Michaela is a senior at Coastal Christian Academy in Wilmington, NC and she’s also my first Wilmington senior. I was so excited to work with her!

She is everything that a #dakotaherseysenior is –– she’s outgoing, dedicated to her sports team (she’s played volleyball for 6 years!), is super involved in her community, and loves being loud and having fun.

I knew that we would get along when she said that even though she technically identifies as an extrovert, she also loves laying in bed eating ice cream.

Same, girl. Same.

For her high school senior photos, she wanted to incorporate her simple style (she’s a neutrals and jeans type of girl!) with all of the bright colors of Wilmington.

We headed to the Arboretum to start. I love all of the different plants and flowers because we end up with a ton of options for textures and colors. They are constantly changing out the landscaping so there is always something new and beautiful!

After getting our fill of flowers, we headed to my favorite neighborhood in Wilmington for more sunshine and bright houses. Y’all know I’m in love with anything that looks like it came out of Southern Living magazine.

Michaela is known for her eyes and we did plenty of “smizing!” She is so full of joy and excitement and it shows. I love working with seniors who are down to walk all over and follow my vision. The end result is worth it!!!

Here are my favorites from her session!