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Riley | Class of 2025 Senior Session

Riley is in the Class of 2025 at DH Conley HS and her senior session was GOLD!  She is one of my CWCP Spokesmodel Team members for the Class of 2025.  What is a CWCP Spokesmodel?  To sum it up, it a senior that represents my brand and helps market my photography business that I love, while in return enjoying SO MANY extra sessions throughout their senior year!  If you want to learn more about being a CWCP Spokesmodel, take a read!

Shedding a bit of background on what was fun about this session.  Riley’s mom and I both attended West Craven High School within a few years of each other! I played t-ball with her mom’s little brother actually.  Her mom is so sweet.  SO sweet in fact, that once we walked the long haul from the parking lot to the beach area, she asked about my sunglasses. You see, I had put my sunglasses which have a crack in the rim into my little cross body while going to the restroom.  Their tint is so minimal that I didn’t realize one of the lenses had fallen out.  I walked the ENTIRE walk to the beach with one lens in my sunglasses.  She was so sweet, assuming it was some type of neat thing for photographers (you know, to be able to use the viewfinder – which I don’t even use anymore….).  I had a belly laugh over this and later found the lens in my cross body!

Signature Collection

As part of my Spokesmodel Team, all team members receive not only several group mini sessions throughout their senior year, but they also receive my Signature Collection as their senior session.  This is a two hour session with all of their files delivered to them.  While two hours feels extreme, if you really enjoy photography and want a wide range of content, it is the way to go!  If you want to see another senior spokesmodel who had a Signature Session in Downtown Wilson, be sure and check out Mariah’s Senior Session!

We spent 60 minutes at Goose Creek, 30 minutes of travel (by the time we walked to our cars) and about 30 minutes at the second location.  I was sure to bring my wagon and changing tent along with 3 of Riley’s additional outfits with us.  Why?  So we could pop open the tent, change (literally on the beach) and make the most of our time.  This saved 10 minutes of walking back to changing areas for each outfit!  All in all, Riley ended up with 4 outfits at location 1 and 2 outfits at location 2 (one outfit carried over).

Senior Session at Goose Creek State Park

This is only my second time holding a senior session at Goose Creek State Park. It was set for overcast, but the play between the glimpses of sun and overcast actually worked out BEAUTIFULLY for our time! With the wind moving, we had to take lots of time in between every few images.  However, the wind adds so much playful movement in photography, especially with her long dress. It is SO playful and though I assumed it may have been from a boutique, she shared it was from Belk {links to many of the dresses to be included}!

I was deeply reminded why my heart is in the mountains as the sand began to seep into my OnClouds 😉 However, the beach has its own beauty and wildness that I can deeply appreciate.

Goose Creek is such a beautiful and accessible State Park located in Beaufort County, North Carolina.  It’s just over and hour drive from Wilson with easy and quick walking access to beach & water areas (without the huge crashes and openness of the large ocean facing beaches).  The beautiful spanish moss and trees add beautiful diffused light that are great for sessions.

As we were leaving, I mentioned a little area with a small pavilion/shelter that I saw on the way in.  Behind it was a little bit of what I call Broom Grass or Broomsedge. I am a SUCKER for this as a photographer and wish I had my own personal field of it!  It was here and there among some dead limbs but also around this log that was resting on the ground.  Oddly enough, Riley’s mom also saw the same area on the way in!  We made sure to pop in there on the way to Bath and then grab and mom/daughter picture (and see a cute kitty cat that came and said hi!)

Historic Downtown Bath, NC

After Goose Creek, we traveled to Historic Bath and landed at the oldest church building in North Carolina, St. Thomas Episcopal Church.  There were so many nice folks who were on the grounds and invited us into their sanctuary sharing that they “always leave it open”.  They invited us back to worship which was SO thoughtful!  I shared that I am full time in music ministry and would LOVE to (but I have already taken my allotted Sundays off a year). 🙂

The grounds are beautiful in such a way that has me begging, “What if these trees could talk?” That’s a different blog in itself!

ANOTHER kitty greeted us here! (The vibes were great today!)

Her session FLEW by and I am so grateful to be able to share it with you!

Outfit Links

It is OKAY to love an outfit and want to use one for your session!

Riley’s Session:

Free People Short Sleeve Maxi Dress

Off Shoulder Blue Dress

Pink Floral Top (from white jean outfit)

Stay in Touch

Casey is a full time Minister of Music and Organist at First Christian Church in Wilson, North Carolina.  She has been a senior photographer in Wilson, North Carolina and surrounding areas since 2018 and loves diving into this side dream!

Follow her on Instagram at: www.instagram.com/caseywchildersphotography 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/caseywchildersphotography