Alright… this one feels different.
I’ve been photographing Havolin since 2018, back when she had her fashion blog, and we were just outside creating for fun. No big milestones yet, just vibes, outfits, and figuring things out as we went. This was pre-influencer era. Side note, I’ve been blogging since 2010, on tumblr. You can see an old post of a session I had with Hav, here.
And now?
Now I’m standing here photographing her graduating with her doctorate in law.
Over the years, I’ve gotten to document pieces of her story, her bachelor’s degree from John Jay, her son’s middle school graduation, all these moments that felt big at the time. And they were. But seeing it all together like this? It hits different. It a full circle moment. I’m so proud of her.
This session felt especially meaningful because we ended up right back where it all started for her, at Bronx Community College, where she earned her associate’s degree.
There’s something about standing in the same place years later, knowing everything it took to get from there to here.
The long nights.
The sacrifices.
Raising a child while chasing a dream.
None of this happened overnight, and you can feel that in every frame.
And that’s what I keep thinking about.
These sessions aren’t just “graduation photos.” They’re timelines. They’re proof. They’re the “I did that” moments that deserve to be remembered exactly as they felt.
Havolin didn’t just show up and take pictures. She showed up with years behind her.
And being trusted to document that, again and again over the years, that’s not something I take lightly.
This is why I do what I do.
Because one day you look back, and what felt like separate moments suddenly becomes a whole story.And it deserves to be seen that way. And before we wrapped, she had one more stop in mind, Dyckman Street station.
Not for the views. Not for anything polished. Just for what it represents. An homage to her roots. To where she comes from, to the version of her that started all of this.Because no matter how far she’s gone, that part of her still matters.