Dear Lola, You are 13 today! THIRTEEN! How could I have possibly known when we met nearly 4 years ago what a beautiful young woman you would grow into? How could I have known that you would nestle your way into my heart and stay there for good? How could I have known that the...
MAKE A WISH | TWO YEARS LATER | SARASOTA TWEEN PHOTOGRAPHY Dear Lola, Two years ago today I was a bundle of nerves getting everything ready for your big Beauty Revived day. I picked up a trunkful of cards and gifts sent from around the world, confirmed that the salon was ready for you, and...
Dear Lola, A year ago, we became friends, you and I. A year ago, I took a leap of faith, and at the end of it, I found you. You don’t know yet how truly remarkable you are. You don’t know how many lives you have touched, and how many people you have inspired....
http://video214.com/play/Ct0RVzTxb0gbkrDehjBFLA/s/dark Lola is 9. Lola has red hair and freckles. Lola loves making jewelry with tiny beads suspended in tiny bottles. Lola loves American Girl dolls. Lola makes them clothes out of tissue and cupcake papers. Lola loves to paint. Lola wants to be a fashion designer, an artist, a photographer. Lola wants to travel...
Operation Love Lola in T minus 3 days. Get ready sweet girl, all you have to do on Saturday is stand there and sparkle. You guys. People are GOOD. Really, really, good. We see so much ugliness in the media, on the news, on our Facebook feeds, and no, it won’t go away. But,...
Dearest Lola… I have to ask your forgiveness since I didn’t get your card sent before coming to North Carolina with some of my family for a beach vacation. But I hope you’ll be able to enjoy an ‘extra inning’ when I am able to get it sent your way! I know I can count on my beloved ‘Hodel’ (Michaela will explain that to you!) to get it to you. I’ll be thinking of you big time on your BIG DAY and sending TONS of LOVE & HUGS your way!!! ALL THE BEST TO YOU FOREVER!!! XOXOXOXOXOX, Gladys ‘Mama’ CmielReplyCancel
I have been inspired by Lola since the day I was blessed enough to meet her. She truly is a bright light in the darkness and she is beauty and love, and there are so many days and nights that she helps me go on doing what I am doing. I am convinced that during our brief time on this earth, the best thing that we can strive to do is to turn negative times/bad/scary/sad times into positive/happy and joy filled times of love and kindness and to spread that love an kindness to all we meet. it is seeing “Beauty (and love) in darkness” just as Michelle Gifford so wonderfully put it. Lola also says it beautifully in a poem she wrote “I have been happy and I have been sad, but I cannot go back 🙁 I have been happy and I have been sad, but I can go on! 🙂 ” Lola is an inspiration to all those lucky enough to get to meet her. Lola, I wish you much happiness and fun during your special day on Saturday, and much happiness, fun and love always. Love, Tamara Remington (Sheboygan Police Department)ReplyCancel
Your teen isn`t being difficult. They`re being a teenager.
There`s a reason they shut down the second you pull out your phone. And once you understand it, getting photos of them actually gets easier.
Swipe through to see what`s really going on, then grab the free 5-day email series at the link in my bio.
Five short emails. Real shifts. No camera gear required.
Swipe through. If any of this sounds familiar, you`re exactly who I made this for.
Free 5-day email series for moms of teens who want better photos without the pressure. Linktree: Snapshots to Stories
She showed up knowing exactly who she was. That energy, that confidence, that specific kind of ‘I’m not trying to be anyone else’ - it made my job easy.
This is what I love most about senior sessions. When a senior walks in feeling like herself, the photos just follow. We moved around, laughed a little, and by the end we had a whole gallery that actually looked like her.
Not a generic senior portrait. Her.
If your senior has a session coming up - or you’re just starting to think about it - I’d love to hear about her. What is she into? What does she want her photos to feel like? Let’s start there.
Here`s what I hear most after a session wraps up: "I didn`t expect to feel like that."
And honestly, that`s my favorite part.
Not the gallery reveal, not the final edits. The moment a mom sees a photo and says, "That`s her. That`s really her."
Senior portraits aren`t just a box to check before graduation. They`re a record of who your daughter is right now, in this specific, fleeting, irreplaceable season of her life.
The way she carries herself. The style that`s completely her own. The look she gives the camera when she forgets to feel awkward and just exists.
That`s what I`m always chasing.
If your senior is class of 2026 or 2027, my calendar is filling up and fall books faster than most families expect. Where are you at in the planning process?
Drop a comment or send me a message. I`m happy to chat, no commitment needed. 🤍
One photographer. Ten seniors. Zero cookie-cutter sessions. 🤍
Every session is built around one thing: who your kid actually is. The beach girl. The downtown girl. The "I hate having my picture taken but somehow these are amazing" girl. (My personal favorite.)
Which vibe is your teen? Drop it below. 👇
Free 5-day email series for moms who want better photos of their teen before this season flies by. Link in bio.
Julia showed up in pink taffeta, striped tights, and platform pink sparkle boots.
Not for a costume party. For her senior portraits.
She is my favorite example of what happens when a senior shows up completely as herself.
We shot downtown — murals, alleyways, urban texture — because that`s where her energy belonged. The classic shots happened too. But the ones nobody could scroll past?
Pure Julia.
That`s what personality first looks like. When you stop trying to fit your senior into a template and let them show up as who they actually are, the photos answer themselves.
Location, outfits, mood — all of it follows.
You just have to start with the right question.
🔗 The full guide is on the blog — locations, outfits, how I plan every session. Link in bio.
Michaela Ristaino Photography
michaela@ristainophotography.com | 941-957-8088 | Sarasota FL
