Brody’s Senior Session in Garden City, Kansas

Every senior session I photograph carries meaning, but this one was different. This one was mine. My son, Brody — the boy who made me a mother — is graduating, and somehow we’ve arrived at a stage I thought would take forever to reach. Turns out, forever is shorter than it looks.

Even though he’s built a life here in Limon, he still feels a deep attachment to Garden City, Kansas. It’s where he spent some of his earliest years, where pieces of his childhood still live, and where the landscape feels familiar in a way only a first home can. So that’s where we went for his senior session. It felt right. It felt like him.

I’ve been photographing this kid since before he could walk. I’ve watched him grow from a serious, thoughtful toddler into a young man who is still serious and thoughtful — but also sarcastic, impatient, compassionate, and surprisingly silly when he lets his guard down. He’s always been mature beyond his years, but he’s also the first one to crack a dry joke under his breath. That combination is uniquely Brody.

Photographing Your Own Child Hits Differently

Photographing your own senior is a strange mix of pride and heartbreak. You see the adult they’re becoming and the child they used to be at the exact same time. Every expression feels familiar. Every angle reminds you of a different age. And every click of the shutter feels like a countdown.

I kept it together during the session, but the truth is, I can’t think about him leaving without getting teary‑eyed. This stage, the one where he’s still under my roof, still walking through the door every night, still part of the daily rhythm, is ending. And while I know this isn’t the end of being his mother, I can feel the shift coming. My role will change. His world will expand. And his life will become more his than mine, little by little, every day.

Senior sessions are always about telling a story, and this one told his. A boy who grew up fast, who loves deeply, who jokes dryly, who works hard, and who is ready — even if I’m not.

I’m so proud of this boy, not just for who he is, but for who he’s becoming. And while I know my role will shift and stretch as he moves into adulthood, I also know this: he’ll always be my first, the one who taught me how to be a mother, and the one who continues to teach me how to let go with grace. This season may be changing, but the love stays exactly where it’s always been.

I love you son - go give ‘em hell.