When Skylar and I started talking about her senior portraits, I knew we were in for something special. Not every day do you get to photograph a record-breaking athlete who dominates not just one, but two sports at Soddy Daisy High School. As a photographer who specializes in dramatic sports portraits, I was already envisioning how we’d capture her competitive spirit using my signature lighting techniques.

Breaking Records and Breaking Norms

If you follow Chattanooga high school sports, you’ve probably heard of Skylar. This season, she shattered the Soddy Daisy record for stolen bases – a testament to her lightning-fast speed that transforms every single into what might as well be a triple. When she gets on base, it’s not a question of if she’ll steal, but when.

What makes Skylar truly remarkable isn’t just her softball prowess, though. She’s also a standout flag football player. When we planned her session, it was clear we needed to showcase both sides of her athletic identity, along with capturing those milestone graduation moments in her cap and gown.

Mother’s Day Magic on the Field

Mother Nature seemed determined to test us with cloudy skies when we met at Soddy Daisy High School’s football field on Mother’s Day afternoon. But here’s a little photographer secret – those overcast conditions created the perfect canvas for my off-camera lighting to really shine (pun absolutely intended).

The football field where Skylar has made countless plays became our studio for the day. Starting with her softball portraits, we played with that battle-worn bat – a tool that’s helped her terrorize opposing teams for years. The contrast between her fierce athletic stance and those striking blue eyes created exactly the kind of dramatic tension I’m always after in my portraits.

What I love about senior sessions is finding that perfect balance between showcasing the athlete and revealing the person behind the jersey. For Skylar, this meant transitioning from intense game-face poses with her bat split-screening her face (my personal favorite from the day) to more reflective shots in her graduation regalia.

Between Two Futures

Standing beneath the “Once a Trojan, Always a Trojan” sign in her cap and gown, Skylar embodied that beautiful in-between moment every senior experiences – honoring where she’s been while looking toward where she’s going. With college softball and nursing school in her sights, she’s poised to bring the same determination to her college career that she’s shown on the field.

We captured some stunning portraits of her in that iconic blue and gold graduation outfit, the stadium seating serving as the perfect backdrop. The track where she’s undoubtedly run countless conditioning laps stretching out behind her seemed like a fitting metaphor for the journey ahead.

The TriStar Difference

What made this session stand out (aside from Skylar’s athletic achievements and her million-dollar smile, of course) It was how we were able to use dramatic lighting techniques to elevate these portraits from standard senior photos to something magazine-worthy.

That iconic blue Soddy Daisy uniform really pops against the dramatic backdrop we created, especially in those diving action shots where we captured her mid-extension reaching for the football. The controlled lighting highlights every bit of determination on her face while she’s stretched out parallel to the field – exactly the kind of image that shows college recruiters what they’d be getting.

More Than Just a Senior Photo

By the end of our session, we’d created a collection that tells Skylar’s complete story – record-breaking athlete, graduating senior, future nurse, and forever Trojan. These aren’t just photos for a yearbook; they’re visual timestamps of a pivotal moment in her journey.

For the parents watching from the sidelines these past four years, these images capture everything they’ve cheered for – not just the athletic achievements, but the growth, determination, and bright future those achievements represent.

Congratulations, Skylar! Whether you’re stealing bases in college or saving lives as a nurse, I have no doubt you’ll bring that same record-breaking energy to everything you do.