A Heartfelt Evening

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A couple of weeks back I had the pleasure of having sessions with not one but two of my daughter Lily’s friends – Piper and Mary Claire.  All three girls attend Sacred Heart Greenwich and have been at the school for many years.  Mary Claire’s Mom Irene had the wonderful idea of having the sessions take place on the same evening consecutively followed by some group shots of the three girls together.  It worked out perfectly and was so much fun!


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My first session was with Piper.  We met at Cos Cob Park.  I had only visited the park for my son’s soccer practices and had not made it past the astroturf field.  When I went to check out the park after it was suggested for the session location, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the park is both beautiful and versatile. It has spectacular views of the water, green fields, benches, great light and is even home to the town’s 9/11 Memorial.  Piper and I had a great session.  It is hard to describe the absolute joy Piper exudes.  Her energy, dazzling smile, witty comments and contagious laugh made for a very fun hour.  We did have some wind to deal with but we used it to our advantage to highlight Piper’s gorgeous golden locks!  And yes I had major hair envy!

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Next, I travelled a bit down the road to meet Mary Claire by a boathouse.  Mary Claire is a member of a crew team.  I had proposed taking some images down by the crew boats before returning to Cos Cob Park.  I was glad we did.  The sun was lower in the sky and the light was beautiful.  I loved seeing Mary Claire by the crew boats and learning more about what a commitment it takes to be on a crew team and how she balances this with all the demands of high school. We returned to Cos Cob Park where the wind had died down and the sun was lower in the sky.   I knew Mary Claire was not a senior who was looking forward to having her photos taken but she was such a good sport.  She has a wonderful sense of humor and such a pretty smile.   I loved how the light worked with Mary Claire’s images which had a very different feel from Piper’s just an hour before. She looked relaxed and confident and ready for senior year!

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Finally, my attention turned to all three girls.  Needless to say, they had the best time together.  We took a few images with the masks on and then a bunch without the masks.  Think Charlie’s Angels. The sun had begun to set and everyone was relaxed and excited for dinner (including the three mothers in the group).  As I watched the girls and later looked at their images, I could not help thinking that although the world is upside down right now and full of uncertainty they are going to be just fine.  They will have a good senior year because they have great attitudes, courage, strength and each other.  There is a motto at Sacred Heart which is a good one to remember this year:  HONOR, HEART, HUSTLE.

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Melissa McCann