It was a perfect Maine summer morning when Ruby and I got together to create her senior portraits. The weather was that temperature where somehow any outfit will be comfortable, and the sky burned gold for a magnificent sunrise. Per Ruby’s request, we were oceanside nearly the entire time, from Portland’s Eastern Promenade to Cape Elizabeth’s Kettle Cove. In each location, our backdrop was dotted with boats bobbing languidly on the glassy ocean surface. Seagulls let fly their early morning screeches. Wildflowers stood tall and dewy. Amidst it all, Ruby shone.
Ruby, just like her sister Ella, is a gorgeous young lady. She’s all legs, and by that point in the summer she’d built up a rich tan. Her blonde hair glowed in the sunlight. I was totally captivated by her huge hazel eyes fringed with dark lashes. She is a beauty!
Also like her sister Ella, Ruby has been in my life for her entire life. She’s one of those people who isn’t technically family, but really kind of is. Heck, I’ve changed her diapers! She’s always had an adventurous, creative spirit and strong mind. Growing up, she loved rocking out to mixtape CDs in my car and would dance like a wild child in the backseat. She used to rock the cutest little bowl cut. I remember spending time in her room looking at her little perfumes and lipglosses, as she wasn’t yet old enough to have makeup.
After all those years, here she was practically grown up. It was really special to capture this moment in her life as she moves away from home and goes off on her own to college. Starting a new life in a different place, especially for the first time like this, is no small deal. While you may know who you are, you have to learn what that looks like in your new place. As we crawled over barnacled rocks and wandered down sandy boardwalks, we chatted about our lives: friends, school, romance, college. Ruby knows who she is, and I have the sense that she will settle into her new life just fine - perhaps with a splash.
