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Pennsylvania Senior Portrait Photographer: Marrisa & Her Art

Marissa is a sweet, shy, compassionate young woman and a talented artist.  Marissa loves to be out in nature while she works and enjoys painting natural elements– she has a cheerful disposition and carefree attitude that I sought to capture as well.  She is attracted to bright, warm colors so we made sure to incorporate those into her shoot from her wardrobe choice to the setting and even the time of day. Photography is a form of art, and for Marissa to be a piece of art for the evening was one of her favorite elements of the experience.  
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(Below) I tried to show her introverted, nature-loving & texture-aware side here as she touches the water’s surface, curls her toes at the cold rock and is reflected in the water with soft, bright bokeh sweetly concealing her identity :).  Her mom mentioned that Marissa was very texture conscious even as a young child and that color and contrast have always fascinated her and held her attention.
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Marissa, you are gorgeous!!!

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I love impressionistic art, and the movement of water appeared like brush strokes in a painting to me.  I wanted to show Marissa’s shy nature and elegant features.  I wanted her expression and face itself to be a mystery and highlighted her tiny waist in the still water.  The sun shone brightly on her dress and the water reflected the deep blue of the sky yielding the vibrant colors that Marissa finds herself drawn to…
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This next image was so fun to create!  Marissa shared that while her personality is primarily upbeat and carefree, she has a perfectionistic side, especially when it comes to her art.  I liked the lines and the contrast created by shadows on the path and was drawn to the rigid feel of those shadows and the unforgiving intensity of the sun.  I wanted to create more sharp angles and had marissa create  sharp lines with her arms and angle her face so that the light created more triangles on her face with her cheekbones, chin, nose– crossing her legs gave more angles that draw the eye back up to her face.  Marissa shared that one of her favorite parts of the evening was being able to be part of the composition that she works so hard to create.
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Next Marissa changed into painting clothes and set up her easel and art supplies.  Below you can see her bag, brushes, water & cloth all setting in an open field, her favorite location for inspiration.  I had the privilege of watching her paint during the shoot– she worked quickly and carefully and moved smoothly with grace and poise.   She started with a simple flower and added detailed lines through the petals, center and boarder as time went on.
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Marissa has a bright cheery personality, she loves to make other people happy and I hope this image captures that about her.  In the image below she  reminds me of a flowery, human version of the sun with yellow wildflowers rays, bright eyes and the sunlight is even bringing out red-gold tones in her hair.
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Marissa, you have a very bright future ahead of you in art school.  I wish you all the very best!!!  (Total side note here, but Nathaniel, the musician that I photographed earlier this year is actually Marissa’s boyfriend and the one who introduced us.)

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