Hold onto your hats, because I cannot say enough good things about Roman’s Hancock MI senior pictures! Her session was the perfect example of what happens when inspiration and planning come together – plus a dash of last-minute inspiration.

When Roman contacted me to schedule her summer senior pictures, she said she loved Aili’s blog post. She wanted a similar elegant feel for her portraits with the fields of vibrant sweet peas. I love when seniors already have an idea of what they want because it makes it quicker to narrow down when and where to have their session. No two sessions are ever exactly cookie-cutter, but it’s nice to have a starting place. The sweet peas were just starting to bloom all over the Copper Country, so we knew we needed to plan her session in the next three weeks.

Hancock MI Summer Senior Pictures – August

Roman wanted to include her family’s classic cars in her senior pictures, including recreating an old picture of her father and grandfather together. She shared, “Peterlin Distributing … has been my father’s, and his father’s legacy — and I hope to continue that on!” We’re all about honoring where you come from, and this was a perfect way to make her senior photos truly unique. We started her session up at the Calumet warehouse with plans to work our way south towards Hancock.

First we took a couple of pictures of Roman with her dad, starting by replicating the image she requested and then getting a few new images.

Next, we moved on to photographing Roman by herself with the cars together and individually. I loved capturing some of the unique details of the cars, along with their full glamour. Roman was so chill and relaxed during this session; you would never be able to tell from these images that we’re right next to US-41 with cars flying by!

Summer Senior Pictures in Hancock, Michigan

It was 80+ degrees and pure sun on Quincy Hill. Roman was totally unfazed as we walked back to the sweet pea fields behind the hoist house. After spending part of her youth in Texas, Michigan weather is always bearable! Even so, we worked quickly so she didn’t have to stay in jeans too long, and then we pulled out the popup tent for a quick outfit change!

I really love Roman’s blue dress.* While it’s on the shorter side, it has plenty of fabric for great movement and flow, making for great photographs! I always recommend avoiding short, tight, clingy dresses as these make it difficult to move naturally, and can result in awkward pictures.

Summer Upper Peninsula Senior Pictures

After we finished at Quincy Mine, we headed out to McLain State Park for golden hour portraits on the water. When we use this location for portraits, we try to plan midweek sessions because it’s SO popular! Thankfully, it was an unexpectedly quiet Friday evening and we didn’t have the crowds we anticipated.

This section of wooden fencing was the perfect balance of Upper Peninsula rustic against Roman’s elegant dress and heels.

Last-Minute Add-On For the Win!

We’d discussed potentially stopping by Roman’s home for a few portraits at the end if there was time. Because it was a beautiful, cloudless evening we decided to go for it, and I’m so glad we did! I love all the portraits from Roman’s senior session, but these images are truly one-of-a-kind. Literally no one else has portraits like this, because I won’t photograph anyone else on this property! But even more than the scenic backdrop, it’s the personal connection that comes from photographing in a place that truly means something and has its own unique history. I loved hearing Roman and her father talk about the property’s history and the memories created here.

Here’s what Roman had to say about her senior picture experience:

In summary –

Roman – thank you so much for choosing Enjoy the VU Photography for your high school memories! I had such a fun evening getting to know you and hearing about your future plans. I’m so glad we have two sessions together, too!

Are you ready to schedule your Hancock, MI senior pictures this summer?  Click here to start the process.

*Some links on this page and on this website are affiliate links. For more information, please see my disclaimer here.