Jade's Lincoln Senior Session | Capitol Beach & Sunken Gardens
Every senior session starts with the same question: where should we take you? For Jade, a senior at Bishop Neumann High School in Wahoo, the answer had already been decided seven years ago, she just didn't know it yet.
The Session That Started With Her Brother
Back when I photographed Jade's older brother Dalton for his senior pictures in 2019, Jade tagged along. She jumped in for one photo with him, a piggyback ride, and it became one of those shots that just sticks with you. Fast forward seven years, and it was Jade's turn for her own senior session. There was only one way to start it: recreate that same piggyback photo, this time with Jade as the senior.
We kicked things off at Jade's family lake home at Capitol Beach in Lincoln, then headed to Sunken Gardens for the bulk of her session, where we worked through everything from marching band to 4-H to her faith.
Starting at Capitol Beach
Jade's family has a home right on the lake at Capitol Beach, so it made sense to start her session there. It's her actual backyard, not a location we picked off a list.
For her lake shots, Jade wore a short blue dress with white flowers, easy and breezy right on the water. Most of her Capitol Beach photos were shot on the patio with the lake behind her, and that's where we recreated the piggyback photo. For that one, Jade and Dalton matched in jeans and boots, Jade in a pink shirt, and they even topped it off with cowboy hats. Dawson's original was shot closer to a train track seven years ago, so the backdrop shifted a little, but the moment didn't. Same siblings, same pose, seven years apart. We also grabbed a few shots on the gangway, where the Lincoln skyline shows up right behind her.
Fun fact: Jade wasn't even part of the original senior session. She just wanted in on one photo with her brother, and it ended up being the one everyone still talks about.
Sunken Gardens: Where Her Story Took Over
From Capitol Beach we moved to Sunken Gardens, and this is where Jade's session really opened up. Sunken Gardens is one of my favorite Lincoln locations for seniors because the layout gives us so many different backdrops in one place, which mattered a lot for Jade since she had so many sides of herself to show.
We photographed her with her flute and her marching band hat, her camera for her love of photography, her ATV for 4-H, a shirt for FCCLA, and her Bible and rosary. We also worked in her love of reading. Senior year isn't just one thing, and Jade's list of loves made that obvious. Rather than picking one or two to feature, we built the session around all of them.
Jade's mom came along and kept everything on track with an actual list, making sure we hit every activity and prop Jade wanted included. And Dalton tagged along too, sticking around to help pull Jade's real smiles out between shots. It turned into a family effort, not just a photo session.
For outfits, Jade wore jeans, cowboy boots, and a nice blouse for her band photos, then changed into jeans and a t-shirt for her ATV photos. From there she moved into a couple of floral dresses, one yellow and one orange, giving us even more color to work with against the gardens.
The sky had been cloudy most of the day, and it got dark earlier than a normal summer evening usually does. I brought my light along, which turned out to be a good call. Her last few shots of the day have that darker sky behind her, giving them a moodier, almost secret garden feel compared to the rest of the session.
It's About More Than Pretty Locations
I could talk all day about how photogenic Capitol Beach and Sunken Gardens are, but that's not really what Jade's session was about. It was about a sister who wanted in on one photo seven years ago, and got a whole session built around that same moment. It was about a flute, an ATV, a rosary, and a stack of books all belonging to the same person. The locations gave us the backdrop. Jade gave us the story.
That's the part I care about most in every session I shoot. The place matters, but it's never the point.
Fun fact: A little while after her session, Jade posted a story set to Dolly Parton's "River of Happiness," asking her followers what they thank God for. She tagged me in it and wrote, "she does senior, portrait and headshot photos!" That kind of thing means more to me than any review ever could.
Planning Your Own Senior Session
If you're a senior (or a senior's parent) in Lincoln wondering where to start, my advice is always the same: let's figure out your story first, then we'll find the locations that fit it. Whether that's a family lake home, a favorite park, or somewhere that's meant something to your family for years, your session should feel like it belongs to you.
I'm Kate, a senior portrait photographer based in Lincoln, Nebraska, serving seniors across Lincoln, Omaha, and southeast Nebraska. If you're ready to plan a session that's actually about you, I'd love to hear your story.
Interested in a senior session of your own? Reach out here to start planning your consultation.
Quick Answers
Where was Jade's senior session photographed? At her family's lake home at Capitol Beach in Lincoln, and at Sunken Gardens in Lincoln.
Why did the session use more than one location? Capitol Beach held personal meaning as Jade's family lake home and the spot for a sentimental piggyback photo recreation. Sunken Gardens gave us the variety of backdrops to showcase Jade's different interests and outfits.
What activities were featured in Jade's session? Marching band, photography, 4-H and ATVs, FCCLA, and her faith, shown through her Bible and rosary, along with her love of reading.
Where does Kate DeCoste Photography offer senior sessions? I photograph seniors throughout Lincoln, Omaha, Wahoo, and southeast Nebraska, at personal locations like family homes and favorite local spots, not just typical photo destinations.
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