Cadet Portraits

Together we’ve witnessed how powerful images of Cadets can be. In the last 12 months alone, we’ve see a tearful cadet on graduation day, an endless sea of gray on M&T Bank Stadium, numerous fists raised in a singular cause. 

They have left a lasting impression on the consciousness of the greater West Point community. Together, these images compile our collective identity. That’s an identity that fills the seats of our All-Academy Ball, Founder’s Day celebrations, Parent Weekends and tailgating experiences. We promptly share college rankings, boastfully like a @drunkoldgrad post on Instagram and we ogle over new Nike gear and photos of loved ones. 

Yet, under this collective identity lies a large number of individual achievements, rites of passage and milestones. Together cadets arrive on R-Day, proceed to A-Day join together in the seats at Michie in the Fall, attend Yearling Winter weekend or 100th Night…yet they all walk away with a separate & individual experience.  

Though often neglected, yet wholly important, is that individual identity.  

One manner of capturing that individual identity is the portrait. These portraits come in many capacities - a selfie, a family photo, a painting or a poem. Each has its place. The individual portrait has long been a staple of the West Point experience. And from my understanding is under some fire due to a changing of the guard in both ownership & execution. 

We’re in the business of making images - we tell stories about people, about places and about things. From West Point Boxing and High School Football to the beaches of Thailand and Restaurant identity, our lens searches for the relatable and forms the tangible out of the intangible. 

We’re West Point graduates - we’ve been there & we’ve done that. Who better understands a Cadet then a former one. Our trials and tribulations, though very different are more similar than dissimilar. Photography and image-making is about light, composition, framing and creativity. Great photography is about all of those things plus one big difference…empathy.

We understand a need - the West Point experience is full of hardships and frustrations. Your time, energy and patience WILL be tested. Don’t add another needless worry with photos. Compromise elsewhere.

We want to help - our desire comes from a place of wanting to add to the West Point mythos, story and aura. We are a business and would like to stay in business, help us achieve a win-win scenario. 

We are currently booking cadet portrait sessions that capture a visual reflection of the tradition of the Academy.


NoteCaroline PestelComment