Senior Portraits of Basketball Star – Dallas Frisco Family Photographer – Me Ra Koh
I’ve been so excited to share these senior portraits of basketball star, Jalen Wheeler!
When we discovered Jalen’s passion and talent for basketball, Brian and I knew we had to photograph him in a special way! This photo shoot was so much FUN!
Senior Portraits at FIORIA are not your typical experience.
Before the photo shoot, we do a call with each person in the family to hear what they love most about the graduating senior. This huge milestone is something the whole family is experiencing. Doesn’t it deserve a powerful, meaningful experience where everyone gets a voice?
I also find that parents don’t realize they need to know what their graduating senior has taken from them. It’s like the thing we didn’t know we needed. And so we do a special call with the senior too that draws the whole family closer.
On the day of the shoot, we share all these amazing words of life with the senior. The confidence, joy and pride that surfaces is transformational and amazing to photograph.
I love how Jalen’s mom shared he is a quiet leader with humble confidence.
What His Mom Means to Jalen
When I did a Discovery Call with Jalen. I asked him for an example of what his mom has taught him that he’ll be taking to college with him. He paused and then said “My mom…she is everything to me.”
When I shared these words with his mom, she was in tears. It gave so much to her…she didn’t know she needed to hear it. And it went deep.
Even during Jalen’s FIORIA Senior Experience, he was super attentive to his mom and so excited when they took photos together. What a sweetheart. He is the real deal!
Jalen’s dad has been his basketball coach his entire life.
Jalen said his dad has taught him discipline and to DREAM BIG. When I talked with his dad, he said a powerful theme in Jalen’s story is overcoming. His testimony is to overcome the odds. Both of them mentioned how much they love to laugh and joke together. This dynamic of laughing and joking, father and son, is so resilient in this day and age! To be a teenager and share this kind of bond with your dad is amazing.
Noah, Jalen’s younger brother and best friend, was one of my favorite conversations! He said Jalen is independent, intelligent and people follow his lead. “But we’re buddies.”
Private Jokes to Photograph
Lots of private jokes between these three! During their Discovery Calls, I got to hear about the ways they tease each other. And I loved drawing this out during Jalen’s Senior Portraits. The boys especially love teasing their dad.
Senior Portraits of a basketball star aren’t just about wearing the jersey and shooting cool shots with the basketball and lighting. That is definitely super fun! But it’s also about discovering where a senior comes from, who his family are to him and who he is to them.
His Future is Bright!
Jalen has several colleges offering him a chance to play on their team. Not only is he a great basketball player, but he is so smart and natural leader. His parents got him one of FIORIA’s Senior Albums, and Brian decided to do something fun with the last spread. He added this “fade to white” to emphasize all the possibilities in Jalen’s future. His future is bright!
What His Parents Said…
His parents left FIORIA the most AWE-mazing Google Reviews! I had to share! Their reviews tell us that the meaning of the experience was everything!
Best artistic work I’ve witnessed in my life. From the interviews, to the intentionality behind the set, to the photo shoot itself – you will not find a better photography experience. The shoot captured who my son truly is and the photos remind him that even on his toughest days. We are forever grateful for this experience. -James (Jalen’s Dad)
The interviews leading up to the shoot changed me. I learned more about my families heart in those sessions than I had in the last 5 years. So then, we were able to see each other in a different lens during the shoot making it an intimate family experience that was healing to our hearts. It was better than any family therapy money could buy! 😉 I just stare and smile at these photos of our son leaving home soon, not just because of the artistic beauty but because of what I know happened in the heart of each of us in that photo shoot. Love you for creating a safe place to share our life and capturing it forever. -LT (Jalen’s Mom)
What Jalen Thought
Our custom albums have a gorgeous dusk jacket with an inside flap where we write the different words every family member shared about the senior, so they always have it in print with their Senior Portraits. Jalen’s mom said he took his time reading all those words and then slowly went through each page of the album–taking every portrait in, one by one. At the end, he looked at his parents and said “Can I have this?” He LOVED it!
Jalen also sent us a handwritten thank you note for capturing what we talked about on the phone and his basketball schedule! We can’t wait to see him play!
FIORIA Album of a Senior Portrait Basketball Star
Congratulations Jalen!
We’re so excited for you, Jalen! I LOVED creating these senior portraits with you to highlight your passion for basketball and the love you have for your family. Brian and I are so EXCITED to see you in action this season!
Begin Your FIORIA Senior Portrait Experience
Are you looking for a meaningful way to celebrate your graduating senior as a family? When they go to college, what do you want them to never forget about who they are? What challenges has your senior overcome? What resilience lives within them and your family? That is what FIORIA captures–the Rising Phoenix within. This experience is unlike any other type of senior portraits you’ve heard of. This is a sacred, meaningful experience that starts with a Discovery Call.
Schedule Your First Discovery Call by Filling Out Our Contact Form. We are so excited to take you and your graduating senior on an unforgettable journey.
still we rise, Me Ra
GEAR USED
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