Several weeks ago when I first scheduled Hayley’s senior portrait, I mentioned to some friends that I was going to do her portrait. They all told me how beautiful Hayley is – and how much I would like her. Well they were right on all counts. Hayley is absolutely gorgeous and my camera loved that long, shinning red hair and deep brown eyes. But, Hayley is not just another pretty face! I was very impressed with her maturity and her commitment to her education. Hayley wants to go to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill – my alma mater. (I’ve mentioned before that I’m a Carolina grad. I usually mention it a lot more during basketball season, but I’m always proud to be a Tarheel!) And not only is Hayley a good student, she is involved in lots of extracurricular activities. In fact, she was recently nominated to be a Morehead Scholar. For those of you not familiar with the scholarship program . . . it is HUGE! I’m keeping my fingers crossed for Hayley.

Hayley wanted to go to the beach for her senior portrait session. It is very late in the season for beach portraits, but we didn’t let that stop us. We went and had a great time. And the temperature was actually quite comfortable, thank goodness. This time of the year, I only have a few minutes of that really special light that I love for portraits, but we made the most of those few minutes. I’ve never seen anyone change clothes as fast as Hayley.

I’ve got a long way to go to complete her gallery, but here’s a sneak preview. I couldn’t decide my favorites quickly, so I have a rather large variety for Hayley’s preview.

I really enjoyed spending a couple of hours with Hayley and her mom, Sheila. I’ve known Sheila since she wasn’t a whole lot older than Hayley. I love seeing her as a mother who adores her daughter. I hope she survives college as well as I know Hayley will.