I'll let you in on a secret: Photographers can whine when given assignments they're not thrilled with. And that's what I did in April when I was told I would spend a day with a teenage girl as she shopped for her prom dress. The whining increased dramatically when I was told I was also going to follow her through the whole process of preparing for the prom and that I was even going to the prom. But within minutes of meeting Garces High senior Carrissa Chavez, she stole my heart. She was feisty and determined, frank and simultaneously hilarious as she prepared for this major event in a high school girl's life. Finding the right dress was a BIG ordeal, and in this April 19 photo Carrissa shows off her selection. Choosing a subject for a story like this can often result in jealousies, and Carrissa — and
The Californian — encountered some of that. But the truth is had we auditioned 1,000 girls to be the subject of this story, Carrissa would have won hands down. She was the perfect subject.
Photo by John Harte / The Californian
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