She floated in and out of the band room as a quiet and shy middle schooler, but when she played trumpet, she really made up for the quiet aspect of her personality! A smart musician and talented naturally to boot made Kalei such a joy to teach. Seemingly, in the blink of an eye, Kalei is a senior, staring her future in the face and confidently so.
It never ceases to amaze me the confidence that can be instilled in our students as they perform on stage, be it in jazz band, show choir or solos vocally or instrumentally. Kalei has blossomed on stage and, as it is still a joy to be around her, we had a blast shooting her senior photos. There were times where I still saw the middle schooler that I knew, then I’d look at my camera’s LCD screen and be blown away by the lovely young woman looking back me.
Case in point:
We used our first location with its stoney backdrop and to the side of its parking lot, there were these gorgeous fall colors that we had to use! Next stop was a fun mural downtown:
A quick outfit change and Kalei’s one suggestion was to use a parking structure. We opted for one that gave us a great view of the bulk of downtown Des Moines as our backdrop.
Last stop was Des Moines’ Art Center and we nabbed the last of it’s trees changing colors prior to all the leaves falling down! Couldn’t have timed it better for that buttery light at the end of the day!
Kalei: Thank you so much for having me out to photograph you! It’s always a fun time to reconnect with former students and listen to your future plans, re-learning what you are passionate about. I wish you nothing but the best for the rest of your high school career and beyond-you will truly do great things, whatever you set your mind to!
Blessings,
Carrie
PS You can view the rest of our time together HERE.
