Blog

Hello!
My name is Ciara Dacosta , I am a homeschooled high school senior.
Some of my favorite activities are dance and writing. My plans after graduation are to do YWAM for six months, after that college. My experience at Hampton Roads Photography was fantastic! Mr. Carl was exceptionally nice, and provided gentle direction and encouragement the whole shoot. It was a great experience altogether!

Mina is homeschooled in Chesapeake, Virginia. She is a free spirit, accomplished musician and photographer. We started her portraits in the studio and and a nearby park with plans on a more extensive location shoot in a few weeks. I have been giving Mina photography lessons so I used the shoot as a teaching exercise.

Mina is a big fan of the Hunger Games books and movie. Her T-shirt with the photo of one of the actors from the movie gave me an idea for an image that complemented the photo on the shirt.

To highlight the bass guitar in her photos, I went with a “rockstar” look.

She also brought her ukulele. I shot this with a more vintage, softer feel to the photos

The outdoor images gave me an opportunity to demonstrate some outdoor portraits done without fill flash or reflectors on a bright sunny day.

I really enjoy working with Mina. More images to come.

The delightful and lovely Emily came to our studio for her senior portraits. She was a bit nervous at first, but after some direction and prompted, she really warmed up to the camera. After the studio shoot, we went to a nearby natural area for some very chilly location images. The overcast conditions were perfect for the images we wanted, it made for an uncomfortable time for Emily as she dealt with the February cold. To her credit, she didn’t once complain about the conditions Rather, she modeled like a pro, having a wonderful time doing it. This was evident in the images. I hated for this session to end, but she needed to warm up. Thanks Emily for the privilege to produce these images for you.

We have been photographing Emily and her family for many years. We photographed her sister, Erica, a few years ago and we have had her family in for beach photographs in the past. Emily is a beautiful young lady, full of life and with a ready smile. In fact, I can’t ever remember seeing her when she wasn’t smiling.

We asked Emily to tell us a bit about herself, her school, her future plans and her experience with her senior portrait session:

What high school do you attend?
I am a senior at Kempsville High School in Virginia Beach.

What activities are you in involved in at school?
I am Senior Class President, Captain of the Swim Team, on the yearbook staff, on the SCA Executive Board. I have been on the swim team for all four years. I was on the cheerleading team ninth and eleventh grades. I was Captain of the Junior Varsity field hockey team in tenth grade.

What do you like most about school? What do you like least?
What I like most about school is being involved and feeling that I am a part of something and that I am doing something good for the school. I love leading the seniors and the swim team. What I like least about school is the amount of people who do not try hard in their academics and think that just passing grades will do.

Are there any special memories from your school years that you would like to share?
I have three special memories from high school.
1). It was the end of my junior year and elections were going on. I was running for Senior Class President against two other students. I lost the Sophomore election two years previous and I was very nervous about this one. When I found out that I won, I was so happy and relieved. I was ready to lead the seniors throughout our last year of high school.
2). Another great memory I had was winning Homecoming queen. I was nervous the whole week of homecoming, and when they finally announced the winner Friday night at the football game, I was so happy and excited. I know winning homecoming queen is not a big deal, but I thought it was pretty cool being elected by the student body to be their homecoming queen.
3). My BEST memory from high school was getting my acceptance letter from Virginia Tech. I have always wanted to be a Hokie, and now I know my dream is coming true.

What are your plans after graduation?
After graduation I will be attending Virginia Tech in the fall. I plan on majoring in sales/business, or somewhere in the medical field.

Describe your experience having your senior portraits made at Hampton Roads Photography.
My experience with Hampton Roads Photography was very enjoyable. Mr. Anderson is a very nice, helpful, and fun photographer to work with. He helped me think of new, creative ways to pose to make my photos better. My pictures came out wonderful and I would recommend Hampton Roads Photography to anyone.

Naomi chose one of our favorite places for her senior portraits, downtown Norfolk. The diversity of locations available are amazing. The business district, the waterfront, the cobblestones of Freemason Street and the beautiful gardens surrounding the Pagoda Tea House provides quite a variety of settings for portrait sessions. Naomi, a home schooled senior looked beautiful in every setting.