Growing up in Minnesota, there were three girls on my street. All of us were the same grade, all of us went to the same school, we had similar interests. Girl’s friendships are the best. The three of us went through a lot in our elementary years. Birthday parties, sleep overs in each other’s basements, night games with the boys across the street. While we were the best of friends, there were hard times too. Three girls in a group can be difficult. One is often left out, as hard as they try to include everyone. We were close until 7th grade, when we went to a bigger junior high and met new friends from some of the elementary schools in our district.
A few years ago, I was worried that my daughter wouldn’t have the experience of close friendships in our neighborhood. Most of the kids in our neighborhood her age were boys who didn’t want to play dolls with her. We’ve been lucky to be able to have fast friendships over the last couple of years after the pandemic. These three have become close, even though they go to different schools. I invited the girls over for a mini photo shoot this last weekend to document this moment in time. They had a lot of fun, bringing their Barbies. I told them to wear whatever they wanted and they still managed to coordinate!
Girl friends who are always there for you, no matter what. They’re the ones who make you laugh until you cry, and the ones who pick you up when you’re down. They’re the ones who know you better than anyone else in the world.
Those friends from elementary school? Where are they now? Up until recently, our parents all still lived in the same houses on that same street. There’s been many changes over the last 35 years since I first met them in 1st grade. We don’t really talk much. But suspect, if we were to gather in the future, we would tumble back into catching up.
In my quest to find photos of my friends and me from when we were kids, I realized there wasn’t much. That’s why invited these girls over for a photoshoot. It was short, less than a half hour. But now they have photos of the three of them that they can look back on when they are older. My upcoming Alternative School Portrait sessions were originally intended to give families a more personalized boutique experience for the school photo. But some families don’t need school photos but could use some other fun portraits. So I am pivoting!
These are still kid’s portraits but bring your kids and their friends. Sign up for a 15 minute session time slot. No session fee with a snack donation to the Oregon Youth Center. Buy as little or as much of your session photos as you would like. These photos will be great for upcoming Holiday cards or prints to put into frames. Galleries will have a 48 hour turn around time. Hurry, these sessions are only available until November 1st.
