This girl is incredible; her name is Carly and she is a survivor. I won’t make this whole post about her journey, however, I do want to start with it. The first photo that you will see once you scroll down after the blog is a special photo to Carly…one of her best friends, Emily, is in the photo with her. Carly and two of her friends were in a terrible car accident last fall and Emily lost her life, so Carly wanted to honor her friend with this necklace and image of her looking down and smiling at Emily. Words can not describe the loss that these girls and their families still feel…and when Carly wanted to take this photo, I was all for it. This moment was definitely a special one.

Carly is like a ray of sunshine; always smiling and one of the easiest people I have ever had to make laugh on camera (side note: about 90% of the time she was laughing…loved it!) Her mother, my mother, and my aunt have known each other forever; they all attended Stillman Valley High School together and later on, so did Carly, myself, and Carly’s two sisters! SMALL WORLD! Carly’s mom was even one of my high school teachers! It’s pretty safe to say that we have known each other since the beginning. When Diane, Carly’s mom, told me that I was “the chosen one” to take Carly’s photos I WAS SO ECSTATIC. Not only because I know the Koenig family, but also because I wanted to give back and help them through their hard time…and the only way I knew how was through photography. Making Carly smile and the photos to prove it melt my heart through and through. I just want to say thank you to the Koenig’s for picking me to capture the most precious thing in the world: life. Being there for Carly’s Senior Session was incredible. So Carly, here’s to you…may you always shoot for the stars and never give up until success is yours; then keep trying some more! You’re a blessing to your entire family, friends, and every life you touch and I wish you the best with everything you do in life. Congratulations on your graduation, Carly!

Love, Sara