Senior Pictures Don’t Have to Be All Sports: Maddy’s West Carroll Senior Session

Oct 2 2026 | By: Pix Along The Way

When you think about senior pictures for an athlete, it is easy to start with the obvious: the uniform, the equipment, the field, the court.

And those pictures are important. Sports can be a huge part of a student’s high school years, so of course we want to include them.

But an athlete is also a lot of other things.

Maddy, a West Carroll senior, plays golf, basketball and softball. We knew going into her senior session that we wanted to include all three. But we also wanted to make room for the other parts of Maddy that have nothing to do with a scoreboard.

Her session ended up including three sports both in studio and outside, as well as many dresses and other meaningful items, creating for a fun day designed around Maddy.

That is one of the things we love about senior pictures. You don't have to choose one version of your senior and build the entire session around it. We customize each session around your senior to tell their own story.

Starting with the sports

We started Maddy’s session in the studio with golf, basketball and softball.

Not only did we photograph each sport individually with clubs, balls, bags and uniforms, we then created a combined sports photo with Maddy and a throne.

But we didn't stop with the sports.

Maddy also brought a white dress, and we changed things up for a completely different set of studio portraits, making sure to include Maddy's favorite color, pink, as much as possible.

Because while the sports are part of her story, they aren't the whole story.

From the studio, we headed to the softball field in Thompson.

This gave us another way to incorporate softball into her senior pictures. Instead of photographing her only with the studio setup and equipment, we could put her on the field where she actually played.

That's an important distinction when we're planning a Senior Experience Session. With unlimited locations, seniors can choose if they want to photograph on their field and court, in studio, or both.

Twenty years from now she will be able to show her own children the same field where she played softball and relive the memories from the games.

Later, we headed to a park in Savanna, Illinois.

Maddy's dad stopped by with his Jeep, which is more than just a cool vehicle to include in a photograph. It was a piece of her family and her dad's work, so it became another personal detail we could incorporate into the session.

Besides the Jeep, Maddy brought along a variety of flow dresses to showcase her fun side. Her session was not just all about sports. She chose just the right dresses to spin, twirl, and play in the trees.

One of my favorite things that mom brought along for the session and wanted to make sure to include in the pictures was a couple stuffed animals that she used to play with. This is why it is importand not just to use a generic photo day checklist.

And that's exactly why I don't think senior pictures should be built from a list of poses and props that could belong to anyone.

If your senior has something from childhood that still matters to them, bring it.

If they have a family vehicle, bring it.

If they play three sports, let's find a way to include all three.

If they want beautiful portraits in a dress, we'll do those, too.

And if they have an idea that doesn't fit neatly into a traditional senior session, tell us about it.

And that's exactly why we don't think senior pictures should be built from a list of poses and props that could belong to anyone.

If your senior has something from childhood that still matters to them (or you), bring it.

If they have a family vehicle, bring it.

If they play three sports, let's find a way to include all three.

If they want beautiful portraits in a dress, we'll do those, too.

And if they have an idea that doesn't fit neatly into a traditional senior session, tell us about it.

Planning senior pictures for your West Carroll senior?

If you're starting to think about senior pictures and aren't sure what you should include, that's exactly what the consultation is for. We'll talk through your senior, the things that matter to them, the sports or activities they want included, locations, outfits and ideas for making the session personal.

Book A Consult

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pixalongtheway@hotmail.com
563.219.6314
pixalongtheway@hotmail.com
563.219.6314
pixalongtheway@hotmail.com