09/05/2026
Senior Sessions 🎓
After a lot of thought, I have made a decision on how I want to handle these. I feel the need to treat senior portrait sessions slightly differently than family sessions because these seniors, by nature of the session, are photographed individually. To cover or blur their faces would conceal the very thing I am showcasing in my portfolio. It has always been my practice to have clients sign a model release where they can choose between all, some, or none of their images being used for portfolios and marketing purposes. I have come to the conclusion that having both the parents' AND seniors' consent when applicable based on age for image use is the best practice for my business.
The safety and comfort of my clients is my highest priority. Thank you all for being so supportive as we photographers navigate these crazy times. I greatly appreciate each and every one of you, and look forward to capturing all of your future moments and milestones!
The fact that this is even an issue sickens me. As a photographer. As a mom. It’s disgusting.
TLDR: You and ONLY you are in FULL control of who views your images. I will do EVERYTHING in my power to keep your precious moments out of the wrong hands and prevent them from being used for any ill-intended purpose.
The full story:
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals recently issued a ruling involving AI-generated CSAM depicting “fictional” children, finding that the First Amendment protects certain private possession of that material under existing Supreme Court precedent.
That is enough for me to say I will not be a part of the problem. If our government and laws aren’t yet adequately equipped to protect children from what AI can do with their images, then I feel a responsibility to do my part to protect them. Our kids deserve to be protected- physically, mentally, emotionally, AND DIGITALLY.
🚨 EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY 🚨
I will no longer be posting identifiable images of children on my photography page, signed release or not. (Yes, I am aware I have years of past sessions visible on my page. Those images have always been shared with parents' permission. This change is for all sessions going forward.)
Will this affect my business?
I don’t care if it does.
The safety of children and my clients will always come before my business.
Capturing your family’s moments is my livelihood. It keeps my family fed, clothed, and sheltered. Refraining from using any and all images with our little ones would drastically shrink my portfolio- the gallery you view to help decide if I’m the right photographer for you. HOWEVER, I will NOT stand by and allow these images you’ve entrusted me to capture to be used for such…. disgusting purposes.
I do my absolute best to manage my business with as much professionalism and integrity as possible. As legitimately and lawfully as possible. As morally and ethically right as possible.
Going forward, IF you graciously allow me the privilege to use your images in my portfolio (which has always been and will ALWAYS be YOUR choice), I will blur or cover your children’s faces so they CANNOT be identified. It’s the best compromise I can think of to prioritize your children’s safety while still growing my business.
I’m still working on the best way to handle senior sessions. The nature of these sessions largely dictates that they are the only individuals in the images, but they are no less deserving of our protection. Until a solid plan is in place, I will be refraining from adding any senior session images to my portfolio.
Other procedures:
📷 ALL images are stored ONLY on physical hard drives. NEVER on the cloud.
📷 All galleries will be password protected, and links will be sent to the paying client ONLY. As always, PINs are required for download.
📷 No AI software is used for culling or editing. As always, I do everything myself.
EXISTING CLIENTS:
If you would like me to remove any existing images from my socials and portfolio, please let me know, and I will do my best!
I will be adding additional security measures to existing galleries over the coming weeks to do my part in keeping your precious images from falling into the wrong hands. Please keep an eye out for an email with more information.
TO EVERYONE:
Thank you for entrusting me to capture your family’s moments. This is a privilege and honor that I do not take lightly. You have always been and will always be in complete control of who sees your images. Thank you for being so supportive of my little business and being the best clients.
