By Summer Crawford
Staff Writer
In this day and age, it is considered the norm for every girl in high school who hits that senior mark to get her own professional senior portraits. Senior portraits can capture a time in a girl’s life that they might not be able to experience again, leaving a lasting impression of their high school memories.
Professional Dallas photographer Catie Ronquillo has followed her passion of taking pictures to the next level to help the girls capture these special moments.
Ronquillo purchased her first single-lens reflex camera in 2007, deciding that she wanted to take nicer pictures of family and friends, and she realized that she enjoyed taking pictures of people. She followed her passion to create her own business, Catie Ronquillo Photography, in October 2009.
“I took photos backstage at my old dance studios of performance and it was right around then that I figured out I really liked photographing people. Then at the same time my boyfriend had proposed and we were engaged and we were planning our wedding. I kind of discovered the world of wedding photography,” Ronquillo said. “It was almost two years ago that I decided weddings weren’t really for me. So, I photographed a couple of high school girls and switched my business over to high school senior portraits.”
Video by Allison Kennedy and Griffin Smith
Aside from taking senior portraits, Ronquillo has started what she calls “Senior Model Teams,” comprised of girls from a variety of local high schools, such as Coppell High School and New Tech High@Coppell, Southlake Carroll, Flower Mound Marcus High School, Frisco Centennial High School and Keller Timber Creek High School. Ronquillo mostly shoots outdoors because of the natural light and tries to use a different location as the background for each shoot.
From downtown Dallas with tall buildings and the city commotion, to isolated areas smack dab in the middle of a natural lake, the models can always expect a unique experience.
“I have been all over Dallas-Fort Worth, from McKinney to White Rock Lake, to Highland Park, Southlake and Grand Prairie. My senior models are girls from local high schools that are outgoing, friendly and want to represent my company in their school,” Ronquillo said. “When I am with them one-on-one or in a group setting, I tell them how to pose and how to stand. The number one thing most girls say to me is, ‘I don’t know how to stand.’ I want them to look like themselves and not feel uncomfortable.”
The “Senior Model Teams” began last year, with a full team of eight girls being created for the 2014 graduating seniors. The number of members for the 2015 team has been amped up to 12 girls, a record number for Ronquillo.
Working 10 hours each week taking pictures and preparing for upcoming shoots and spending 30 hours editing the shots, Ronquillo tries to fit in time to come up with creative ideas. When the senior models are not getting pampered with their hair and makeup done from professionals, Ronquillo is designing special shoots that every girl can enjoy. Ideas have ranged from bohemian styled florid shoots to Disney characters. She especially likes to create do-it-yourself projects that she utilize in shoots, like taking 10 yards of fabric to fly in the air behind them, creating an effect between the fabric and wind.
“I get inspiration from a lot of magazines and editorial type photo shoot, like the watch company Fossil, that has good styling and art directions. I always tell clients to wear what makes them feel comfortable. If I have a tomboy I wouldn’t make her wear dresses if she hated dresses. I had a girl in band who didn’t wear dresses,” Ronquillo said. “If they want to bring stuff that shows off their activities such as band or dance, they can.”
Wardrobes differ for each shoot, whether it be individual or group. The models on the 2014 and 2015 teams will be sent a link to a Pinterest board, showing particular styles of clothes that Ronquillo has in mind for the shoot. From there, each girl typically puts together three outfits, and has the freedom to buy new clothes or reuse old ones.
To be a part of the modeling team, upcoming senior girls have to apply or be nominated by current seniors on the modeling team. The girls who are nominated will receive applications through emails sent by Ronquillo. From there, Ronquillo will hand pick her next year’s modeling team, and by the end of February, will have proceeded to the first group shoot in late March or early April. The 12 girls who are on the 2015 team will be split into two groups of six, and are scheduled to have their first shoots on April 6 and 27. Group shots last anywhere between five to six hours, with individual shoots being about two hours.
“I review the applications and then I have an informational meeting with a rundown of how I run my program and my expectations. From there, the girls who were invited to that meeting get to decide whether they want to participate in the following year, because there is a fee attached,” Ronquillo said. “For that informational meeting, a parent is required to come, and usually the mom will come. They are as into it as their daughter is, and it is a good bonding experience for them especially since this is daughter’s last year of high school.”
Ronquillo tries to make the experience as personal as possible, driving out to her client’s house to reveal pictures from the shoots. She has seen mothers and daughters bond during their time at photo shoots, and Ronquillo has made sure she is involved on more than a basic level.
“For them they get to have a unique experience during their senior year of modeling and getting to know other girls from other schools. They get to have this special community within them being a part of my company and they get to text me and ask me questions. In some instances I feel like I am not old enough to be anyone’s mother, but I feel like a big sister,” Ronquillo said. “I have these teenagers who I can help positively influence and encourage them I have gone to some of their performances. Seeing them start from juniors and go all the way through graduation is amazing.”
Several Coppell girls have been a part of the 2014 team, and several others have been invited to be on the 2015 team. Many heard about Ronquillo’s business through friends on the previous year’s team. Several others have found the opportunity will help them during rush in college, since they now have professional head shots and have gained experience in interacting with strangers.
“I liked it because I am not a very fashionable person, so it’s kind of weird that I signed up to be a model, but honestly it has had me get new clothes that I could also wear to school. It is cool because you get to learn about how you want your hair to be at prom or things like that, and it is monumental in your life,” CHS senior Lilly Balsamo said. “I also like having pictures with my friends because she wants actual model pictures with the typical poses, but when you see some, your personality comes out in them.”
Meeting girls from nearby districts has been an exciting part of the process. The seniors have met people that they doubt they would have met if it had not been for this activity. It is a chance to mix with girls of all different personalities and styles.
“It taught me how to meet new people because I had to meet and be comfortable. We are posing with them, arms around each other, just hanging out. It broadened my friendships and it is cool to meet a bunch of girls,” CHS senior Olivia Brooks said. “In our group, we have girls that dress a little preppy, and then you have the girls who are more relaxed. My mom is so happy to have all these photos of me before I go to college when she is not going to see me often.”
New Tech High@Coppell senior Meredith Mosley was not a new face to Ronquillo when she joined the 2014 team. Mosley had worked with her during her junior year to have individual pictures taken.
“There are four girls that are from Southlake and we all follow each other on Instagram and Twitter, and when we meet up we are still friends even though we go to different schools,” Mosley said. “Every time I am behind the camera I make Catie laugh. I have been able to get more comfortable in front of the camera because I am able to goof off. It is a self-confidence booster knowing I am being a representative for her and her pictures.”
The Coppell 2014 seniors got their chance to nominate four to five junior girls they thought would make a good team. Two juniors, Christianna Haas and Lesley Wray, were officially announced as members of the “2015 Senior Model Team.”
“It is not normally the thing I would do, but I think it is good to branch out and try new things. Meeting other girls will be interesting since we just stick around with people here in Coppell, and it is good to meet a variety of people,” Wray said. “It will be a lot of fun because I don’t ever get pictures taken other than from vacations. Getting used to having my picture taken will be hard. I don’t feel like I am very photogenic and I am kind of camera shy. But that will help me come out of my comfort zone.”
Haas and Wray are looking forward to branching out and trying new looks until they find what is right for them. Haas was initially excited because photography was something she was once interested in.
“I thought it would be a unique experience to get to work that close with a photographer. I used to think that I wanted to be a portrait photographer in freshman year, which is why I joined EMAC. Obviously that is not my first choice now but I thought it would be a great experience,” Haas said. “First my parents thought oh my gosh that is a lot of money. Then my mom thought about it, and my dad was the one who went to the meeting with us, and he thought it would be awesome to do. Everyone can say that they did senior portraits, but to be able to work that closely with a photographer and to be able to customize everything, is amazing.”
Ronquillo enjoys working side by side with each of her models, and she posts pictures of all their hard work on her website, Facebook page and personal blog. She shares recent photo shoots, outfit ideas and her favorite makeup products on her blog, following what someone once said that your website is your handshake and your blog is your voice.
Taking pictures is not only a passion of Ronquillo, but it is a way to connect with young teenage girls and let them see that each and every one of them is beautiful in their own way.
“My goal is to make every girl, not matter what you look like, feel beautiful and feel confident. Feeling confident in front of a camera is hard, and if you get that feeling, even just for an hour, it can change the way you see the world. It boosts confidence, especially for someone who has never felt that way or who has never felt pretty,” Ronquillo said. “It goes back to when I was in high school. I was good at academics, and I wasn’t the most popular or prettiest. As much as your parents and siblings may tell you that you are pretty, hearing it from someone else it always means so much more. Having low self-esteem, especially in girls, is so prevalent and it is often not talked about. Every girl is beautiful and deserves a chance to see it.”
Ronquillo has been pleased with how her model teams have turned out so far, and in the future, she plans on having a destination senior session. Originally from California, she will be traveling there this summer and will be offering a session in San Francisco or Los Angeles to any model willing to travel.
