Just days before Christmas, Kailee and I met to celebrate her upcoming nursing school college graduation with a beautiful portrait session in Colorado Springs!


Four years ago, Kailee modeled for me as I was newly launching my business and needed material to advertise some minis. Kailee happens to be a former student of mine - at the time my heart swelled seeing her grown up and graduating high school, and once again I'm full of pride and amazement for Kailee and all she has accomplished in her young life so far! (And check out BOTH of our glow-ups from that first session in 2021 to this one nearly four years later at the end of 2024!)

high school grad in grad cap stands with hand on hip and gown over her shoulder while smiling during high school grad photos in Peyton, CO,

Kailee in 2021 (L), Kailee in 2024 (R)

College grad in grad gown leans on stair railing holding grad cap and smiles during college grad photos in Colorado Springs.

There is never a bad time in Colorado for a portrait session. When you're dealing with a busy school schedule, too, sometimes your options for squeezing in something extra, like graduation portraits, are limited. Kailee and her mom wanted to get these done well in advance of her actual graduation so they could use the photos for invitations and announcements and have them ready to go for her graduation in May. Her winter break from school presented the best opportunity for all of us (as I will also be on maternity leave when she graduates in May!).


As Kailee's senior portrait photographer, I advised her to schedule early in her break, just in case of unideal weather conditions, illness, or any other obstacle that may arise, so we could be sure to leave room for a reschedule - just in case! She trusted my expertise and we did her portraits the day after she came home for her break - and thankfully, the weather was absolutely beautiful for late December! We didn't even begin to feel cold until the very end of her session when the sun went down.


Kailee chose to do her portraits at Colorado College in downtown Colorado Springs on my recommendation. She is graduating from Colorado Christian University in Denver, but wanted to do her portraits closer to home in a more picturesque location, and Colorado College always provides! I took her to my favorite spot on campus which gave her the elegant and urban look she desired and took focus off of the brown and wintry landscape around us. We then finished up her session just a few blocks south at the Colorado Springs Pioneer Museum, another beautiful and historic building.


As I recommended, Kailee chose to do multiple outfit options to showcase this important milestone in her life - a classy dress, her cap and gown, her nursing scrubs complete with her custom stethoscope and nursing ID, and another formal outfit she chose to exemplify this very grown-up stage of her life. We were able to include all these options as each is important to her in its own way.


Photographing Kailee's college graduation portraits was an absolute honor for me, as a friend of her family and former middle school teacher. I'm so impressed with the young lady she's grown into and I know she'll be such a blessing to her patients and make a very positive difference in our world! Thank you, Kailee and Becky, for trusting me with these precious memories!

College grad in cap & gown stands in front of historic building, smiles to her right & holds tips of hair during college grad photos in Colo
College grad in cap and gown walks and smiles over her shoulder at sunset during college grad photos in Colorado Springs.
College grad in grad gown holds hat and descends stairs smiling to her right during college grad photos in Colorado Springs.
College grad in dress leans shoulder against stone pillar & smiles holding her stethoscope during college grad photos in Colorado Springs.
College grad in cream floral dress leans against stone pillar and smiles downward college grad photos in Colorado Springs.
College grad in cream floral dress leans against stone pillar and smiles college grad photos in Colorado Springs.
Nursing grad sits on steps of historical building smiling to her left and holding her stethoscope college grad photos in Colorado Springs.
Nursing grad leans against a wall with one knee bent smiling down while holding stethoscope college grad photos in Colorado Springs.
Nursing grad in scrubs stands with one knee bent and hand on hip smiling over her shoulder college grad photos in Colorado Springs.
College grad with hand on hip and hand holding stethoscope around her neck smiles over her shoulder college grad photos in Colorado Springs.
College grad stands in front of historical building smiling with her hand on her hip college grad photos in Colorado Springs.
College grad smiles over her left shoulder while posing with her stethoscope college grad photos in Colorado Springs.
College grad sits on building steps in her gown holding her cap while smiling during college grad photos in Colorado Springs.