This past weekend I had the honor to photograph Elizabeth's Quinceañera. I had previously done her older sister's senior photos, so I was thrilled when her mom came back to me for Elizabeth's Quinceañera as well!
A Quinceañera is a religious and social celebration of a girl's 15th birthday, marking her passage from girlhood into womanhood. It is celebrated in Mexico, Latin America, and the Caribbean, as well as in Latino communities in the United States and other places around the world. The word Quinceañera can also be used to refer to the woman herself.
In Lizzie's case, her celebration started at Holy Family Catholic Church. This beautiful church is the largest of the Holy Family Catholic Community and located on the outskirts of East Fond du Lac. Lizzie's celebration took the form of a traditional mass with Spanish music, readings & prayer, and a short reading by Lizzie herself about how she would keep Jesus centered in her life.
Following the mass, we took pictures with family and friends at the church, and some additional pictures at Lakeside Park. There was then a reception with food, friends and dancing at the Masonic Center in Fond du Lac.
Since I have never been to a traditional quinceañera before (only photographed a couple young ladies, but never attended the whole mass or celebration) I was interested in doing some reading and research before hand. One thing I learned about quinceañeras is that the girl who's celebrating is often accompanied by a "court" of damas (“maids of honour”) and chambelánes ("chamberlains”). In Elizabeth's case she had 5 young ladies and 5 young men accompanying her, plus her own escort. (I also learned that traditionally, the quinceañera may have as many as 14 damas and 14 chambelanes, because each couple represents a year in her life!)
At the beginning of the day I was actually a bit worried about how our session was going to turn out. The weather called for rain on-and-off ALL day and we had planned to take pictures outdoors at Lakeside Park. BUT as a photographer, part of my job is knowing how to take pictures and find the best lighting regardless of external factors - no matter the weather, rain or shine. However, I did not want the girls dresses to get wet and ruined!
Thanks to everyone's prayers and positive thoughts though, in the end the rain did decide to hold off! Needless to say with such gorgeous subjects, we were able to get some beautiful pictures! Here are just a couple of my many favorites!
Elizabeth was a natural, and I hardly had to direct her with poses at all. She said she got her dress from a Boutique in Chicago and enjoyed picking out her matching pink converse and accessories.
Congratulations again on your Quinceañera Elizabeth, and I hope you had an incredible 15th birthday! Thanks for choosing me as your photographer!
Locations:
Holy Family Catholic Church: https://www.hffdl.org/
Lakeside Park Fond du Lac: https://www.fdl.com/details/todo/lakeside-park/
Masonic Center: https://www.lodge26.org/
Photography: www.everlastingimagesphotobysam.com