retiring a queen: sara w.

For the second time in my photography career, I’ve gotten to follow around a sitting queen as she prepared to retire her crown. One time, it was with a Junior Miss Carlinville and the second time, it was with a Miss Carlinville queen.

Both times, it was with one of my favorites, Sara.

It was a crazy busy morning for me that day, but I wasn’t going to miss spending more time with Sara and her family. I got to the salon to see her sister Emily (our current Miss Macoupin County Fair and a CHP Rep Team alumni), her mom Crystal (who I’ve known since we went to college together at SIUE), and her brother Sam (who may or may not be called upon to future CHP photoshoots…whether he wants to or not!). Her dad was on call for errands that day, but for some reason, chose not to hang out at the salon.

That day, Sara, a current member of the CHP Rep Team, was preparing to hand off her crown as Miss Carlinville. (Spoiler alert: She would hand it off to another CHP Rep Team member, but more about that in a future post.)

After a quick crown placement and adjustment from mom, we were ready to head out and take some “retirement” portraits.

It was a coooooold morning, so we knew that the majority of our portraits needed to be indoors. So, I started thinking of local buildings with lovely architecture and details.

Our first stop was the Carlinville post office.

While I wish (and honestly, thought) that our mailboxes there were a bit more vintage looking, we were still able to use this space for a few lovely portraits.

While there, we sent a text to find out about getting into the courthouse for just a few photos. Luckily, Sheriff Kahl was available and willing to come let us inside, bringing his adorable daughter with him.

And while Sara may have hoped to be able to avoid any outdoor photos that day, that was not to be. We, were outside long enough for me to snap just a couple quick photos, and they turned out beautifully!

It was then time to relax and prepare for the busy day she still had ahead of her, helping the queen contestants prepare for their night on the stage.

I loved being a very small part of Sara’s reign as Miss Carlinville. She served our community well and was a terrific role model for the younger, future Miss Carlinville contestants!