“Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been,
and there you will always long to return.” –Leonardo da Vinci
Ajay is a mover. He loves to be active, whether it’s swimming, water polo, or even flying. I could see this when I first met him, and it’s inspiring to see such a bright spark of passion in someone just entering into adulthood! Ajay’s graduating from Lake Nona High School, and is already walking with his eyes turned skyward. In school, he was placed on the Boys Water Polo Team, and was selected as the MVP on the team, too! It was such fun spending time getting to know him and his accomplishments during his senior session.
For the session, we wanted to capture his active lifestyle in the best way possible. He might appear like a blur to those around him, but I wanted to take snapshots of what you might find him doing on any given day. So, we visited the pool, some beautiful architecture, and of course, the airfield. I loved capturing him sailing through the water, and we showcased a bit of his water polo skill at the same time. The deep blue of the water and the seemingly chaotic motion of the water crashing around him as he glided through it made for a wonderful portrait.
I also liked the outfits that Ajay picked out to wear for the shoot. Men’s wardrobe is something I really love, especially for its debonair simplicity. Ajay’s outfit was no exception, carrying a lot of style and personality with it, and the architecture we visited helped bring attention to his handsome wardrobe. Men need a core wardrobe to work from, especially a casual one. Trends come and go, and having a core, casual set of outfits will allow them to be more malleable and “on style” with ease. Ajay has this down here, and wears it well!
My favorite part of the shoot, though, was capturing Ajay’s joy in just being near a plane. He’s currently training for his pilot’s license, which means that he’s got a lot of courage, smarts, and tenacity. We got some great, classic shots of him with the plane, and Ajay looked like he was filled with this sense of freedom, knowing what it’s like to fly. It was my dream to have gotten some shots of him in the air, but as you might expect, it just wasn’t in the cards. We settled for capturing the joy of a grounded pilot-in-training, instead.
It was a wonderful session with Ajay, and I know that his eyes will always be looking skyward, and that he’ll go far because of it. Happy flying, Ajay!
