Over the years, I’ve photographed Eli doing karate, baseball, and basketball. He played football, too, somewhere in between photo sessions. So it’s just my luck that he closes out his senior year playing a sport I know absolutely nothing about–lacrosse. I watched six minutes of You Tube videos to prepare, and I couldn’t understand how anyone could actually follow that tiny ball, much less catch, throw, or block it. I also couldn’t make heads or tails of how you were supposed to handle the stick. Some moves looked like rowing, others like harpooning a whale. Not that I know anything about harpooning whales, either. Luckily, Eli knows what to do with the lacrosse stick, and after I stopped trying to tell him how to pose with it, things went much better.

We did his session at his home field at St. Xavier High School. After visiting their stadium, I am jealous of their nice high bleacher section, especially after photographing marching band this season. We did shots from both high and low angles. I did find that the St. X turf does stick to a knit jacket like Velcro, in case anyone else is planning to lie down on the field.

Eli doesn’t get his lacrosse uniform until spring, so he just wore his St. X lacrosse T-shirt and sweatshirt, since it was chilly. And although he looked dapper in his suit, his smiles were much easier in his more casual outfit and the sportswear, particularly when I sided with him that it wasn’t necessary to tuck in his shirt. His parents got to handle the lights as Eli played with his stick on the field, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Eli is probably still seeing spots from all the flashes. But hopefully having a great set of senior pics will make up for the temporary partial blindness.

Have a great rest of your senior year, Eli!