Planning Your Senior Portraits
Nothing like a big winter storm to prompt thoughts of spring. It’ll be here soon, and with that, it’ll be time for high school juniors to start thinking about senior portraits.
Wait, what?!?
Yep, you read that right. As Junior year comes to an end, that is the time to take the first steps towards planning your senior portraits. And that first step is to connect with your photographer, especially if you’re planning to have your portraits done over the summer or in the early fall.
I wanted to put together a short post to break down this process, so you’ll be ready to get started.
Spring of Junior Year
Begin to think about what time of year you would like to schedule your senior portrait session. August through October are the busiest months of the year for photographers, especially photographers who work with seniors and families. If that is when you would like to schedule your senior portraits, connect early so that you can be guaranteed a spot on their schedule.
Also, it’s helpful to find out if your school will need your senior portraits for the yearbook photo. All high schools handle the yearbook differently. You can find out this information by reaching out to the office secretary (they know just about everything). While they may not have the exact due date, they can tell you if you need to submit a photo and approximately when. You can also reach out to a current senior or senior parent. These things tend to be very similar each year.
Once you have an idea of when, it’s time to start looking for and connecting with a photographer. This doesn’t mean that you need to schedule your date right away. It just means that you should start searching for photographers and then connect with the ones that you’re considering.
The best time for tall grasses and wildflowers is the end of July and the beginning of August
Choosing a Senior Portrait Photographer
There’s more to consider beyond price. Photographic abilities, style, consistency, and personality are all good things to look for when searching for a portrait photographer.
Make sure that they have a website with good and consistent portraits- photos should be in focus with accurate color. Some blur and creative colors can be artistic trends, but it’s important to have the skills to take good portraits. Having a website is also important. A website indicates that they’re likely a legitimate business and will have policies in place to provide the best service.
It’s also important to have an idea of your photographer’s personality to know if you’ll feel comfortable with them. This can be discovered through blog posts, but I also recommend having a phone conversation to begin to get to know them. Especially if you have someone who is not a fan of the camera, you’re going to want a photographer who can connect with them, make them feel comfortable, and be encouraging to get the best expressions.
When you have a photographer in mind, look at what locations they use to see if those are spots you like. If you know you want photos downtown, be sure that your photographer has images from downtown so you know that they’re comfortable with the location and lighting.
It’s also important to have a budget in mind. There are a wide variety of ways for photographers to price their services. Some don’t always have that information on their site. For those photographers, it doesn’t hurt to inquire what their pricing is and what’s included. Pricing and products should be very clear, and your photographer should be happy to answer any questions you might have.
And of course, since you’re here, I would love to talk with you about senior portraits.
I love my fall sessions in North Park
Other Tips for Planning Senior Portraits
When planning when to schedule, keep in mind how busy your senior is with activities or work. Weekends can fill up fast for both seniors and photographers. In addition to classes, activities and work, seniors have college visits, SATs, and applications that fill their time.
If you have a senior involved in fall sports, consider scheduling over the summer when their schedule might be a bit more open.
Days off from school are also a good option to consider if you have a busy student. In recent years, Labor Day has been a popular day for scheduling.
Finally, for wardrobe tips, you can check out this post.
Dress Your Best for Senior Portraits
