Fall Minis 2024

I was driving around my neighborhood a while back when I spotted a park I’d driven by countless times before but never really noticed. Greenwood Park. Stone walls, big trees, lots of grass. MINI SESSION SPOT!!!

Behold, the results of this year’s mini sessions in Stoneham. I had some returning clients and new faces both. The weather was our dearest friends this year and all my clients came ready to kill it. I’d say it was a successful couple of events!

Texts and FB posts following the releasing of the galleries included “We are SQUEALING! They are SO GOOD. Thank you thank you thank you!” and “Couldn’t love our photos with Cydney Scott Photography more! Local friends, if you’re looking for an amazing photographer who can capture each family member in the most beautiful, authentic way, get in touch with Cydney!”

So I feel like we did great work together!

Ava's Senior Session

I have known Ava’s mom, Christina since the seventh grade and we still see each other monthly for dinner. To say it was fun to photograph the human Christina raised would be an understatement.

Ava and I had a delightful time wandering a small park in Beverly and then visiting a little beachy area to get a variety of shots. I think the dark, moody one is my favorite!

(click to enlarge)

Louis' Boston Portrait Session

I thoroughly enjoyed photographing Louis Chude-Sokei back in 2021, so I was excited when he got in touch to work together again to update his marketing portraits. Chude-Sokei is a writer and scholar, Professor of English and Director of the African American and Black Diaspora Studies Program.

And you’d never guess it was 90 degrees out! (Which it was.)

Ivone's Boston Public Library Senior Session

When Ivone got in touch with me about a senior session she told me she’d been looking around for the right photographer for quite a while. She was excited to have found me. I was excited too! Then my most favorite thing happened. When I asked Ivone to bring her parent or guardian into the email conversation to confirm her as a client, her mom popped in, confirmed, and then shared with me “(Ivone) will be your contact, as I’m trying to raise her to advocate for herself but if you need me just let me know.”

I could not have loved this more. The importance of being comfortable speaking for yourself and talking to strangers is an essential life skill, and I loved that it was being encouraged and instilled in her.

I met Ivonne, her mom, and sister in Boston on a gorgeous Thursday evening and we made our way first through Boston Public Library, then wandered the surrounding area for fun architectural details to work with. We had a blast and I think Ivone - as the kids say - ate it!

Lindy and Aidan's Twin Senior Session!

Lindy and Aidan's mom was on TOP of it! I got an email from her way back in August inquiring about my session services for this year. I love this kind of thinking ahead!

The plan was for a Tuesday evening session with Aidan at Boston University, followed by one the next night for Lindy at Emerson where she was wrapping up her own college career.

When crummy weather managed to threaten to dampen Lindy’s sessions, I photographed them back-to-back on the same evening, starting at BU, then hustling over to Emerson for Lindy.

I think we pulled it off despite the slight Mother Nature-caused time crunch!

(Click to enlarge!)

Amor's Senior Session at Boston University

When I tell you I am grateful for this year’s senior session season, I really mean it. In April 2023, I slipped off a step on the BU campus and broke my foot. I was two weeks away from meeting my first senior session client for the season, and as reality set in, it was clear that I wasn’t going to be able to work with many seniors. I had to contact all of them and suggest a replacement photographer.

I was crushed. I really love doing senior sessions! It’s such a fun way to document the end of a college career. My clients are pretty much always pumped because they are wrapping up their experience, and it makes the energy of my sessions that much more fun.

Amor was no exception. When I arrived a bit early in Marsh Plaza for her session, I noticed that the trees were dropping their flower pedals and it gave me an idea. She was game when I suggested the idea to her when she arrived, and we had great fun with the truly biodegradable confetti made by nature.

Marsh Chapel had great meaning to Amor as well, so we spend a few very quiet minutes in the beautiful space, too.

Here’s a sample of her collection. You can click on the images to enlarge them.

Reghan's Boston University Senior Session

During the Senior Week Carnival, which is at Boston University where I am a full time photographer, I camped out where I had a good view of an inflated double slide. I waited to capture some great expressions of students taking advantage of the slide, and when I caught a photo of some joyous seniors, I approached the two to ask for their names for my caption.

When one gave me her name, I recognized it immediately. “Is your senior portrait photographer named Cydney Scott?” I asked her. She smiled back with some surprise and hesitancy, “yes!”

I stuck my hand out and laughed “hi! I’m Cydney Scott, your senior portrait photographer!”

Reghan’s mom had booked me for a senior session with her daughter, but we’d yet to meet at this point. We had a good laugh, wondered what the odds were of of us running into each other in this way before meeting, and told each other we’d see each other again in a few days for her session. You can see that photo HERE.

Cut to a few days later and Reghan and I had a great time wandering the BU campus to get a good variety of shots for her collection. It was a delightful time.

As we parted ways, I told her I’d keep an eye out for her on the field, since I would be there covering BU’s commencement two days later. “When I see you I’m going to point and scream like Elf ‘I KNOW HER!” I joked and we had a good laugh.

I was wandering the field that two days later at commencement when I heard my name called out from the crowd. I turned to find Reghan beaming from her seat. “I KNOW HER!” she yelled at me while laughing. It made me smile so wide. I love connecting with other humans.

Boston College Grads!

I had two separate grad senior sessions at Boston College this season. Coincidentally, both were with students coming out of the business school. The campus was looking fabulous during both visits, and so were the seniors!

Jared

and Kristin!

Amelia's Senior Session

(When you draft a blog entry in October and suddenly realize months later you never published it. Until now!) High school senior Amelia and I, along with her mom, wandered Boston Common and Beacon Hill for her session. The weather here in Boston has been so hit or miss, so an overcast day was appreciated in lieu of rain!


Pepper's Senior Session

The hope for Pepper’s senior session was to take advantage of the pretty landscape at Winchester Boat Club, but when the weather wouldn’t help us make that happen, we found some lovely spots on Horn Pond in Woburn, and she and her mom were game to humor me and trek over to some very cool buildings we’d passed by while driving from one location tot he other.

In the end I think we got a cool variety of backdrops, lighting, and nature.

Lauren's Arlington Reservoir Senior Session

After recovering from the realization that Lauren is now a senior in high school and the child of a friend of mine from high school, (it’s not about you, Cydney!) we settled on a time and place and met up at Arlington Reservoir for a late afternoon session.

Lauren arrived with ideas, and we had a blast working together to find nice light and backdrops and poses that worked. And being a low-brass player (in high school, anyway) myself, I definitely appreciated their incorporation of their passion - music and writing!

(click to enlarge images)

Doggy Doggoes. The Goodest Bois and Girls

I spent yesterday taking pet portraits at the WCNA’s Festival by the Lake. My parents have been very active members since one of them founded the group and the festival was born in the late 1970s. As a kid a ran around that festival playing the kids’ games and sneaking hot dogs from the food booth. As a teenager I alternated between volunteering in the food tent, performing puppet shows for kids, and doing face painting.

Cut to this year and I have this brilliant, (in my opinion), idea. The festival is great, and the dog show that happens as a result of everyone bringing out their good girls and bois to the event is top notch!

What better way to bring in some money to the organization than to offer pet portraits?! I had a blast with my friend Shannon wandering around and meeting all the dogs and offering portraits to their owners in exchange for donations in the amount of their choosing to the WCNA.

Here are some of my favorites;

PS please remember these images are the copyrighted and not up for grabs for you to do stuff with. Look but don’t touch or steal!

Seniors!

In mid-April I was really excited about how my next two months were looking. The school year was wrapping up at Boston University where I work full time as a photographer, and with that end of year comes lots of fun events and festivities to photograph.

For Cydney Scott Photography, I had booked more senior portrait sessions than any past seasons and I was so excited because I love them so much!

Around this same time, I was walking around the BU campus and turned my ankle off a step I didn’t see, spraining my foot and chipping a bone on the top of my foot as well. I was out of commission and I didn’t know for how long.

To say I was crushed would be a gross understatement. I contacted all my seniors, some of whom I was supposed to work with within the next two weeks. I updated them, offering later dates and other photographers to consider if they couldn’t reschedule. Predictable, many cancelled and went with someone else. ‘Makes sense as most students leave the area after graduating!

The next month was a study in patience for me. I do not sit still well. Not being able to work and being very limited in my mobility was a big bummer, and a lesson in the importance of simply sitting still and healing.

After an orthopedist gave me a “you’ll be better by then” date, and by the luck of Jada being too busy to respond to me and cancel like my other clients had (understandably) done, Jada was one of my later sessions and I was able to keep in the books. Hurrah!

So in mid-May with very mild soreness (which I didn’t even notice because I was enjoying myself so much!), I had the great pleasure of photographing Jada, who was vivacious, friendly and so fun to work with!

Congratulations to Jada and thanks for being a kind client to dip my toe back into the job with!

Olivia's Senior Portrait Shoot

Olivia decided on Boston Common and the surrounding area for her session. I had a great time wandering on a beautiful Sunday (along with, apparently, everyone else in Boston!) with her and her mom. We explored into Beacon Hill as well, and finished our session back in the garden.

Olivia is smart, chill, and flexible with all our wandering.

An as you can see, she did a great job during her session. And shout out to all the parents, Olivia’s included, who help with my shoots. In this case, leaf sprinkling!

Click HERE to learn more about senior sessions!