| Payton | Argenta-Oreana High School Senior Model | Class of 2018 | Decatur, IL |

The first of our class of 2018 senior models to make their debut on the blog is our very own Ms. Payton!

2017-08-17_0003You may remember her first moment in the SJP spotlight way back for her sophomore year prom when she won the Neuhoff media prom package which included a prom-day shoot with her date Austin (and we included him in a few of her senior portraits too)!

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From there it wasn’t long before Payton was working as my assistant and modeling for me on a few projects including our parachute dress class in downtown Indianapolis with the Reset Conference. She’s even charmed our own little #BabyB and got to be her swim lesson teacher at fairview pool this summer!

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So basically Payton has become a pretty awesome part of the SJP family (at home and work!) so it seemed fitting she be the first one up on the blog to kick off the class of 2018’s senior year.

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Do you guys remember the ‘trash can image’ ?!? Austin joked when we got out of the car at the park that we had a great location right by the dumpster soooo I accepted that as a challenge to create something fun by it and this was the result:

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Things have been BUSY around here all summer and I have SO many awesome things to show you from all our seniors… so let’s not wait! Check out all of Payton’s favorite images right here right now.

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This year Payton was even named All American Cheerleader! Big congrats for kicking off your senior year with such an achievement.

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And don’t forget to head over to her facebook album to give her some love.

| The Reset Conference | Parachute Dress Session | Indianapolis IN |

Today I’m excited to show off some of the fun we had in Indianapolis last month when I was teaching at The Reset Conference! While my priority in my business is my portrait and wedding work/clients, I am also really passionate about teaching and helping the next generation and fellow photographers grow in this field. My shooting schedule doesn’t allow for much of this year-round but as things slow down here in the midwest for the yucky weather months January-April I’m able to take on more mentoring clients, host in-studio workshops and even head out of state to teach at a few conferences and this March was no exception.

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I’ve spoken at the Reset Conference before as it’s one that was founded right in our backyard (in Champaign, IL) by a couple lovely photographers, Rebekah Albaugh and Kellie Penn, who some of you locals might remember from her time here in Decatur with Across the Miles Photography! This year was bigger than ever, however as I not only was invited to teach two classroom courses but also to host a ‘shoot-out’ with these super fun parachute dresses.

If you’ve been hanging around the SJP blog much you may remember seeing these dresses debut last year for our senior model session at the Decatur Airport. For the shootout we mixed things up just a little with a few new skirt pieces and a fun off-the-shoulder lace shirt for Payton (in pink) which I loved. And we couldn’t have asked for a better location than downtown Indianapolis where these girls not only made an impression on residents but were stopping traffic as cards slowed to take cell phone shots AND we even later found a few taken from the high rise buildings around us!

There really is nothing subtle about a parachute dress….

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Payton and Natalie were fabulous and not only were great models but were good sports hauling around these dresses in not so warm March weather.

And guess what guys… you don’t have to be a model to rock a parachute dress on your session, all you have to do is ASK! That’s right, high school seniors, you can add one of these parachute dresses to your senior session to create looks unlike anything you’ve done before….. I’m ready to create something at NIGHT with these DOWNTOWN and maybe with a cool CAR! Who’s in??!?! We’re now booking summer/fall 2017 and filling faster than ever so call asap to get on the calendar.

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You can see more of what we were up to at the Reset Conference on the BoxDropsbySJP blog!

| Introducing the Class of 2017 High School Senior Models | Decatur, IL |

Our senior model team this year is AMAZING!!!! These guys braved 40-50mph wind gusts on our group session day and all looked stellar. I have to tell you a little behind the scenes secret about this group image…. I got inspired when I saw these gold letters and though I’m usually all about the black/white/silver look I decided to go outside my usual go to colors and get all these to create this group image. (Plus, all the models got their own initial in their swag bags!

So… game time – on session day, creating this image I was SOOO worried that we would spell SENIORS wrong because getting 7 people to hold 10 letters was logistically challenging. So we checked, and rechecked and got it RIGHT! You know what we didn’t get right?!?!?!?! SJP, for real! So you’re looking right now and it looks great right?! Yes, ’tis the magic of Photoshop, my friends. Now scroll down……… AHHHHHH I couldn’t believe it! But no sweat, that’s why God made Photoshop.

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Well now that you’ve seen what when WRONG on the model session, take a look at all that went RIGHT…..

JORDAN | MacArthur

Who’s your hero? My hero is the rapper G eazy, because I never seen someone work as hard for success as him.

What’s your favorite thing to do? My favorite thing to do is go long boarding.

What do you want to do when you grow up? I hope that when I get older, I become a special education teacher.
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ABBY | Central A & M 

Who’s your hero? My hero is Peyton McVey, she’s the coolest 3rd grader I know! She inspires me to be the best person that I can be, and for that, and several other reasons, she is my hero.

What will you miss most about high school? When I leave high school, I will miss being a part of FFA and being a part of my sports families. I’ll miss hearing my name being announced for the starting lineup for volleyball and walking down the hallways with my small class of 60 students.

Why did you choose SJP? I chose SJP for my senior pictures, because I had seen the work Sarah had done and I was amazed! After I got to meet with her, I knew that I had made the right decision!
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EMILY | Central A & M 

What does your DREAM life look like? In my dream life, I am living in North Carolina on the beach with my husband and children. I own my own dance studio, and teach dance at a performing arts high school. Because of my work schedule, my family is always able to take a summer vacation as well as come back to Illinois to visit family.

Why did you choose SJP? I chose to have my senior pictures taken by Sarah Jane, and each moment I’m with her I become more and more confident in my decision. She came with multiple high recommendations from friends and peers, and while stalking her Facebook and Instagram, I fell in love with all the pictures and the way she truly captured the personality of each individual.high school seniors, senior portraits, senior pics, decatur il, photographer, sjp, sjanephotography, decatur il photographer, senior photographer, outdoor portraits, senior pic ideas, senior picture ideas

ABBY | LSA 
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KAITLIN | Central A & M 
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KAYLE | Mt. Zion 

What will you miss most about high school? High school is a time where you discover who you are! You meet new people. You gain friends, loose friends, fall in love, really find yourself and make memories that will last a lifetime. Soon enough I will be at my last Friday night football game, last homecoming and prom, it will be the last time I eat lunch in the cafeteria with my friends, soon I will be closing my locker and walking away with people I’ve watched over the years and made millions of memories with. I will soon be lining up in alphabetical order one last time in cap and gown with the people I have spent my whole life with. Some I will never see again and some maybe never even hear about. That is what I will miss most about high school! I will miss late night talks with my best friends! I will miss the lifelong bonds I have made with my wonderful teachers, miss high school traditions and most of all making memories with great people!
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JORDAN | Maroa-Forsyth 
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I’m so so excited to have you all on the SJP Model Team this year and cannot wait to finish creating your one-of-a-kind senior portraits!!! high school seniors, senior portraits, senior pics, decatur il, photographer, sjp, sjanephotography, decatur il photographer, senior photographer, outdoor portraits, senior pic ideas, senior picture ideas