Leslie booked this session for her daughter Lily and her roommates. The girls met freshman year at USD and are about to scatter into whatever comes next. She wanted a few traditional graduation shots on campus, but mostly she wanted to capture them together in the place where they all became friends.
USD is an incredibly beautiful campus, so we had no shortage of backgrounds. We got the classic shots . . . Lily with her stole over her shoulder, looking back toward the camera with the Immaculata rising up behind her. (Leslie said that’s the one that made it real.) We got Lily with her golden retriever Ivy wearing her grad cap. That one was fun because there were a bunch of onlookers cheering us on as we got just the right expression from the pup. And we got all the girls in the fountain, champagne in hand, fully celebrating four years of work and friendship.
When I asked Leslie what this year has meant, she passed the question to Lily, who said USD was “without a doubt, one of the best decisions of her life—the classes, the faculty, the sorority, and most of all the friends. It has just been the best four years.” Lily is San Diego born and raised and hopes to never leave. She’s in her second year with the Padres in Fan Engagement (which she loves) and is looking at PR and marketing for what’s next.
Leslie sat off to the side during most of the shoot and told me afterward it took her right back to seeing these girls together freshman year. Now here they are, grown up, about to start the next thing. Congratulations, Lily.
















































