I have actually seen Abby dressed up as a Care Bear (a compelling portrayal of Share Bear for marching band Spirit Week), and she is just as adorable without the lavender onesie. It’s not just the dimpled cheeks and the fresh complexion. Abby has an enthusiasm for life that is contagious. She is a talented musician, having performed with the some of the area’s best youth music ensembles and bands. But she is also a visual artist, and is pursuing design as her career focus.

We did her session around Washington Park and the Music Hall, partly because most of the area parks were pretty bare in late December, and the urban environment still offered a lot of interest and appeal. The marching band season had pretty much consumed her late summer and fall, so we did her session with the temps in the 30s. There was a lot of traffic on a Sunday afternoon because of matinee performances of the Nutcracker at the Music Hall. Abby learned quickly not to take off her jacket until last moment before shooting, but sometimes we got stuck waiting for traffic to clear, and she was freezing for a few minutes before we were able to get into position and take the shot. Years of marching band have hardened her to performing in both heat and cold, and she was able to give me her usual cheerful smiles for almost two hours before the sun went down.