Danielle | Senior Portraits Under the Arches of Cathedral Park in Portland, Oregon
I have to be honest: I'm a little biased about this one.
Danielle is my cousin. I've watched her grow from a kid into this warm, bright, genuinely beautiful young woman, and being the one to photograph her senior portraits was one of my favorite things I've done with a camera in a long time. It's different when it's family. Everything is a little more tender.
We chose Cathedral Park in Portland's St. Johns neighborhood, and it delivered in every possible way. The park sits beneath the St. Johns Bridge — Portland's only steel suspension bridge, built in 1931, with those soaring Gothic arches that give the park its name. The site itself goes back even further: it's believed to be one of Lewis and Clark's landing sites along the Willamette, a place that has held people and history for a very long time. It has that feeling — like the ground knows it matters.
We started in the softer, greener parts of the park, where the light filtered through the trees and Danielle smiled like she'd been doing this for years. Effortless. She sat in a patch of grass scattered with daisies and clover, looking completely at home in the world, which is exactly how I'd describe her.
Then she put on the red cap and gown, and everything changed — in the best way.
The camellia trees at Cathedral Park were in full bloom, covered in deep red flowers with petals scattered across the ground below. Danielle in her red graduation gown in front of that tree was one of those moments where you just know the image is right before you even look at the back of the camera. Red on red, the camellias going wild behind her, the whole frame full of color and warmth.
And then the arches.
Standing beneath the St. Johns Bridge and looking down that long corridor of Gothic concrete arches — it's one of the most dramatic, architectural, genuinely stunning backdrops in all of Portland. Danielle walked toward me in her red gown, cap in hand, and she looked like she owned the whole place. Because she did.
Danielle — I am so proud of you, and I always will be. Senior year looks so good on you.
Cathedral Park is located in the St. Johns neighborhood of North Portland, beneath the iconic St. Johns Bridge. Free to visit, stunning year-round, and one of the most architecturally striking locations in the city.
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