Some days, I take a walk down memory lane and scroll back through old sessions. The kind that make you stop, smile, and say, wow… this is how long I’ve been doing this.
Mckenna’s session was one of those.
She is a senior in high school now, which feels completely unreal to even type. That is how long I have been photographing kids, watching them grow, and loving every single chapter along the way.
When I pulled up her original blog post, I actually laughed out loud. This was all I wrote back then:
Sweet little Makenna.
Shy at first, but so sweet, strong and beautiful.
Fanci and our little “forest” never seemed like such a perfect setting for an individual before.
So many sweet things I could say about her, her love and adoration of horses just shined through in everything we did.
It was a perfect night.
That was it. No storytelling. No marketing. No SEO. Just vibes.
Which honestly shows how little I knew about running a business back then and how much heart I had even if I didn’t have the words yet.
What I do remember so clearly is that night.
I had picked a brand-new location for her horse session. A quiet little forest space that felt magical and calm. What I did not realize was that you couldn’t see the sunset at all. Meanwhile, her mom was chasing that perfect glowing sunset shot. We were absolutely not getting it.
The funny part? That one “mistake” turned into years of memories. Her mom spent the next decade coming back again and again, always dreaming of that sunset, booking more sessions, and trusting me with so many creative ideas along the way. (don’t worry, we did eventually get THAT shot she wanted. Check it out here!)
I remember Mckenna jumping out of her mom’s car that night. Big smiles. So chatty. So sure of herself. She made it very clear she would rather ride horses than dance all the time. And honestly, that confidence showed in every image. Even back then, her connection to horses ran deep.
Now? She rides all the time. And this spring, I’ll be photographing her again, this time as a senior, with her horse by her side. Full circle moments like that never get old for me.
This session is also such a reminder of how much I truly love photographing kids with horses. There is something powerful, grounding, and honest about those connections. It’s a part of my work that many people don’t even know about, and I’m so excited to start sharing more of it.
And if her mom secretly wishes she had stuck to dance instead of booking that first horse session with me? I guess we’ll never know. But I’m pretty thankful she didn’t.
If you’ve been thinking about an equestrian session, these days I partner with 7XL ranch to offer stunning equine sessions! Send me an email to day to set up your session