Class of 2012 is about half way through their final year.  Grayson High School’s Amy Thurber has had a pretty exciting year so far – cheering for the Grayson Rams, homecoming court.  In a few short months, what seemed like it took forever, will finally be here – graduation day.  

So we already know Amy’s plans after high school, but for most seniors, these last few months are a time for reflection and excitement about what the future holds.

Amy – “What I will miss most about High School is cheering for football games, and being so close to all of my friends.
What I’m looking forward to most is getting my own apartment, making new friends and possibly joining a sorority.”

I don’t know about you all, but so many important moments in my life are highlighted by a song.  If I think back about high school graduation, my wedding, anything – usually, if I hear that song, it takes me back.

The soundtrack of your life.

I won’t age myself by telling you the songs that bring me back to high school, but I did ask Amy which song she can relate to most right now.   I’m a bit of a sap.  I never heard this song before and it almost made me tear up a bit.  What a perfect song!  (if you haven’t heard it either, you totally need to look it up and listen)

“My Wish”

Rascal Flatts

I hope that the days come easy and the moments pass slow,

And each road leads you where you want to go,

And if you’re faced with a choice, and you have to choose,

I hope you choose the one that means the most to you.

And if one door opens to another door closed, 

I hope you keep on walkin’ till you find the window,

If it’s cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile,

But more than anything, more than anything,

My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,

Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,

You never need to carry more than you can hold,

And while you’re out there getting where you’re getting to,

I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,

Yeah, this, is my wish.

When we last left off with Grayson Ram Cheerleader Amy Thurber, she was celebrating with the rest of Grayson High School over their State Championship Win!  So what next?  What happens when the lights go out and the stadium empties?  For this Class of 2012 girl – graduation, of course, then off to college.

When I asked Amy, “what’s next for you after graduation?”  She started to answer, and then her mom said, “tell her what you really want to be!”  With a mischievous smile, Amy responded, “a trophy wife!”  With that, all three of us were laughing!  Hey, can’t say that I blame her!

All trophy wife dreams and silliness aside, Amy hopes to attend Georgia Southern after graduation to become a dental hygienist.  Amy, the only words of wisdom I can give…be kind to your future patients, those pointy instruments hurt!  ;) 

We’re still not done…Amy will be back on the blog, so be sure to come back soon.

If you missed Part 1, you can check it out by clicking here.

Interested in your own senior session and you know Amy personally?  Ask her about the special discount that she has to offer as a {Twelve}12 Senior Spokesmodel.

Don’t forget, I’m still looking for Spokesmodels for both Class of 2012 and Class of 2013.

Until next time…toodles!

It’s a big weekend for Grayson High School.  Saturday, December 10, the Grayson Rams played the Walton Raiders in the Georgia Dome.  Whether you have only heard of Grayson because of the student video “Brookwood, Where you at?” or their follow up “This is our Year,”  the Grayson Rams had a remarkable season leading up to the championship (14-0). In the end, the Rams won the State Championship 24-0!   I know it will be a bittersweet end for Grayson Cheerleader and {Twelve}12 Senior Spokesmodel Amy Thurber.  After twelve years cheering, this was her final game as a Grayson Rams cheerleader, but what a way to go out on top!

When you meet Amy, you can’t help but have fun around her.  I met Amy and her mom Sandi a few weeks ago just as it was starting to get cold out.  I was worried it might be a little too cold, but by the time we met, the weather was perfect!   One thing I love about all the seniors I have photographed, they all have a willingness to do whatever, wherever to help make the perfect images.  Amy was no exception and having the back of the car like a closet packed with all sorts of outfits and jewelry, made me soooo happy!  Seniors, Fashion and Bling – gotta love that!

The first location we shot at is a park that I happened upon while location scouting the weekend before.  The woodsy feel and all the tress made it the perfect backdrop for some photographs with a romantic feel.   Throw in some bare feet and a bouquet of flowers…and voila!

Absolutely stunning!

That’s all from this location, but come back again soon!  We are not even close to being done with Amy’s session yet.

If you are interested in your own senior session and you know Amy personally, be sure to ask her about the special deal she has to offer as a {Twelve}12 Senior Spokesmodel.

Don’t forget, I’m still looking for Spokesmodels for both Class of 2012 and Class of 2013.

Hope you are having a great weekend…Toodles!  ;)

Well…this is it, the final Vicki post.

And, no surprise, she killed it!

Love, love, LOVE this one!

Amazing…

Another favorite…

I really couldn’t be more pleased with the images from {Twelve}12′s first Senior Spokesmodel, Vicki!  While this is our last Vicki post, you can find her on the portfolio page in the High School Senior section.  And who knows, maybe you’ll see her again.  One of the perks of being a spokesmodel is sometimes being asked to return and model for a styled session.   During the off season, I take time to work on behind the scenes things for the business, but I start to get antsy and need to photograph something.   This year, I hope to come up with some fun winter sessions and therefore you may see some former spokesmodels return.   Maybe I’ll even ask for your help in choosing your favorites and who you’d like to see return to the blog!

If you missed Vicki’s first two blog posts, check out part one and part two.

It’s not too late to become a spokesmodel….click here for additional details on how to apply.

AND don’t forget, if you know Vicki personally and want your own senior session, she has a special discount to offer.

Lastly, be sure to check out and “LIKE” our Facebook fan page for all the latest news & sessions.   This weekend I’ll be photographing our next {Twelve}12 Senior Spokesmodel, Grayson High School Cheerleader – Amy T.

You won’t want to miss it!

It’s Part 2 of Vicki Hallman’s Senior Spokesmodel session!

So when we last left off, we learned a little about Vicki.  Clearly, you can tell by looking at her that she has a great sense of style and fashion, but you might not have guessed that she is really into sports.  Friday nights, you can always find her at a Loganville High School Football game.    Saturdays, you can find her watching College Football.  She has also been the manager for a Basketball Team.   Pretty much anything sports related, Vicki loves.

Back to her fabulous sense of fashion and style for a second, let’s take a look at more images from her session:

That’s all for Part 2, but we’re not done with Vicki yet.  I have soooo many fabulous images thanks to Vicki, so be sure to come back for the final post.

Don’t forget, if you want your own senior session and you know Vicki personally, ask her about the special deal she has to offer as a {Twelve}12 Senior Spokesmodel.

To see more images from Vicki’s session, click here to go to our Facebook Fan page.  If you haven’t already, please “like” us, so you can always be the first to see our latest sessions.

Have a good night and a great weekend!

While I have photographed a few other senior sessions right after I first announced {Twelve}12, Vicki Hallman is our first Senior Spokesmodel.

I can’t even tell you how much fun I had with Vicki.  She has the best, bubbly personality and of course takes a phenomenal photograph..well, lots of them in fact!   From the second we met, she had me laughing and that’s pretty much how the entire session went.

Vicki has been singing and performing for a while now, but recently tried out for American Idol.  Shame on Simon Cowell and company for not selecting her!  Their loss is my gain though, because if she had made it to Hollywood, I probably wouldn’t have gotten the chance to photograph her.  :)  Since I knew she was a singer, I wanted to get a microphone and stand for our session.  I won’t point out an obvious flaw in my plan, but we had fun nonetheless.

See what I mean…   Phenomenal!

Sometimes, I can’t even tell you why a particular image is one of my favorites…this is one of those…just love it, can’t tell you why, just do!  :)

This next image is probably one of my favorites from the entire session…love, love, love it!

That’s all for tonight, but come back again soon!  I have a lot more images to show you from Vicki’s session.

If you want your own senior session and you know Vicki personally, be sure to ask her about the special deal she has to offer as a {Twelve}12 Senior Spokesmodel.

Until next time…Toodles!  ;)

While they don’t know each other at all, I thought it was funny that both of my recent seniors had so many similarities: the same name (different spelling), recent tattoos, and going to college to pursue careers in the medical field.

Meet Chelsea #2!

What did you enjoy most about your senior year?

“I was involved with football, so I always looked forward to Friday night. Not only is it the end of the week, but it meant a football game.”

What are you looking forward to most now that you have graduated?

“Going to college and pursuing a career in the medical field.”

What are you going to study at college?

“I will be going to Athens Technical College, and I will be studying diagnostic medical sonography.”

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I love so many things about this session…the colors, the locations, everything.

Chelsea met me super early.  I am really not a morning person, but it’s been ridiculously hot this summer.  I asked Chelsea if she could meet early so we could try to avoid some of the heat.  She had no problem at all meeting early and was totally cool about all the random locations that I picked.  For the past year, I have driven by many of these spots and couldn’t wait for the chance to find someone to photograph at them.  Chelsea didn’t even bat an eyelash when I brought her to a gutted out gas station.  I just love when the people I photograph are as excited about the locations that I pick as I am.

Check out her new tattoo..and her super cute pedicure!

The final location we shot at was perfect.  Chelsea really killed it here (in a model kind of way) and I am so happy with all the images!  To see more from her session, click here and go to the High School Seniors section.

My favorite…

Congratulations Chelsea on your recent graduation and thank you so much for letting me take you to so many locations that HOT morning!

If you or someone you know is a Gwinnett County or Walton County High School Senior and is interested in becoming a {Twelve}12 Spokesmodel, it’s not too late to submit an application. Click here for more details.

Until next time…Good night!

It’s been a busy summer!  Hard to believe in a few weeks, we’ll be celebrating Labor Day! Between work and vacation and trying to launch {Twelve}12, I have gotten behind on the blog again.  By the way, we are still looking for Class of 2012 Spokesmodels.  If you or someone you know is a Gwinnett County or Walton County High School Senior, they are eligible.  For more details, click here.

Getting back to blog catch up!

Let’s get to know Chelsie:

What did you enjoy most about your senior year?

“My senior year I enjoyed being more independent and being looked up to by many as the new group going off into the world.”

What are you looking forward to most now that you have graduated?

“Now that I have graduated, I look forward to being on my own and experiencing things that you can only enjoy while your young.”

What are you going to study at college?

“I plan to study pharmacy, or veterinarian medicine.”

I found this so touching…

Chelsie recently had a brother pass away and got a tattoo in his memory.

Ahhh…shoes!  Being a little obsessed with shoes myself, I always tell everyone to wear their favorite shoes!  I love these cute little wedges Chelsie wore.  They are very nautical – so fun!

I want to thank Chelsie for letting me photograph her and wish her all the best as she “goes off into the world.”    :)

I have been hinting around to changes lately.  After photographing families, weddings, children, events…I finally have decided what suits me and my photography style best.  I will now be specializing in High School Senior Portraits.  Now, this isn’t the plain old cap and gown or that drape we had to wear back when I was in school.  Not at all!  :)  My style has always been taking a fabulous fashionable person and find a dirty, not so pretty location and let them pose as if they are in a fashion magazine.  I’m inspired by fashion and editorial style shoots where smiles aren’t always necessary.   What I have learned in the past few years is that my style and what I love to photograph is exactly what High School Seniors want to have in photographs of themselves.

The first most obvious change is the Portfolio page of my website.  I have removed the Children, Family, and Boudoir sections.   I always hear that you should show the work that you want to attract and for me, that is Seniors and Individuals & Couples interested in Fashion & Editorial inspired photo shoots.   The second most obvious change is the addition of the High School Senior gallery to the Portfolio page.  From time to time, you may still see a few family sessions appear on the blog, because I do have lots of friends with children.   I just won’t be focusing on these types of sessions anymore or targeting them as part of my business.

I have also named the High School Senior Portrait side of my business {Twelve}12 and created some new logos to match.  I just wanted a bit of a separation from Tricia Toker Photography.

That’s the big news for now!  Soon I will be announcing the details of the Class of 2012 Spokesmodel program, where Gwinnett County High School Seniors will help promote {Twelve}12 and receive free photo sessions and/or products in return!