recent tweets

A few weeks ago, I was thinking that it would be awesome to shoot a set of high school senior portraits with horses and a few days later, Morgan emailed me saying that she wanted to take her pictures with her horse, Luna. Perfect!

So we met out at the barn in Granite Bay, found some beautiful outdoorsy spots nearby, worked in a whole bunch of outfits and came away with a set of images that made my own little heart do a little flip. Oh, if only I could have had pictures of myself like this when I was 17! Morgan was such a joy to photograph, so confident and so beautiful both inside and out.

Isn’t Luna a lucky horse? She is so loved.

If you go to Oak Ridge High School in El Dorado Hills and would like to book your high school senior portraits or teen portraits, send me an email letting me know that you saw this blog post and I’ll take $50 off your portrait package for being referred by Morgan!

To book your teen portraits, call 916-933-8352 or email info@jillcarmel.com.

I couldn’t have asked for a more stunning subject for these El Dorado Hills senior portraits. She was a natural in front of the camera with her easy grace and gorgeous eyes.

Every time she laughed, she get these wonderful wrinkles in her nose. What a great smile!

Perfect light, perfect dress…what more could we ask for? I’m completely in love with this set of pictures. The hardest part of my day was just trying to narrow down the images to include in this blog post!

Senior portrait season is in full swing! Give me a ring or drop me a line at jill@jillcarmel.com to schedule your senior portraits.

It was a beautiful and cool afternoon in Folsom for these outdoor senior portraits and Skye was up for anything. He was super easy-going, confident and a natural in front of the camera.

Towards the end of the session, I often end up discovering a whole new set of expressions. We get to know one another a little better — it’s a collaborative thing.

I had a blast on this shoot — can’t wait to show them the rest of the pictures!

Most of you know me as an outdoor photographer, but you may not know that I used to specialize in high school senior portrait photography. I began my path working for a studio in Los Angeles while I was still in college and learning from the ground up. I worked solely in the studio but, after a few years, I grew bored of working indoors with artificial lighting and over-used backdrops.

I’ve always believed that the best teen portraits are taken outdoors, under natural light. Here are some pictures from a recent photo session with a Sacramento teen who reminded me of the thoughts I used to have back in the LA studio. I dreamed of dewy meadows filled with flowers…

And sun-kissed shoulders under the afternoon sun…

And capturing the person in front of me as they truly are.

I had just too much fun working with this stunning young lady. She was up for anything and it was refreshing to get back to my roots in a whole new way.

Fall is a wonderful time to have your senior portraits done!

Email me at info@jillcarmel.com if you’d like to reserve a spot. Please be prepared to prepay for your session with a credit card to hold your reservation.

What others are saying about these pictures:

“OMG, they came out better than expected! My mom cried when we gave her and dad their gift book. We could not have been more pleased. We love everything that you do…your touch is as good as gold!!!!”

About me:

Jill Carmel is an on location teen portrait and senior portrait photographer serving the Northern California, Sacramento County and El Dorado County areas. You can see the quality of my work by visiting my full teen portfolio on my website.

I usually try to make the high school senior portrait experience fun and relaxed, but I didn’t even have to try with this guy. His easy smiles and comfortable attitude shine right through his pictures.

You never know what you’re going to find in Folsom…like really awesome old Ford trucks!

I love sequences like this because you get to really see the “silly side” come through — I believe that the silly side is one’s TRUE personality.

I have a soft spot for MGs. I was supposed to inherit one when I was sixteen, but the owners held on to it for one reason or another. Time went on and once it was ready for me, I was going to college and didn’t have the money to fix it up. Tip of the day…take the awesome vintage sports car when it’s offered to you! A lesson for all you young people out there!

High school senior portrait season is in full swing! Spots are limited — call or email to book your teen’s super fun senior session.