Ya know that feeling you get when you really hit it off with someone? Well, that's how I felt when I met and worked with this mom at Webster Thomas High School as teaching assistants. Tracy has moved on, but our friendship has remained. She even convinced me to photograph her wedding in 2019! And what a wedding!! It was cold. It was snowy. It was in a park in Naples and it was fun!!!

When it came time for her son's senior portraits, she called on me. Patrick is a very low-key guy so while I focused on him, we also planned for the full family portraits as part of the session. It worked out perfectly. They had planned a post-wedding celebration several months after the actual wedding so no more cold and snow! Durand Eastman Park clubhouse was the location for the party and the portraits and it was a beautiful day.

I wish Patrick all the best as he heads off this fall for bigger and better things and to the entire Small/Dennis family...I love you guys! You are unique, quirky, full of fun and laughs and I thank you for choosing me to capture that!!!

Cullen came to Hayes Photography through a rather unusual way. A fellow photographer contacted me that he'd injured himself and was unable to photograph a senior and his family for their session. The date couldn't be changed because a brother was coming from out of town. This doesn't happen often, but it's nice to know, with a strong community of photographers in Rochester, that we're willing to help each other out. I was glad to.

After a phone conversation with mom, we worked out all the details and planned to meet at Brown Square Park near Frontier Field in the city. This provided a nice green space for family portraits. Once done with that location, we headed to Brown's Race which offers a variety of cool spots  to finish up the family portrait portion and get into Cullen's session. 

This 2020 senior was so relaxed during our time together. He made my job easy and the results were terrific. Cullen plans to attend the University of Pittsburgh to study physical therapy and sports medicine. He's a soccer player through and through playing for Penfield where he was their captain as well as playing travel soccer. He received several athletic honors among them the Zinter Scholarship and Leadership Award for inspiring and encouraging his teammates. Off the field it's clear that he has the academic chops to go far earning the President's Education Award for Outstanding Academic Excellence along with an  Advanced Placement Scholarship . 

I wish him the very best with his future plans and want to thank his mom and dad for working through the transition to Hayes Photography. It was a pleasure getting to know your family and creating beautiful portraits!