Are you a high school or college senior getting ready to do your senior photos? Well first of all...CONGRATULATIONS! You did it!
You might be a little overwhelmed with the thought of picking a senior photographer. Prices? Editing styles? Locations? Availability? Well as a senior photographer myself, I am here to help you relax and give you advice on picking a photographer and preparing for your shoot!
Before We Get Started: Don't do an iPhone photoshoot
I know it can be super tempting to just have your mom or a friend take your photos with an iPhone but there's one huge problem with that: pixel quality. You or your parents are more than likely going to want at least one print of you in your cap and gown, and smart phone photos do not give you enough pixels to print with decent quality. On your phone it might look fine and dandy, but that's because screens only go up to 72 pixels. When printing, a good photo needs to be printed at 300 pixels, which photographers can give you with a DSLR camera.
Portrait mode might also seem great to you, but a photographer can always spot a "portrait mode" photo because the blurring of the background is not accurate to a camera blur, and the blurs normally don't work around small details like hair or clothing. Portrait mode photos look tacky and unnatural, so it's better to go with a photographer who has a DSLR camera.
Step 1: Research Photographers In Your Area
When I looked for my own senior photographer, I gathered names and website links of every photog I was interested in and compared pros and cons. Utilize social media to look at photos tagged in your area and find photography IG's that have done work near you. They don't have to be exactly from your hometown; most photographers work in a radius (mine is 45 miles). Ask your friends who have gotten photos done before and figure out who their photographer is.
Hashtags are another great way to find senior photographers. You can search "#igers_(city name)" to find photographers in your area, or "#seniorphotographer(city name)".
Most people will have one or two family friends who "dabble" in photography and are willing to do your photos for cheap but I beg of you, please consider supporting a photographer who is genuinely trying to grow their business and has had a number of previous clients. Your family friend may be cheap and convenient, but hiring a photographer with more experience will have better client relations and will know how to make you look your best! There is a lot more that goes into portraits than just having a nice camera; posing, composition, location access, high quality lenses, and comfortability working with models goes a long way!
Step 2: Decide What Editing Style You Want
Do you want light and airy photos or dark and moody? Studio lighting or natural light? Browse different editing styles and decide what you like! That will narrow down your search.
Below are some ideas:
Most photographers can do a variety of different editing styles, so once you narrow down what style you like, look at composition and posing. Do you want fun poses or serious poses? Full body shots or close-up portraits? You can narrow down your list by looking at their feeds or portfolios and figuring out which images would fit your personality!
Step 3: Pick Your Locations
Do you want to get photos done in your hometown, in your backyard, or somewhere else? Do you just want a pretty location, or a location that is meaningful to you? Some seniors get their photos done where they go on their family beach vacations, is that something you would want?
For my own senior photos, I chose 3 locations: my high school football stadium, my childhood home backyard, and a local park. They weren't the prettiest locations but they represented my life growing up in my small town, and that was really important to me!
Look at the locations your list of photographers have worked, and see if they would be fitting for what you want!
Step 4: Set A Budget
What is your budget for these photos? Do you need a variety of locations and poses to choose from, or only one or two good shots? Photographers offer different prices for different time frames and different amounts of locations and outfits. Now that you know what locations you want to shoot at, compare pricing packages for the amount of locations you need. Also keep in mind how long it will take to get from one location to another!
Step 5: Pick A Photographer
Reach out to your top 3 and find out availability, pricing, and perks. Some photographers work with makeup artists and will do a whole glam look for you. Others will have studio space. A few work with videographers to make you a senior video too!
Step 6: Pick Your Outfits
Once you pick a photographer, you will know how many outfits you're allowed. If you layer with jackets or sweaters and add accessories like scarves and hats, these can be put on or taken off to create a slightly different look with the same "outfit". Consider your locations and think of outfits that would work well with the background.
General rules:
Avoid anything too trendy
Avoid very busy patterns or stripes
Avoid large, gaudy jewelry
Wear clothes you can comfortable move or stand in
If one outfit is a dress or skirt, make sure it will cover you when you sit down
While planning your outfit, also think through makeup and hair. You may want to do slightly more dramatic makeup than normal, because it can be less noticeable in photos. Accentuating your eyes and cheek bones are always a good way to go.
Step 7: Set Your Date & Time
Your date and time will be up to both you and your photographer, so it all depends on what both of you can work with. I suggest late summer to early fall, before photographers get busy with wedding and engagement season during the holidays. Depending on the season, you should aim for early morning or very late afternoon, a few hours before sunset. If it is during the day, you will have harsh shadows and squinty eyes!
Step 8: Find Inspiration
Look on Pinterest or through your photog's feed for pose ideas, and save them to your phone! You can always show them to your photographer while shooting, so it's good to keep them handy. This is also a great way to get outfit and prop ideas!
Step 9: Enjoy Your Senior Photoshoot!
Bring your parent and a friend to your shoot to calm you, make you feel at ease, hold your things, and help fix flyaways and makeup! Organize your outfits beforehand and bring along hairspray, bobby pins, and a small makeup kit for touchups. Enjoy your shoot, relax, and have fun with it!
Step 10: Getting Your Photos Back
Whether you're getting digital files or prints back, getting your photos is always exciting! If there are any editing problems that you want fixed, you can always ask your photographer to re-edit a few. Be specific to your photographer about which ones you want printed, because those will be a different resolution on the photog's end.
No matter what you do, please do not throw an influencer preset, a VSCO filter, or FaceTune on your photos! If you communicate to your photographer clearly about what you want edited, you will not need to throw a filter over top. Filters decrease the quality of the photos and are not representative of your photographer's work.
In conclusion, senior photos are a significant milestone in a student's life and you should take full advantage of them! They are a fun way to capture your youth, and you will have memorable photos for years!
If you live in the Southeast Michigan or Northwest Ohio area, consider hiring me as your senior photographer! You can look at my senior session information here. Visit my Facebook page or email me at elsye.jones108@gmail.com to find more information!
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