Session with French Horn | Sayen House and Gardens Photographer

To this day, EJ and I still laugh about our impromptu session at Walt Disney World in 2021. It was so spontaneous and fun, and EJ looked absolutely stunning—those photos are still featured on the homepage of my website!

Even though that was her first session with me, EJ and I have actually known each other for eight years! Back in high school, we’d carpool to region band rehearsals, spend our lunch periods nerding out in the band room, and practice etudes and repertoire during study hall (we were also both Sousa Award winners!). After high school, EJ pursued her passion for music at Ithaca College, majoring in French Horn Performance and Music Education. So, when she reached out for promo images for her upcoming junior recital, I couldn’t have been more excited!

One of the coolest things about EJ is that she started her own business selling jewelry, paintings, and other adorable items (view the Instagram page)! EJ was one of the first people to encourage me to start my own business back in 2021, and I’m so grateful to have had someone like her who believed in me from the very beginning.

When we arrived at Sayen House and Gardens, EJ was in her beautiful light purple dress, adorned with jewelry she made herself, and of course, her horn! What made it even more special was that the horn belonged to a dear friend who is no longer with us. We captured most of the portraits with her horn, but we also got some super cute shots without it!

Since I had previously taken EJ’s portraits at Magic Kingdom and her pre-prom photos in 2022, she was already a pro in front of the camera. We wandered through Sayen House and Gardens, capturing over 200 photos in less than an hour and a half! We laughed, twirled, and caught up on life—it truly felt like no time had passed.

Thank you so much, EJ, for trusting me with your portraits! Best of luck on your junior recital!

We started our session at Koi Fish Pond and Bridge!

One of my favorites!

Love this one!

We found a cute little walking path with some colorful flowers, and took a few photos there!

Another favorite!

We took so many of my favorite images near the White Gazebo!

I usually try to avoid hazy lighting, but I think it’s a perfect addition to these photos!

Stunning!

We wanted to finish off our session at the Labaw Pointe Bridge, but we wanted to wait a little bit to get the best lighting! Luckily, Sayen House and Gardens has so many photo-worthy spots, so we found a few different places to take photos when we were stalling for time!

Stunning!

One of my favorites from the whole session! This was a little call back to a photo we did at Disney!

Another favorite!!

We eventually made it to the Labaw Pointe Bridge, and I just love these photos so so much! We took some photos with her horn and then some without!

Love this one!

Another favorite! It’s so stunning!!!

Best of luck on your junior recital, EJ!


If you enjoyed this post, you may also like:

Sayen Gardens Engagement Session

Walt Disney World Portraits

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Lifestyle and portrait photographer
Based in Princeton, New Jersey

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