With schools being closed due to COVID-19, High School and College students graduating in 2020 have been faced with the total unexpected, a graduation without being able to walk across the stage in front of family and friends. I can tell you that just like countless others, my family and I did not have the opportunity to witness our niece Savannah graduate this year. As a Trabuco Hills High School Graduate, she was allowed to go to her school and receive her diploma from her principle without any family members present. She wore her cap and gown, which symbolizes recognition and achievement for very few to see. I’m sure families found their own way to celebrate their graduates accomplishments. In the meantime, here are some of the graduates that I was fortunate enough to photograph so far during this pandemic.

Savannah and Charlotte

My niece, Savannah wanted to celebrate her High School Graduation with a photo session that included her best friend Charlotte, her new puppy and her mother (my sister Dawn). Because of the current lock down, we found a beautiful outdoor location close to her home.

Savannah and Charlotte spend a lot of time together, so it made sense to capture their friendship in the most natural way possible.

After the tragic loss of our beloved nephew Jon Watson at the beginning of the pandemic, my niece Megan decided to get a puppy to distract her three young boys during this difficult time. Savannah also thought it would help the healing process, so she now also has her own loving “Golden Doodle” pup.

Savannah was so excited to see her finished photos, she texted me and told me that she had 64 favorites and asked if that was ok. I said it’s fine by me, but you better ask your mom. Because she’s a master negotiator, she ended up with over 30 professionally retouched images.

Evan Johnson

Evan Johnson is a 2020 graduate from Troy High School in Fullerton, California. He played football all 4 years earning JV Lineman of the year, member of the Freeway League All League Team, Scholar Athlete and OC Athletic Director’s Athlete of Character. Evan plans to attend Fullerton College in the fall to complete his general education.

Evan chose downtown San Juan Capistrano for the backdrop of his High School Senior photo session. Here are the top 4 photos. “Looking good Evan”!

Emilie Hawkins

“Val has been photographing my daughter Emilie since she was born and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Fast forward 21 years and she is now graduating from Norco Community College and he again captured her beautiful spirit with his amazing talent.”

“Emilie is one of 71 graduates out of 1200 to graduate with honors on the Dean's list with a 4.0 all the way through. Although not the graduation that we were expecting due to COVID-19, we made the best of it. We sat together as a family and watched the virtual graduation. We are so proud of her and the woman she is becoming.

Emilie earned an Associates of Arts in Math & Science and an Associates Degree for Transfer in Psychology. She is transferring to the University of La Verne in the fall to pursue a Bachelor's of Science in Psychology.

Emilie loves to spend time with her family.  Anything she does, she does with passion and always puts in 110%.”

~Jina Hawkins

Nick Placek

I’m proud to say that I’ve been taking photos of Nicholas since he was 3 years old. Nicholas is a scholar athlete who recently graduated from Crean Lutheran High School. After only a year and a half of picking up the sport of lacrosse, he was named a captain of his team and defenseman of the year. He had the opportunity to play either lacrosse or golf at the collegiate level. He chose to accept a scholarship to play lacrosse for Concordia University's Men's lacrosse team. He also enjoys music and is a talented guitarist who has played for worship bands at school and church.

Nick’s High School Graduation photo session was at Laguna Niguel Regional Park. It’s a great location for that natural look.

Cassidy

Right in the heart of the pandemic, Cassidy’s mom called me and asked if I would go to a unique urban location. Absolutely! This is one of my favorite spots and I use it for photography upon request. I called the corporate office and received permission to photograph during COVID-19. With social distancing being important to all, my telephoto lens was the perfect tool to capture Cassidy’s High School Senior photos.

How many looks can you get in a High School Senior photo session? Well, just take a peak. Cassidy brought many beautiful outfits and used her SUV as her changing room. She had a look for every backdrop.

Normally, this is a very busy shopping area, but because of the current conditions, we pretty much had the place to ourselves.

The first time I photographed Cassidy, she was with her family at Laguna Regional Park. Visit our family portrait gallery and see if you can find her. Hint- she’s wearing cowboy boots and there are golden leaves in the trees.

Hailey Stoller

I have been photographing Hailey and her family since she was approximately two years old. Needless to say, it’s been fun watching this cute little girl grow up to be such a great person.

Hailey recently graduated from El Dorado High School in Placentia, CA. In high school, Hailey was a 4-year member of the national award-winning dance team, and the dance team Captain her senior year.

Hailey has danced since she was 4 1/2 years old, receiving numerous solo and group dance awards. In high school, Hailey was a member of CSF, NHS, the Digital Media Arts Academy and was very involved with the EveryBuddy Club at school. Hailey was honored to be named 1 of the 7 EDHS Golden Hawks for the Class of 2020. Hailey will be attending UCLA in the fall.

A BIG CONGRATULATIONS to all of the 2020 graduates, everyone is so proud of you and your accomplishments!

Do you know a graduate that was affected by COVID-19? If so, use the comment box below to share your story.