and I have photographed everything from bridal prep, cocktail hour, boudoir, and now this fun fashion shoot! If you are looking for a sweet and unique place for a shower, wedding, graduation party, or any other event this is the place for you! 

​These girls are representing our brands this year and did an amazing job at the shoot. They will be posting these pictures all year long but they also have some digital coupons for Simply Torn to send you, so get in touch with them if you'd like to get some sweet savings at this awesome boutique!

​Without further ado.... the 2019 Senior Models...

All dolled up...off to Jameson! 

Time to shoot!! 

That's me :D  I had my wedding 2nd shooter with me (AKA my mommy) This is one of the behind the scenes she captured...I'm pretty sure I am telling them how much I LOOOOVEE this and how excited I am....oh and how hot I was. Man I get so toasty when I shoot lol...thought I was going to have to strip down to my tank top after 5 minutes...after seeing how many behind the scenes photos made it online from our entourage (the models fams), I'm sooo glad I didn't bahaha... Okay back to the beauties <3 

It's Senior Model time again!!! Man....we have had a heck of a time getting our paint shoot scheduled! Mother Nature has not been on our side at all. This shoot may look like a fun time, and it is! But fun isn't the only reason we do this shoot. Most of these girls each year have never met so we use this time as an icebreaker before tossing them into the styled group shoot and tell them to pile in and get close :) It is also a great time for them to get to know how I work behind the camera and get a little more comfortable in front of the lens while other people are watching. Needless to say I was starting to get nervous that we hadn't had a day work out for the shoot when we were only a little over a week out from the styled shoot! Thankfully Mother Nature decided to meet us half way and gave us 70 degrees with 18 mph winds...ok Nature we will roll with it, thanks for the natural "model fan look" lol. Unfortunately this shoot is not complete :( one of our models, Jaden, got called in to work at the last minute. We missed her greatly and wished we could have tried to reschedule again! I can't wait for you all to see her in the styled shoot pictures because she is gorgeous!

​We had a lot of fun again this year and tried switching it up. Normally we do a mini shoot before the paint fight to go over the way I shoot then have fun at the end with the paint. This year we started with the paint and modeled with the paint on them. I'm IN LOVE!!! I think it looks amazing and I love the contrast of the serious faces modeling through the silly paint. These girls were a breeze to work with and I can't wait to see them all together with their AMAZING looks provided by Simply Torn and Beauty by Jill at our BEAUTIFUL venue Jameson Manor!! EEEEEEEE I am so excited!!  

We split Maddie's session into two parts, believe it or not these two sessions were only taken a few weeks apart! Loved working with this beauty <3 

Emma, Senior Model 2018, attends Apollo Career Center. When we started discussing locations for her session she knew she wanted sunflowers. A good sunflower field isn't something Lima has to offer :( Any takers on starting one?!! I know many photographers that would be grateful! Emma had been to Yellow Springs with her family and suggested we go there. Not only do they have sunflowers but really cool nature trails and waterfalls. Unfortunately the water fall was a bit too much of a hike for the time we had allotted but I was still in awe of the area! Gosh I wish I lived closer to something cool like that! I was a bit of a drive to get to Yellow Springs but definitely worth it! 

Dakota was also one of our 2018 Senior Models. She was my "assistant" because she always reminded me of things and pointed out details that can sometimes be missed when working with a group of girls. She was so helpful! We decided on Bluffton for her session so we could make a visit to the graffiti wall and swinging bridge at the nature preserve. Dakota also had the idea to do a glitter shot and I love how it turned out! I'm pretty sure I still have glitter in my bag and we are a couple months out from her session lol....totally worth it <3 

Grace was one of our 2018 Senior models! When we talked about her first session she definitely knew she wanted water and rocks. Coming back from a trip to the Smoky Mountains with my husband a month before left me a little disappointed in the local selection for this type of scenery ;) (My heart belongs in the Smokies <3 someday I will live there friends!) Anyway...back to Grace!! I was racking my brain for a location when this little spot from my childhood came to me. I grew up in Bluffton, and even though I definitely appreciate the beauty of that sweet little town I forget to view it through my grown up photographer eyes. It is so nice to go back and rediscover all the things I took for granted during my growing up years! Grace is stunning and looked amazing in all the spots <3 

Gosh!! Isn't she just beautiful??? Julianne, her sweet grandpa and I walked through the downtown alleys capturing her beauty. Grandpa was so nice and helpful and even jumped in a few of the photos. We ended up over by the convention center where her graduation ceremony will take place and took the fun picture in her cheer outfit and gown. Grandma jumped in after that, which I loved. And let me tell you what...I only got to talk with Grandma for about 5 minutes but she is a crack up lol. Julianne you are very lucky to have such amazing grandparents and I am so happy they are a part of your senior photo experience <3

Jade is one of our Class of 17 senior models! This is part 2 of her senior session so if you happened to miss her first session check it out HERE! Jade really wanted a sunflower field for her session but that just doesn't work in May :( so she decide that Amherst Green House would be an awesome substitute! I love how bright and colorful this session is! I also love how she incorporated her Bible and a quilt her grandma made into the end of the session. It was wicked windy and cold but Jade's bright personality warms up all the images <3

People!!! Is he not the cutest thing??!! Ben was so fun to photograph. I just loved his style and confidence. And can we talk about his hair swoop for a second? The first time I saw him do this I was like "Oh man, that is going to be used often!" I would say "Ok now do the hair thingy" lol. His posing was so natural and he had the model walk down pat. I don't get to photograph many senior boys...I'm not sure why, but I photography MANY girls, so having this session with Ben was a wonderful break from the norm. Ben I know you only have a few weeks left of school! Congratulations and thank you for allowing me to be your photographer!

This is the 2nd annual Senior Model Paint Fight; this time with our Class of 2018 models. This year for our big group shoo we are teaming up with Simply Torn again for the styling, and Beauty by Jill will be joining us to do the hair and makeup. I am so excited to see what these talented ladies come up with for me to photograph! We have a sweet and beautiful group of girls to work with, I know it is going to be amazing!

Finding the perfect day to hold the paint fight is always a challenge. I came up with the paint fight idea to be an icebreaker for our girls since most of them come from different schools. During our upcoming group shoot they are going to have to act like besties so what better way to break the ice than throwing stuff at each other lol. This means we have to have the fight sometime before the group shoot and this time of year weather (let's face it...any time of year in Ohio is a toss up lol) can be a challenge. It wasn't freeeeezing that day but it was cloudy and about 42 degrees but hey... no rain!

I like to start the girls out before the fight with a mini session with me so they can get used to how I direct and also posing together. These beautiful ladies were naturals and we done in 10 minutes!! While I was editing their pictures I just kept saying to myself  " THEY ARE GORGEOUS!!!" YEEE I can't wait for the group shoot!!

Special shout out to my friend Melissa for being my 2nd shooter for this so I could jump in for some of the fun. [I'm the old one below ;) ]

Aren't they stunning???!!

^^^Jordan with the sneak attack bahahaha...sorry Emma, this was funny!

^^^ I'm in there trying to capture the action for our Snapchat story!

Practicing laughing on command...it's a lot harder than you think!!

Annnnnndddd if you aren't following me on Snapchat you need to hop on over and follow me: capturedbylydia !!!! The video below is the stuff you are missing out on! This is the 1st of several senior takeovers, where I give my Snapchat story to the girls to show the behind the scenes stuff.

Cameron is so sweet and such a beauty! She will be graduating this year from LCC where she played soccer and runs track. She has the cutest dimples (I know she never hears that lol) and was a joy to photograph. She pushed through the 40 degrees and wind with no sleeves like it was nothing!! These senior girls I tell ya...tougher than nails ♥ 

I met with Lydia and her mom a few months ago to shoot her second session. I know, I know...I got lazy with my blogging in my down time. I guess I go into a mini hibernation during these months to recover from the craziness of fall! Anyway, it was 40 degrees out which is a dream for an Ohio winter...but MAN was it windy. You wouldn't know it though from Lydia's pictures! Complete champ...I think I may have whined the most that day because she didn't complain one iota. We decided to shoot downtown Kenton, and then the middle school theater because theater plays such an important role in Lydia's life. I like the moodiness of some of these images, I feel like they show off the different sides Lydia can pull off. Love this girl! So glad she joined my modeling team last year. Lydia, I hope that your dreams come true! Dream big ♥