Niki Stefanelli Photography

This 2018 graduate was a delight to work with. On a gray Fall afternoon, we explored the hills for our senior photo session. There were clouds in the sky and the rain threatened, but this girl was so good natured, she managed to stay positive and show her true smile throughout! And what a gorgeous dress for an outdoor shoot in the foothills.

This confident and stylish high school senior was a blast to work with....love those red boots!!! She is a natural in front of the camera, and she was at ease exploring the neighborhood for our urban senior session. I love working with window reflections and all the fun visual elements that can be discovered on city streets!

I've never been particularly drawn to styled photo shoots for high school seniors because I'm so focused on capturing authentic images. I attended my first styled senior shoot at Conference 12 in Denver, Colorado. The talented True Moua of True Creative Portraits planned this Game of Thrones themed senior photo shoot. We worked in Red Rocks National Park on an overcast day. The high school models did an incredible job pulling off their respective looks! And it was so much fun!

I'm a believer in education and attend workshops, conferences and classes as often as possible. I love all the inspiration and creativity that comes from connecting with other artists and photographers! This year I attended Conference 12, a 3 day conferenced dedicated to high school senior photography. It was limited to 50 participants, and with 12 speakers, it was amazing!!! I wanted to share a few photos of our high school models from Conference 12. The girls did an incredible job!

After moving to Oakland, I've been on the lookout for fun locations for a photo session. I've been amazed at how quiet Lake Merritt Garden is...even on a weekend. With all the diversity of plant life, there are a variety of colors and textures year-round, making it an ideal spot. This family of three was excited to explore the gardens together on a sunny summer day. Their 2nd grade daughter is just full of life and personality, making our photo session a blast!

What a beautiful park for a spring senior photo session. This confident high school senior was a delight to photograph. She was at ease in front of the camera and excited about posing in different locations as we explored our outdoor site. The flowers were in bloom and the day was gorgeous!

This high school graduate is amazing! With self confidence and a great fashion sense, she arrived ready for our outdoor photo shoot on The Athenian School's multiple acre campus. We started with her adorable fluffy companion and concluded our session as the sun was setting behind the mountains and Oak trees. As a former Athenian art teacher, it is always so much fun to return to this gorgeous school campus to create beautiful senior portraits. This graduate was a joy to work: excited to experiment with different backgrounds, a great sense of humor and an incredibly quick outfit changer! I just adore her sense of style. She is headed off to do incredible things at college next year and beyond.

This ambitious Cal High graduate was excited to explore Downtown Danville for her senior photo session. She was determined to show her serious side, but the more we walked around, the more she showed her true smile. It was a beautiful sunny afternoon, with a gorgeous sunset as the lights came on in local businesses. The perfect setting for a senior photo shoot.

This energetic family of five was a delight to photograph! After a weekend of rain, our outdoor site was crazy green! Like the kind of green we rarely see in California! It was like Spring in November. And little did I know that this was a family of tree climbers! Every time I turned around one of the kids was in a tree! It was so much fun to capture them interacting and playing....so much love!

My first rainy day photo shoot required a Plan B. As it began to downpour, we headed inside to the Botanical Gardens.....quick thinking! The twins were a delight to photograph and this family of four was super adaptable! Thanks for being such troopers!