5 Questions to help you find a Senior Photographer

Are you a junior in high school? Have you found a Senior Photographer yet?

So you can’t wait to have a blast during your senior shoot, but where do you start?

While shopping around for a senior photographer you will notice there are so many differences. There may be more or less experience, higher and lower pricing, and some just do digitals and some do products. Here are some questions you can ask yourself to help you before you start your search.

What style do I want my senior pictures to look like?

We are no longer in the days where everyone’s images look exactly the same. Now, we can make your senior session fit you and your likes, hobbies, etc… So think about things like, are you energetic & silly, like the outdoors, like to play sports, have any extra curricular’s or in groups, are you artistic or musically blessed? Do you love fashion or are you laid back? These are some things that help your pictures to reflect who you are.

When you are searching for your photographer look through their portfolio. Find things that stick out to you and peak your interests. Let’s say you play the violin, when looking through portfolios it’s ok that they haven’t photographed someone playing the violin, but they may have photographed someone playing another instrument or sports. Get the idea? Look for the way they photograph those activities or “the style” of photography. Also, make sure they offer styles that both you and your parents will like after all they may be the one paying the bill. 🙂

Where do you want your senior pictures taken?

I love to shoot outdoors and on-location. Finding different places to shoot make your shoot unique. I don’t do this, but I have heard there are some photographers that typically shoot in a studio and offer to shoot on-location for an additional fee. Just make sure to ask those questions.

So by now, you should know what style you want your pictures to look like, now you have to think about where you want them to be. Some things to think about are; do you want in-studio, urban downtown areas, colorful backgrounds, beachy, woodsy, fields of grass or flowers? So you want water, trees, flowery bushes, etc.. The possibilities are endless. Think about where you live also. For example, we don’t have mountains in Florida, so if you are looking for mountains you might have to travel for that. I can tell you what though, those would be unique pictures. BTW I would totally travel to the mountains with you if you want that 😉  If you do, let’s talk.

If you don’t have a clue where you want to shoot, no worries, we can figure that out together. I love to collaborate with clients to get the look they will love. The only location I would say to figure out is if you want your session in a studio vs. on-location.

Where will your images be displayed and enjoy?

Most likely this thought never crossed your mind and that’s ok. Would you like to view your senior portraits in a beautiful album or do you want your parents to proudly displayed on the wall in their home? Do you want to hand out wallets to your friends at school? Would you like to send out graduation announcements to family members that may be out of town?

Figuring out what you and your parents want in advance is helpful so you can see what kind of products your potential photography may offer. You will see during your search all of the options. There are photographers who only offer digitals, only printed products, or are a hybrid like me and offers both digitals and printed products. Some photographers offer packages, while others let you create your own collection. Being about to create your own collection gives you the freedom to choose the products you want or need.

What kind of experience do you want during your session?

So how involved do you want to be with your session? There are a lot of photographers out there where they keep it simple by showing up, shooting and letting you choose or download your images from an online gallery. Simple is ok, so if that’s what you want then this is your type of photographer. Now if you want a more epic experience where you can choose your wardrobe, have outfit changes, hair and makeup, session reveals, opening your products up in special packaging, and potentially more, than there are photographers out there that offer that experience as well.

If you are looking for the more epic experience that will showcase you, it’s important to find a photographer that you get along, have fun with, and most importantly trust. Checking out their website, Instagram, and/or Facebook for their about me pages,blogs, Instagram stories, etc… will help you to get an idea of who they are and if you have some of the same interests. I like to meet with potential seniors in advance. This allows us to get to know each other, talk about their ideas for their session, and to answer any questions they have. Just be sure to communicate with the photographer about all your ideas or issues. Being on the same page is a huge advantage so there are no surprises during or after your session.

How creative do you want your images to be?

This is a mix between location and style. Sessions can range from a more simple and sophisticated in-studio one to crazy awesome graphics one. Some photographers can be creative with just the location or wardrobe. It’s all up to you, your family and of course your collaboration with your photographer on how creative your sessions can be.

During your search, you will be able to see how simple or how creative a photographer can be. Once I literally dreamt of an idea the night before the session. It was such a vivid idea I had to tell my senior about it. She was game for it. It ended up being fun to shoot and we got some very unique images from it. My point is, be open minded, you never know!!