The Aden Era:
I have photographed most all the Aden family for either their senior photos or their college senior photos including: Anisa, in 2017, Maimuna in 2021, Sabrina in 2022, Amal in 2023 and now Aden in 2025-class of 2026! I did not photograph, Asha for her senior session, because we had not met yet. But I did photograph her for "Not in My Town" a 2017 campaign to promote love and tolerance. And there is one other sister who graduated way before I met the Aden family that i did not get to photograph.
Aden and his sister, Asha and I met last October at the Plummer House here in Rochester, Minnesota for his senior photos and we had a great time. We also made a trip to historic third street and then to Quarry Hill.
Most seniors have some initial trepidation about posing for their session, but Aden quickly became at ease and really rocked his session with some stellar smiles and magazine caliber poses! I asked Aden to answer some questions about his experience. Enjoy reading his answers below along with some of his favorite senior images and mine!
Did this photo shoot effectively capture who you are as a senior?
Yes! Kathleen did an amazing job communicating and working with me about how I wanted my senior session to turn out. Looking at the photographs from the sessions, I can definitely say that all my portraits have my vibe, energy, and turned out exactly how I envisioned!
What surprised you about the experience?
What surprised me the most about my senior session experience is the way my nervous guard was dropped completely just a couple of minutes in. Typically, I'm not a fan of being photographed for fun so when I was planning the senior session with Kathleen I knew that I had to move past my phobia and just try my best to capture myself during the shoot. Being with Kathleen and my older sister, Asha, extremely helped me get over my phobia of being photographed and actually really start to enjoy all the attention!
If you knew someone was nervous about their senior photos, what advice would you give them?
No person has taken their senior portraits before, so you're defintely not the only person in the world feeling nervous. Most of the time if someone was feeling nervous about their senior photos it would possibly be over the locations they chose, outfits they chose, or just nervousness with the session by itself. Almost any nervous feeling before one's senior session can be resolved with just communicating with Kathleen exactly how you're feeling. Even if you walk into the senior session feeling nervous, speaking to Kathleen about your true emotions before the session will help her understand where you should be starting during the session and the next steps to get you away from those nervous feelings.
What were your favorite images from the session?
Sorry if this is too many, you're just an amazing photographer!
Aden's Favorites
Favorite Quote:
“There is no better teacher than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance next time.”
Anything else we should know?
Kathleen photographed almost all of my older sisters for graduation/senior portraits and with me being the youngest Aden family sibling, I'm proud to end our families tradition of getting our portraits done by the best photographer I've ever met, the amazing Kathleen Murphy!
Where do you see yourself in 10 years? What do you hope to accomplish? What do you hope the world will be like then?
In 10 years I see myself as a 27 year old Dr. Aden with my medical degree, completing my second year of residency at a prestigious program as I work my way to board certification! I see myself living lavishly in a beautiful city, close to friends and family while maybe working my way to finding my wife!
Photographer's Picks:
Let's face it, what is not to like about Aden's senior photos? Aden brought his "A" game when it came to posing. He was so great to work with that I could have picked even more of my favorites! These are some images that feature his great smile and some of his serious fashion editorial vibes too!
Kathleen Murphy is a senior portrait photographer based Rochester Minnesota. Kathleen loves to work closely with each senior client to make sure that their personality is authentically captured in each image. She is dedicated to making sure that every senior session is a remarkable experience that seniors will remember treasure as an important part of their senior year. Kathleen strives to ensure that your images are unique and represent YOU!