Senior portraits are a big deal! It’s a chance to celebrate your child and their high school experience. Or maybe just celebrate surviving it! 🙂 Either way, this time is an important part of your family’s story; one worth being captured and told in portrait form.

A few things to consider when scheduling your Senior’s Portrait Session.

Start with the End in Mind

What are we shooting for? In other words, what is the end result you would like to see from the images that you are having created?

WALL ART

Do you envision an iconic wall portrait somewhere in your home of this amazing human?

ALBUM

You might want more images in a storytelling format such as a coffee table type album or maybe a combination of the two.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Custom-designed Announcements allow all your friends and family to celebrate the special event with you. It also doesn’t hurt as a subtle hint for Graduate Gifting.

HEADSHOT

As your senior enters the “real world” one of the first things they will need is a professional headshot for profile pictures and applications for ALL THE THINGS. That headshot should project personality and confidence. Scholarships anyone?

SETTING A PRECEDENT

If this is your first child to graduate, consider that you are setting a standard for all the future graduates in your family. What would you like each of your children to have? Think about what your wall will look like when your last child has graduated and you have everyone’s portraits on the wall, and each kid has their own Senior album.

BOYS VS. GIRLS

How invested is your senior in the process? Boys are generally less interested (or pretend to be) in the beginning vs. girls. Typically it takes just a few minutes to warm up and then they realize it’s actually kin of fun to have a session all about them.

Girls might be more excited about the session but sometimes they can get into their heads about what to wear, what to bring, hair, makeup, etc. that you are ready to pull your hair out before the session day. Lol.

DO’S AND DON’TS

WHAT TO WEAR

WEAR WHAT THEY FEEL THE BEST IN! It’s easy to be tempted to wear the latest trends or what their best friend says they look great in. Instead, choose outfits by what makes them feel confident! If they are wearing clothes that make them feel great, they will feel more comfortable in front of the camera.

When it comes to choosing outfits, remember this simple rule, IF IT’S NOT A HECK YES, it’s NO.

If you still aren’t sure, I’m happy to help. Text me a quick picture of your options and I will give you my honest feedback. Helping my clients with outfits is something I really love to do.

BEING CREATIVE

Props (or meaningful items) help define their high school experience and tell us who they are. This is where they get to be creative. How do they want to tell the story of the last four or more years?

Why bring any basketball, when they can bring THE basketball from their last-minute buzzer beating, winning basket in 9th grade. Why bring a stack of books, when they can select THE very books that made them fall in love with reading in the first place.

This is a great way to add meaning to their Senior portraits. Even if no one else knows the story behind that object, your family does, and you will remember it every time you see that portrait. It helps tell the story about what shaped them to become the wonderful person they are.

MAKEUP MISHAPS

Careful with fake eyelashes, fake tanning and microblading. In this case, more is NOT better. A few fake eyelashes can work seamlessly with their makeup to enhance their eyes. However, sometimes clients can overdo it – making it hard to get light into their eyes. What you see in the mirror and what photographs well are not always the same thing. Just be careful. Same with tanning. The last thing I want for them is orange or splotchy skin. When it comes to retouching – it is much easier to add some color to enhance your skin tone rather than fixing bad tanning. This also applies to microblading, if they must do it, please do so at least a week in advance.

TO BE THERE OR NOT TO BE THERE?

One of my favorite parts of the Senior Portrait Session is when mom or dad jumps in. I love being able to capture that special relationship with their biggest cheerleaders – the person who will always stand beside them, NO. MATTER. WHAT.

FAMILY PORTRAITS

Senior year is such a special and fleeting time – one filled with excitement, big decisions and the anticipation of new beginnings. It’s a season of transition, not just for the graduate but for the entire family. That’s why capturing this moment with family portraits is so important, freezing time before everything changes.

These images won’t just be for you – they’ll be something your child will look back on in years to come. One day, they’ll be grateful to have portraits of their family just as they were before stepping into adulthood.

So, before the caps are thrown and goodbyes are said, take the time to capture your family as you are now – together. It’s important and a decision you’ll never regret.

Are you ready to get started? Click the link below to reach out today!

Or give me a call at 847-477-3570, I would love to speak with you to answer questions, talk details and pick a date for your session. I look forward to connecting with you soon!

All the best,

Julie