Glenbrook South Senior Photos | Gillson Beach Senior Session
She lives down the street from me. Which meant she had a head start on the part most seniors find hardest, and I still didn't start her at the water.
The sun was too high when we met at Gillson Beach. So we started at a white wall.
Why a wall, when Lake Michigan is right there
The first ten minutes of a senior session are not about the backdrop. They are about her getting comfortable.
Open shade and a clean wall give you that. Nothing to compete with, nothing to manage, nothing happening behind her that needs handling. Just her, and a chance to see herself.
I turn the camera around a lot. Every few frames I showed her the back of it. She would look, and something would settle. By the third look she stopped checking and started moving.
That is the entire reason we don't open at the shoreline. The water is the reward, not the warm-up.
Gillson gives you three locations without moving the car
A white wall for clean, editorial portraits. Grass and a tree line for something softer. Then the water, which in August at the right hour looks less like Illinois and more like somewhere with palm trees.
That range is why I send seniors here first. A ninety-minute session at one good location beats driving between three mediocre ones, and Gillson has more inside it than most people notice.
The practical part
Come in the last ninety minutes before sunset. Any earlier and the light on the sand goes flat and hard. August and September are the best months, and the beach empties out on weeknights.
Wilmette doesn't require a photography permit. I checked their current permits page, which says plainly that the park district does not require a special use permit for outdoor photography. So there's no fee, no form, and no lead time to plan around.
Parking in the lot is permit parking only, but you can park just west of the parking lot on the neighborhood side streets.
It's about twenty minutes from Glenview, which is what makes it easy for Glenbrook South families on a school night.
I take photos from a stool, and sand does not care
I'm short :). And since angles matter, I carry a stool.
On sand, a stool is a slow disaster. Every wave took a little more out from under one leg, and I kept sinking while I kept shooting. I told her I was surfing. She laughed, an actual one, not a photo laugh.
Those are the frames I keep going back to.
Bring the sweater
She brought three outfits and one layer. That sweater did more work than anything else she packed.
Over the shoulders. In her hands. Sleeves pushed up. Layers give a session texture, and they give her hands something to do, which matters more than most people expect. If you bring one thing beyond your outfits, bring a layer.
Her mom
Her mom came and stayed back for most of it, then stepped in for a few frames near the end. It made the entire session SO FUN, one I will always remember.
“From the moment the session began, Tricia made [my daughter] feel completely comfortable and confident. She has an incredible gift for connecting with people and bringing out their authentic personalities. She knew exactly how to position her, from the placement of her hands to adjusting every strand of hair, ensuring each photo looked natural, effortless, and beautiful. There was so much laughter and ease throughout the session, and it absolutely shines through in the final images.”
By the last twenty minutes, she was telling me where to stand
That happens most sessions. It is the thing I am actually working toward.
Booking
Senior sessions start at $650. Ninety minutes, one location worked from several spots, up to three outfits, 45 or more edited images, a sneak peek in 48 hours, and your full gallery in two weeks. Add thirty minutes at the end for family photos for $300.
One timing note for the Class of 2027. Daylight saving ends November 1. After that, sunset in Chicago is before five, which puts golden hour inside the school day. Weekday evening sessions work through late October and then they don't. Weekend mornings stay open all fall!
