Rhys Rocks Downtown

My son Sam went to school with rhys' little brother Tieg so it felt like shooting a member of the family when we got together for his senior photos. Rhys said that he wanted to start out in his tux before changing into street clothes.
Rhys was an absolute natural. He was so comfortable in his own skin and was a dream to work with. When I edited through his shoots he looked more like a college senior than a high school senior.
The Mission Ice Cream mural is a photographers dream. I've shot everything from brides to hospital patients in front of it and everyone seems to own it in their own way.


I always try to incorporate hobbies, sports or other interesting aspects of seniors lives into their portraits. It seemed like Rhys has been fencing since he could walk. His father wrote a book on fencing and used Rhys and Tieg as models when Rhys was eight so shooting him in his fencing gear seemed like a no-brainer.




Flagstaff seems littered with little nooks and crannies that seem custom designed for photo shoots. Some photographers build elaborate sets in outdoor settings at their studios to get this kind of look. I'm lucky enough to have historic murals, abandoned buildings and mountain backdrops all within a couple of blocks.