Kelsey Stevens | An Orange County Senior Portrait

I remember my senior year of high school. I went to a school in the Irvine Unified School District… a district known for their competitive academics and top notch athletics. The bar of mediocrity fell right below an “A-” and the goals and dreams of each high school graduate extended from Presidency to Nobel Peace Prizes. From the first day of my senior year, and even before that, I felt the weight of importance that final year of education had… the pressure to “succeed” pushing me toward academic unknowns. It was a lot of pressure, but I did it. I survived my senior year, and many years after that. And now, in hindsight, I know that all that hard work, all the pressure to set the curve, and that never ending push for perfection honed my character and brought my “dream job” within reach. Had I known all of this back then, maybe I wouldn’t have worried so much, and maybe I wouldn’t have lost so much sleep, fearing I’d end up an embarrassing failure.

Well, I recently had the privilege of spending an afternoon shooting some senior portraits for a very unique high school senior. Kelsey Stevens is no ordinary senior… in fact, she’s much better off than I was at her age. She’s confident in the unknowns that await her post-high school…. and I couldn’t be more proud to document this stage in her life. As we walked around Newport Beach, we talked about boys, about college, and about career aspirations. She wasn’t sure about much, and she said she was nervous about writing college application essays, but she never once said she was nervous about how it will all end up. There was a confidence about her, a calm assurance that it would all be okay… traits only those who’ve weathered hard times can boast. She laughed about the complexity of boys at their age and rolled her eyes describing some recent antics. We talked and shot till the sun went down, and stayed even past that to watch the sky turn colors from orange, to pink, to night. A perfect afternoon it was. It’s always a treat photographing seniors, but hanging out with Kelsey was more than a treat… it left me inspired. Here are my favorites from the afternoon…

Kelsey, Beckman High School is lucky to have you. You’re a blessing to everyone you meet, and I’m so proud to call you “friend.” Such a talented, sweet, and determined girl like yourself can do nothing but succeed in this world. Don’t worry about what you’re “supposed to do in life”, but rather, be your real self wherever life takes you. The world needs more people like you.