Inspired by actor John Krasinski’s Class of 2020 virtual prom that he aired recently on his YouTube web series Some Good News, California-based wedding and senior portrait photographer Amy Wellenkamp decided to do a prom shoot with her own daughter, who is also missing her high school prom due to COVID-19 restrictions.

“Claire dressed up and ‘attended’ the prom via phone,” Wellenkamp explains. While she was getting ready, Wellenkamp set up a shoot session so Claire would have some interesting photos of herself in her prom dress, plus a more serious photo documentary expression of these times.

“Of course there are much larger scale things affecting humanity right now than missing your senior prom, however it is still a loss to these kids,” says the photographer. “Among so many other things these students are going through, this is such a pivotal time in their lives and a launch into their future. To have so many unknowns and so many events stripped away overnight, I feel for them.”

Read: The New Type of Portrait to Emerge During COVID-19

The ensuing shoot, titled “Up in Smoke” were created using a smoke machine that Wellenkamp turned on and off a lot to get the look of suspended smoke she was going for. “These photos highlight the Class of 2020 prom that was affected (and why), by the use of a single rose (thorns still attached), and the mask and gloves. Other images from the same shoot include Claire with a snorkel mask and diving fins—”this represents the future, as my daughter’s major is Marine Biology”—and the family cat, who was recently diagnosed with a rare form of cancer.

Read: Reaching for the Moon in a Creative Portrait

By May 1st Wellenkamp’s daughter will need to commit to a college but there are many concerns—will the college be open for classes next fall? Will there still be distance learning in place? Is she moving or still living at home? “There are so many unanswered questions and concerns right now but for this shoot, I decided to turn uncertainty into creativity.”

(Photographed with a Canon 5D Mark IV and Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L, and a Profoto B1X 500 and a Fog Machine.)

Check out more Photos of the Day, and email submissions to [email protected]