Texas Tech Bound - Senior Portraits - Greenville, TX
Let me tell you a story. A story about friendship, loyalty, a missing zip code, and one photographer who absolutely should have known better.
This senior is the son of one of my dear friends. They moved out of the Allen area years ago, but we always had a standing plan — when it was time for her kids' senior photos, I was the one doing them. No question. So when the time came, she sent me the address and I, full of confidence and absolutely zero critical thinking, just plugged it into my GPS and hit the road.
No city. No zip code. Just vibes and an address.
I was an hour and a half in the wrong direction before I finally picked up the phone.
When I called her, we both laughed — because what else can you do? The address had taken me to an entirely different part of Texas, and the golden hour wasn't going to wait around for my navigation mistakes. We put our heads together and came up with a plan: meet in the middle. That middle turned out to be downtown Greenville, TX.
After an hour of driving, we found each other. I had roughly 15 minutes of usable light left. Fifteen. Minutes.
And you know what? We made it count. Downtown Greenville surprised me — tucked right in the heart of it was a stunning cotton field mural that felt like it was practically made for this moment. Because here's the other thing we got to celebrate that evening: this senior and his cousin had both just been accepted to Texas Tech University. Wreck 'em. The mural's nod to Lubbock and West Texas cotton country was the most perfect, unplanned backdrop we never could have planned.
Yes, I had to push my ISO higher than I'd like toward the end as the light completely disappeared. But good editing tools exist for a reason, and these images came out genuinely beautiful. Sometimes the scramble produces magic.
We wrapped up, laughed again about the whole ridiculous adventure, and immediately made plans for round two — a proper senior shoot out on their land in Mount Pleasant.
Stay tuned for Part 2. The Mount Pleasant session is coming — and let's just say it involves me nearly stepping on not one, but two copperhead snakes. You won't want to miss it.
To my friend — thank you for laughing with me instead of at me. (Or maybe both. Fair.) And to her son: congratulations on Texas Tech. These photos are proof that even the most chaotic evenings can turn into something worth remembering. 🎓🤠