Emma's Lincoln Senior Session | Downtown Backdrops, Alleys & a Parking Garage Rooftop
What if your senior session had zero bugs?
Here's the question I ask every senior before we ever pick a location: what's your story? Not "where do you want to shoot," but who are you right now, and what do you want to remember about this year?
Emma's answer was pretty simple. She hates bugs. Like, really hates them. So a field, a park, or a wooded trail was never going to happen, and honestly, that was the most fun creative constraint I could have asked for.
We took her whole session to the heart of downtown Lincoln. Emma is a senior at Crete High School in Crete, Nebraska, and she came into the city for this one. Not the Haymarket, but the streets and buildings just beyond it. Within about a six block radius, we used building walls, doorways, ledges, a couple of alleys, and finally a parking garage with a rooftop view of the Capitol. Emma wasn't especially drawn to the cityscape. She just wanted to stay far away from nature. It ended up being a great reason to explore a side of downtown most people walk right past.
Fun fact: I have been photographing Emma since she was 1 or 2 years old. Getting to photograph her as a high school senior about to graduate was a total treat.
Downtown Lincoln Backdrops (No Bugs Required)
Downtown gets overlooked for senior sessions because people picture concrete and think it will feel cold. It doesn't have to. Every building in that six block stretch has its own texture, color, and light, and when you walk it with someone who knows where to look, you get a dozen different "locations" without ever getting in a car.
Alleys are a big part of that. They give you shade, interesting walls, and a little bit of edge, and they make a great contrast against a softer outfit. Emma was game for all of it.
The takeaway: a location doesn't have to be traditionally pretty to be a good fit. It has to fit the person standing in it.
The Taylor Swift Cardigan, Her Favorite Books & Her Clarinet
Emma's first look was a blue cardigan with little white stars on it, layered over a white shirt and jeans. It was her Taylor Swift cardigan inspiration, and it set the tone for the whole session: personal, a little nostalgic, and completely her.
She wore her Converse for the entire shoot, which turned out to be one of the smartest choices of the night.
With the cardigan, we brought in a few of the things that make Emma, Emma: her favorite books and her clarinet. Props like these do a lot of quiet work. They give her something to do with her hands, they make the photos feel like her instead of a generic senior portrait, and they hold a lot of meaning years down the road.
The takeaway: senior year has a lot of sides. Bring the ones that matter most.
Blue Dress, Swim Medals & Tennis Racket
Blue is Emma's favorite color, and it is great on her. With her tan skin and blonde hair, the blue dress looked so good against the downtown backdrops.
The dress had a sporty feel, so we leaned into that. Emma posed with her swimming medals, then her tennis racket, and then just her, no props at all. I like ending a look with a few frames of just the person, because that's usually where the real her shows up.
She also had shorts on underneath, which was a smart move. At one point I asked her to crawl up onto a ledge, and between the shorts and the Converse, it was easy. If you're ever planning a session outfit, think about how it will move. A dress can be beautiful, but if you can't sit, climb, or walk in it, you'll feel it in the photos.
The takeaway: don't rush the parts of your story you worked hardest for. Sports, activities, and the things you've put hours into deserve their own moment.
Baggy Black Jeans & the Oversized Cream Shirt
Emma's last outfit was baggy black jeans, a black tank, and an oversized cream shirt. This one was fun to play with.
Oversized pieces can be tricky. Done wrong, they can swallow someone and make them look frumpy. So I made sure we could always see the black tank underneath. Sometimes Emma let the shirt slide off her shoulders, and sometimes she pushed it down so the sleeves ended at her wrists. The shirt became another prop, something she could mess with and move around, and it kept her looking relaxed and natural instead of stiff.
The takeaway: an outfit isn't just what you wear. It's what you do with it.
Ending at the Parking Garage (and Up on the Roof)
We wrapped up the night at a parking garage, and I promise it's better than it sounds.
We started on the inside, by the windows, where the light and the concrete give everything more of a warehouse feel. Emma brought her sheet music, and she was a trooper. She laid down on the ground with her music spread all around her, and that shot is one of my favorites from the whole session.
Then we headed up to the roof. It was a great night to be up there. The sky was beautiful, the buildings next to us made a fun frame, and we had a view of the Capitol. It was a really nice way to end a session that started in a place Emma never expected to love.
The takeaway: some of the best spots are the ones nobody thinks to look at.
It's About More Than Pretty Locations
Emma's session is a good reminder that the location is never really the decision. The person is.
She didn't choose downtown because she's a city girl at heart. She chose it because it fit her, bug free and all. The cardigan, the books, the clarinet, the medals, the racket, the sheet music: those details are what will make these photos matter in ten years. The buildings are just the backdrop.
That's the way I plan every senior session. We start with who you are, and then we find the places that fit.
Planning Your Own Senior Session
If you're a Lincoln area senior (or a senior parent) wondering where to take your photos, I'd love to help you figure out your story first. Whether you love the outdoors, hate it like Emma, or land somewhere in the middle, we'll build a session around you.
I'm Kate DeCoste, a portrait photographer based in Lincoln, Nebraska. I photograph seniors, families, and branding clients in Lincoln, Omaha, and across southeast Nebraska.
Ready to plan yours? Reach out and let's talk about what makes you, you.
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Quick Answers
Where was Emma's senior session photographed? In downtown Lincoln, Nebraska, within about a six block radius. We used building backdrops, a couple of alleys, and a parking garage with a rooftop view of the Capitol.
Can you have a senior session without any nature? Absolutely. Emma wanted a city setting, and downtown Lincoln has plenty of textured walls, alleys, ledges, and rooftops that work beautifully for senior pictures.
Why did Emma use multiple outfits and props? Each outfit and prop told a different part of her story: her books and clarinet, her swimming medals and tennis racket, and her sheet music. Senior year has many sides, and a good session shows more than one.
What should seniors wear for a downtown Lincoln session? Choose outfits you can move in. Comfortable shoes like Converse and shorts under a dress made it easy for Emma to climb a ledge and lay on the ground.
Where does Kate DeCoste Photography offer senior sessions? I photograph seniors in Lincoln, Omaha, and across southeast Nebraska.
Do you photograph seniors from Crete and other nearby towns? Yes. Emma is a senior at Crete High School, and she came to downtown Lincoln for her session. I photograph seniors from Crete and other towns around Lincoln.
Hair & Makeup
Emma's hair and makeup were done by Ashley Gaa. She kept everything looking polished and totally Emma, and it held up through the climbing, the crawling, and the rooftop wind. If you're planning your own senior session and want hair and makeup as part of the day, I'm always happy to point you in the right direction.
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