The Garden
For Matt's senior session we headed off to Lakewold Gardens, located in Lakewood Washington. The quick history of the gardens is that around 1910, a Emma Alexander was the first to purchase the five acre property. A few years later she sold it to her son who purchased an adjoining five acre property and combined it into the current 10 acre property we can visit today.
Lakewold changed ownership a few times over the years, ultimately to be purchased by the Wagner's in 1938. Mrs. Wagner lived on the property until 1978 but in 1987, she donated it to a non-profit organization with the stipulation that the property be maintained as it is now. If you would like to read more about the history, please click here.
The Session
Matt's session began inside the mansion. A period desk caught our eye, so I asked Matt to take a seat. He is involved in theatre, so he laid out the many playbills from his performances on top of the desk. It looked great. An idea began formulating in my mind so I switched to black and white. Perfect. He even gave me a bit of a twinkle in his expression.
The Great Gatsby
Probably one of the most popular books assigned to students by teachers. In my English class, we read the book, then watched the movie, which to many of my classmates disappointment, was almost word for word a duplicate of the book. Remember how in high school you sometimes wondered why in the world you had to learn a particular subject because you knew you never going to use it? Well of all the crazy things, apparently the teacher was right because here I am, about to reference a book I read in high school!
I tend to think a little in themes for my sessions so as we wandered around the mansion, investigating all the possible areas to photograph, I began thinking of Robert Redford in The Great Gatsby. All these years later I could picture elements of his mansion and swimming pool. With Matt's years of theatre background, I knew he was likely familiar with the story. I asked him to consider the lead role-- this was his property. How would he act as he looked out upon his gardens? What came to mind when he stepped from one room with a lounging area to the next room with a marble fireplace or from the hedge-lined path to the tea building?
Matt did not disappoint. He immediately fell into character. With his expression and the garden behind him, this is one of my favorite photos from his session.
Matt totally owning his character.
The Woods
From the mansion, we began wandering all over property. We made several photos in the woods, this also being one of my favorites with Matt's fitting expression. He was such fun to work with.
The Pool
No mansion is complete without a pool so for our last shots of the day, I asked Matt to sit on the bench but to pretend he was winding down from a long day at work gazing over his beautiful pool and lawn. Funny thing, it started raining on us. Rather than asking Matt to sit on a wet bench while I figured out the shot, his dad dried off the bench while I set up my camera. Then, with everything ready, Matt took a seat. As is typical of Washington weather, as soon as we finished for the day, the rain stopped. :) Sigh... But honestly, the rain made the images much more subdued, perfect for the look we were after.
With so many different flowers, trees, and ever-changing weather, Lakewold Gardens is a place that seems different every time I visit. It's a perfect spot for senior photos, weddings, and family outings.
If you would like to book a session with me or if you would like more information about my business, please contact me here.
