From Senior Portraits
Matt Super Sneak Peek
It’s that time of year again! More awesome, gorgeous seniors to photograph! And we are off to an awesome start with Matt! Stay tuned for more really fun shots tomorrow!
2017 Heritage Senior – Jacob
Gorgeous weather…Fun places to photograph…Awesome senior…Need I say more?
Sneak Peek – Madelyn 2017
It was a valiant effort to get Maddie’s senior photos taken before the storm hit Wednesday night, but raindrops were hitting the windshield as we pulled into Allerton Park and the skies grew more threatening. It rapidly became apparent that her senior portrait shoot wasn’t going to happen that evening. Phone calls were made, schedules juggled and we were able to regroup and reschedule for the next day. The universe made it up to us with a day that is everything you could want for a senior shoot; beautiful weather, gorgeous senior and almost no one else in the park. As you can see, it was totally worth all of the effort for these beautiful senior portraits. I can hardly wait for her to see the rest…..
Super Sneak Peek – Johanna 2016
The beautiful senior was originally scheduled for a week ago today….Cold, wind and rain/snow caused us to rethink our plan. What a difference a week makes! I saw this blue wall a few weeks ago in downtown Urbana, and just knew that Johanna, a SJO senior, was going to look amazing with this as a backdrop. I love how it makes her beautiful blue eyes just POP! Special thanks to H2O Salon for hair and make up. Stay tuned til tomorrow for more photos of this gorgeous senior!
Super Sneak Peek – Caitlin 2016
It was a bit chilly, but an otherwise awesome day for Caitlin’s Senior Photos! She totally rocked her look and we got some amazing urban senior images….Here’s the sneak peek….and one with her BFF! Tune in on Monday for more incredible urban senior looks!!!!
Sneak Peek – Fiona 2016
I promised you gorgeous and drama…We’ve got gorgeous and drama! We also have attitude and a twist. Yep a twist that I don’t get to photograph everyday. You see this gal is more than a beautiful person and pretty face, she is Army National Guard. How cool is that?
You go, girl!
Super Sneak Peek – Lauren
After days of cold and rain and general YUCK, we got a perfect autumn day for Lauren’s senior photo shoot at Allerton Park. I love the way her eyes sparkle and just jump out of the image at you! Stay tuned for tomorrow’s full 5 image sneak peek!
Sneak peek – Molly
“It’s going to be cold. Are you sure?” I asked her. “Absolutely” she replied. And into the river she went, cowgirl boots and all. Into the fields, into the woods and the river, with a few other stops as well. As I said in my previous post, Molly was game for just about anything. (although the water was her idea). Another awesome day with an Awesome Senior!
Super Sneak Peek – Molly
Molly has some serious game…And some serious patience. Usually I post the super sneak peek within 24 hours of the shoot. Due to the fact that I just today got my replacement computer and all of my software installed, she has had to wait four days. Yet she kept it together. No frantic emails, no texts. She knew she rocked it. And she’s right, she totally rocked it! Stay tuned for the 5 image regular sneak peek tomorrow and see what else she was up to during her amazing senior portrait session!!!! Oh and in case you were wondering, hair and makeup by the fabulous Tia Crom!
Super Sneak Peek – Gabe
2016 Fisher Senior Gabe, just wanted to get this over with quickly. Like a lot of senior guys, I am pretty sure he was getting senior photos just to make his mom happy. Two hours and 4 locations and clothing changes later, we took this last photo with his pride and joy. Turns out it wasn’t so bad after all! Stay tuned for tomorrow’s regular sneak peek for more awesomeness from Gabe’s senior sitting!
Sneak Peek – Leighanne 2016
Here are a few more images from my senior shoot with Leighanne, a senior at Urbana High School. Super fun and creative and absolutely gorgeous as well!
Super Sneak Peek – Leighanne
This beautiful Urbana class of 2016 senior totally rocked her senior portrait session!!! She showed everything from attitude at the graffiti wall to playful fun with bubbles in the idea garden. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect, the breeze did incredible things with her hair, and we had an absolute blast. Check out her “attitude” shot below and be sure to check back Monday for more awesomeness!
Sneak Peek – Daniel
I promised you fire…So I am showing you the hockey puck on fire shot, I am just not sure its completely finished yet. Still need to shoot inside the hockey rink and get some background stuff, as well as some way cool shots on the ice, but that’s for another day. This was a fun, fun shoot. Daniel was an easy guy to work with and I feel like we got some great expressions. We hit all of the fun points: Hockey, fire, graffiti and an awesome car! 
Super Sneak Peek – Daniel
This laid-back Mahomet class of 2016 senior, who just moved here from Texas was a natural in front of the camera! Be sure to check back next week when I post the regular sneak peek, including an Ice Hockey photo from his shoot!!
2015 St. Thomas- More Senior – Vaishali
Spring seniors always make me nervous. I would love nothing more than to give them awesome outdoor photos, but the weather in the spring is far from co-operative. Often there is little more than leaden skies and muddy ground, hardly the beautiful background these seniors dream of. When Vaishali contacted me in late March wanting outdoor photos with a lot of “nature” I was very nervous. Stressed even. I was even more so after scouting locations and not a pretty location to be had. Plans B,C,D were forming in my head to give some resemblance of the pretty outdoor backgrounds she wanted. And then we had 3 or 4 days of beautiful warm weather, and all the stress was for naught. The grass greened up and the trees started blooming and the beautiful Vaishali got her beautiful backgrounds for her senior photos. Normally I show 5 images for a sneak peek, but the last was so much fun, I wanted to include it!
Super Sneak Peek – Corwin
Love the smile!
2015 Mahomet Senior – Allison
The cool thing about photos, especially senior photos this time of year, is that there is usually a back story, something that makes you look at the photos again and say “WOW”! The back story for Allison’s shoot is that it was cold. Not polarvortex-bomba-whatever cold, but mid-40’s with a brisk 20 mph wind, and I was cold in my parka and hat, so I know she was seriously freezing. And yet, other than difficulty smiling while her teeth were chattering and eyes watering from the cold, Allison stuck it out. We had blankets and made lots of trips to the car to warm up, but she’s got some serious game and we got some amazing shots in spite of the crappy weather! Keep checking back to see her swimming sportraits!!
Super Sneak Peek – Allison
This girl’s got game….Seriously! I will explain with the full preview is up.
Alley – Super sneak peek!
It was probably the hottest day of the summer, but that didn’t stop Alley from totally owning her senior portrait shoot! This is one of my favorites with this gorgeous raspberry color dress and the breeze moving her hair.She has such an open natural smile, it makes you smile back without even thinking about it. Not very often I come home from a shoot and my face hurts from smiling so much!!!! So pop back early next week to see a selection of other beautiful images from her senior shoot!
Jenny – Fisher Class of 2015
I am so in love with Jenny’s beautiful red hair! And Allerton Park was the perfect place to showcase this gorgeous senior! We had exceptional Karma going that night, as we not only didn’t get rained on, but got an amazing sunset as the final, final last shot!! Here are just a few of the amazing photos from her shoot!
2015 Senior- Tyler
Okay, so here is the official look at Tyler’s Senior Portraits….Can you say OMG???? And, there is an awesome Sportrait in the making. I have been challenged!!!! 
Super Sneak Peek – Tyler 2015
The first senior guy of the season, and he ROCKED IT!!!! After the first edit, this is my fav…..check back in a few for the full blog post!!!
Class of 2015 – Rachel
Rachel was a lot of fun to work with! She went from “can’t keep a straight face, to supermodel serious, to girl-next-door” in a heartbeat! She was game for anything, and we played on the U of I quad until dark! These are just a few of my favorites. I swear these girls are killing me as I try to edit all of these amazing photos!
Super Sneak Peek – Rachel 2015
I just couldn’t resist sharing this sneak peek portrait of Rachel from last night Her eyes just pop off the screen…..Be sure to tell her how much you love it when you see her!!!
Delaney – Fisher High School Class of 2015
Delaney is another one of those awesome senior girls that cannot take a bad photo, and never quits smiling!!! No fear, no hesitation when I say… “Climb down those rocks or jump into that water fall!” And she does and then Awesomeness occurs! Had a blast driving all over downtown Champaign and then campus, and then back to downtown, and then back to Campus! I think it was totally worth it though cause we got some really sweet senior photos!
Maddie – Fisher High School Class of 2015
Yay!!!! Another gorgeous senior girl to play with!! And the really cool part, is we were given permission to photograph IN the Urbana Free Library as part of her session. Now how cool is that? Played in downtown Urbana, taking advantage of the art deco marquee at the Cinema and the flapper dress, before heading for the U of I Idea Garden….Where it promptly proceeded to RAIN…ALOT…FOR A LONG TIME!!! But, we stuck it out, dashed out among the sprinkles and got some amazing shots with dramatic skies and flowers!
Cari – Tavares FL High School Class of 2015
Caroline’s mom and I have been friends for….ever! So when her girls get to be seniors, they make the trek from Central Florida to Central Illinois for me to do their Senior Portraits! Makes me feel pretty good! So here is Cari, Rockin’ Central IL!
Mindy – Fisher High School Class of 2015
Yep. That’s right folks, next year’s senior portraits are under way!!! And we started off with a BANG!!!! Beautiful Mindy didn’t want to do anything “normal”, so we didn’t. We had the pleasure of photographing at the Champaign Preservation and Conservation Association Warehouse, in and around salvaged bannisters and doors, bathtubs and radiators. Then we went around the corner and into an alley…normal until you realize she was wearing a prom dress at the time!!! A girl after my own heart, we rigged a tent ( Thanks to her dad, Jeff) and piled in cushions and books, lots of books!!! We photographed her favorite boots and a beautiful sunset, and then……the paint started flying! All in all a most wonderful way to kick-off the class of 2015 Senior portraits at Laura Trovillion Photography!!!
Mindy at PACA
Class of 2015 – Time to book your senior photos!
It doesn’t seem possible, heck 2014 hasn’t even graduated yet, but NOW is the time to book your Laura Trovillion Photography Senior Portrait! We are fully booked for June and only have 3 sessions still available for July. Call me now at 217-897-1166 to get secure your sitting! Don’t wait til next fall, cause it may be too late!
Three P’s to better senior pictures – The final P: PLAY
This is going to be a big DUH moment, but a lot of Seniors and other people don’t get this….You gotta play! This is about YOU! It’s about YOU having FUN! You being You, whatever that may be! Senior portraits aren’t something that is done TO you, they are created WITH you. If you don’t show up, I’m just taking a bunch of still-lifes. When you start to have fun, spontaneous things happen, and when they do, they can be uber cool. The trick is to be ready for them and jump on it. Play, dance, jump in the water, climb a tree, do a victory spike in the end zone,do the funky chicken, back flip off the diving board, what ever floats your boat or rocks your world….Have fun with it…..Life’s too short for pictures that look like you are bored stiff or have a stick in an awkward place.
What makes a Senior Portrait Great!
When choosing a Senior Portrait Photographer, you probably do one of two things(or both) ask friends and search the internet. After about the 500thousandth photo, your eyes are glazed and your fingers numb. How are you supposed to know what is just okay and what is great? This is why I have put together this lovely graphic with some quick tips on what to look for!
- Beautiful skin – good retouching to remove blemishes without making your Senior’s skin look plastic
- Eyes that sparkle – This is a result of two things: light being correctly positioned to create “catchlights” and illuminating the eyes. The other reason is they are having fun!
- Professional hair and makeup – I consider this a must for my seniors. It makes all the difference in the world.
- Poses that flatter you – We cannot all be model thin and able to pose beautifully at will. The photographer should know how to pose you, “clear down to your eyelashes”, so you look your best! No one likes to feel awkward in front of the camera!
- Variety – Multiple poses with each outfit/background are a must. You need a variety of verticals and horizontals: smiling and serious: casual and formal: beautifully posed and carefree dancing
- Gorgeous Lighting – This is last, but most important. Look for photos that demonstrate the photographer’s ability to handle any situation and create different looks with light. Do they have the skill? Do they have the equipment?
- If in doubt look for the Laura Trovillion Photography Logo! You will know its Awesome!
Three Ps to Better Senior Pictures – Part 2 – Prepare!
In our previous post on the three P’s of Better Senior Pictures, we talked about planning. Planning involves answering the questions; what you want, what to wear, where to go and when. This post breaks it down even further into how to prepare for your senior pictures!
The first step is to talk to your photographer. You need to both be on the same page and you need to schedule your Senior Portrait Session! Your photographer should be able to give you more advice as to what to wear and where to go.(unless you have somewhere specific in mind) Most photographers are not mind-readers, so you have to tell them what you want or at least what you think you want. Remember, the photographer wants what you want; Awesome Senior Portraits!
Once the date is set for your Senior Portrait Session, it is time to prepare!
- Plan to have your hair cut/colored no later than 2 weeks prior to your session. (Especially in the summer). Do NOT decide on a new hairstyle right before your senior session…This includes shaving your head for sports camps!!!! Gals if you are getting your brows waxed, schedule it a few days prior.
- Shop or select the clothes you plan to wear. Make sure everything fits well and is comfortable. If it needs ironing, do it now.
- Each outfit should be put together on a hanger, and any special undergarments, accessories or shoes go into a plastic bag, also on the hanger. Hanging clothes prevents wrinkles. Wrinkles are bad!
- If you plan to have Sportraits or other photos in a sports uniform, contact your coach ASAP, so you can have access to the uniforms you will need. If your sports portrait also requires a special location, such as a swimming pool or gym, make sure you will have access on your selected date as well. Reconfirm the week of your Portrait Session to make sure everything is a go!
- Sports uniforms, like other outfits all go together on a hanger. All gear associated with that sport should go in a duffel bag. This includes headgear, helmets, pads, goggles, balls, bats, poms, EVERYTHING you need goes into the duffel.
- If you want photos in your letter jacket, make sure it is up to date with your most recent letters and patches.
- Avoid the sun for the days prior to your Portrait Session. More specifically do not make plans to go to the beach, boating, fishing, or any event where you will be in the sun for hours on end. Not only do sunburns hurt, they are ugly when they peel and are more difficult to contend with in post production.
- Get sleep the night before…enough said
- Gals make sure your nails, fingers and toes have either no polish or are freshly polished…chipped, nasty nails just look bad.
- Guys…shave(I don’t care if it’s “No Shave November”)
So, you have talked with your photographer. You have scheduled your Senior Portrait Session. You have your outfits planned, and on hangers. You have your sports gear and permission from coach to use the pool, gym, etc. Your hair, eyebrows and nails are all done and beautiful. You have rescheduled your trip to the amusement park and the all night gaming party scheduled for the night before. Guys have a post it on their mirror that says: SHAVE!
You are officially prepared. Next we will talk about the fun part…Participation!
Thanks for reading! Hope everyone stays safe and warm through this next round of winter weather! Laura T
Senior Pictures – Hannah
Hannah was unsure coming in for her senior portraits. She doesn’t like to have her picture taken. She isn’t really crazy about a lot of makeup either. I asked her to trust me. Half-way through her shoot she was rocking the posing and looking beautiful and seeing how amazing she is. When I look at these photos, I see an AWESOME senior!!! Hair and makeup by Sarah Kellems.
Senior Portraits – Abbey
Braving the cold and the wind, Abbey and I set forth to create some amazing senior photos…..And as you can tell, WE DID!!! Hair and Makeup by Tia Crom!!
Senior Photos – Taylor 2014
Taylor, a senior at St. Thomas-More, could have had a bad day, it was windy, it got cold and we had already rescheduled once. Taylor had an AWESOME day, despite the wind, her hair looked amazing. Despite the cold, she ventured into the pond. We got fun, amazing and beautiful photos for Taylor’s Senior Portrait Session! Crazy weather proof hair and makeup by Tia Crom!
Fisher Senior girl in Urbana – Sydney
Sydney chose to explore the funky alleys and sidestreets of downtown Urbana, with a quick stop on Campus to get some awesome water and reflection shots as we lost light and the streetlights came on! Special thanks to Caitlin Cole for all of her help! Hair and makeup by Sarah Kellems.
Fisher Senior Girl – Macy
Macy has this wonderfully classic 40’s film star look about her. She is very into music, singing in the chorus and playing saxaphone in the band. Seeing her, you can almost imagine her standing next to a baby grand, singing the blues in some posh jazz club! Hair and makeup by Sarah Kellems
Fisher Senior Portrait – Hayden
Hayden is a Fisher High School Senior. He has a quick smile and an intense stare. He’s a bit of the class clown with a passion for baseball and fishing. He promised his mom that he would give full co-operation for an hour, and then had enough fun that he gave us TWO Hours! Here is a quick peek at what we did!
Fisher Senior boy – Gilvie
Gilvie is a 2014 Fisher High School Senior. I am impressed that he took the time to chose locations around Fisher that mean something important to him. Impressed because he took the time, and impressed by the locations he chose. He may drive his mom a little crazy, but really he’s a pretty good guy!
Downtown Champaign Senior Portraits – Sami
Sami is a Fisher High School Senior, wanting an urban experience for her senior portraits. I think we found it in downtown Champaign! Hair and Makeup by Sarah Kellems!
Glam the Gown – Taylor
Glam the Gown is such a fun photoshoot. All of the fun of dressing up in a gorgeous gown and having your hair and makeup done without the rush and the hassles. Taylor totally rocked this shoot to showcase one of her prom gowns from this last year. Gotta love a purple sparkly dress and mile-high pumps! Its the ultimate dress-up date for yourself! Wouldn’t everyone love more than just some snaps of themselves looking just freaking amazing?
2014 seniors in Millenium Park
I had the pleasure of taking these three beautiful Class of 2014 Seniors to Downtown Chicago’s Millenium Park this week for a Senior Portrait Mini-Session. It is so inspiring to go somewhere that you have never photographed before. It was a great adventure for all of us, and hopefully I will get the opportunity to go back for a full senior session later this year. Special thanks to Kathy Browning for driving, and helping to make this trip awesome!
Fisher Varsity Softball
Here are a few photos from the home softball game on 4-8-13. If you would like to see more images from this game you can see them on our Facebook page.
Transformations
We know a little bit about transforming women at Laura Trovillion Photography. This is what we do. The glamour photographs on my site aren’t models, they are real women. These are the same women that you see picking up their kids from school, stopping by the grocery, or in this particular case, enjoying spring break. Normally this process occurs over a couple of hours with 3 to 5 clothing changes, some tweaks to your hair and makeup and changing up the background and props. On April 20, 2013 we have raised the stakes – We are transforming one woman every thirty minutes for ten hours. Is 15 minutes total enough for hair and makeup? Can she be posed and photographed in 15? Will she look amazing? The answers are yes, yes and YES. Two weeks ago, we did a trial run and these are the results!
Before:
After 15 minutes in hair and makeup:
And here are 9 of 10 fantastic images photographed in 15 minutes:
And another before:
And after 15 minute of hair and makeup:
And 9 of the 10 amazing photos we achieved in 15 minutes of photography:
Call us TODAY at 217-897-1166 to reserve your 30 minute time slot and get transformed…Your $100 donation will make a difference in the lives of women at The Center for Women in Transition.
Class of 2014 Seniors – Rockin the Mini-shoot!
These Class of 2014 Seniors ROCK! It was cold, snowy, spring break and a Sunday afternoon….And they totally brought their A game! For most of these seniors, it was the first time in front of my camera. For everyone involved, its was the first time creating amazing senior images in 30 minutes.
These mini-shoots were a trial run for our Makeover Marathon in April. The girls arrived with straight hair and no makeup. In 15 minutes the amazing Hair and Makeup artists, Sarah Kellems, Tia Crom and Stefani Smith transformed these girls. Each girl then spent 15 minutes in front of my camera, where we achieved multiple images where they look like covergirls! The guys were spared the hair and makeup, but spent an intense 15 minutes in front of the camera as well. I am excited to be working with such a great group of seniors. They are all so beautiful! Special thanks to Stefani, Sarah and Tia – you ladies are AMAZING!!!
2013 Senior Pictures – Michelle
Michelle is a very pretty, kind of quiet Senior at Fisher High School. Due to the crappy weather, we were unable to do any location photography, but these photos aren’t about the surroundings, they are about the beautiful person in front of the camera. She has a great smile when I could coax it out of her. She was amazing and a pleasure to photograph. Hair and Makeup by the awesome Sarah Kellems.
2013 Fisher Senior – Brendan
Senior boys with trucks, cowboy hats and flaming bats…what more could a photographer want? I had a great time photographing Brendan’s senior portraits this week. We totally lucked out with nice weather, not warm enough to go without a coat, but at least we weren’t freezing to death, it is February after all! I wish him luck at SIU where he will be majoring in Civil Engineering!
2013 Fisher Senior – Miranda
I just love photographing seniors. We have such fun, especially when they are as pretty as Miranda! Hair and makeup by Donna Eckerty.
2012 Gibson City Senior – Jacob
Jacob is a senior at GCMS who is graduating at the semester. He brought a bunch of hats, a willingness to ham-it-up for the camera, a guitar and a bow to his senior shoot. We had fun with all of it! How can you not have a blast with a guy who brings his bowtie and tophat!!! 
GCMS Senior – Darren
I love it when I learn new stuff from the seniors I photograph, and I definately learned all kinds of cool automotive tidbits from Darren. A senior at Gibson City, a member of FFA, and a three sport athlete, this guy knows his way around a car engine! We lucked into perfect fall weather, found some way cool vintage cars and had a whole lot of fun!
LAURA TROVILLION PHOTOGRAPHY 