School is right around the corner and thousands of Seniors are entering their last year of high school. With many Senior events, one that you may want to start thinking about is your Senior session. Many questions I often get are…
“When should I take my Senior photos?”
“When should grad cards go out?”
“What should I wear?”
This article is going to help you with all your questions as well as give you some exclusive tips to having a successful Senior year!
What makes a good Senior session over a bad session? Believe it or not its not choosing the right outfit or location? Although those play a factor, these have nothing to do with whether a shoot is or isn't great. What does is planning. You can have the best outfits, the more unique location that no one has ever seen, but if you and your photographer have not mapped out a game plan—your priorities, what these images are for, and when it’s best for you to take these images—you can waste a lot of time, money, and energy.
One of the easiest ways to plan ahead is booking ahead. If it sounds simple, it’s because it is! Many Seniors ask me when is the best time to book their Senior session and you wanna know the real answer… even if it’s not your answer. It’s Fall. Trust me, I like the sound of spring too. Spring is sundresses, and fields, and warm weather… but reality is if you’re in Houston, Texas. Springtime is all year round! Give me ten seconds to convince you.
How many Christmases have you had where you’re sweating in your leather pants and cropped sweater? Now, how many spring breaks have you had where you just bought a cute new "swimmy" but still can’t wear it because it’s not quite hot yet? Far too many to count. Unless you’re in Florida or Cabo, you won't be getting in the water here in Houston, Texas.
With that being said, you can get the spring session of your dreams in the Fall & no one will even know! Why is Fall the better option for your Senior photos? Let me show you with some simple facts:
January & February are cold and rainy. (Period)
March is ideal for timing of taking photos, receiving photos, and mailing them out in time
but is known for crazy wind and rain storms.
Then you have April and May which leave minimal time for planning and
getting your photos in time for ALL you want to do!
Fall allows you to post your images throughout the school year, plan with plenty of time for your graduation cards, and not have to stress about when you get your full gallery back so you have them in time for your grad party.
Speaking of grad party, when should you send out your Senior’s grad photos? You should be sending out your invitation a month before your graduation date or graduation party. This does not mean a month out you should now start thinking about creating your grad card. With typical grad card websites like Minted and Shutterfly, it will likely take a week or longer to create and mail out your cards to you. And prior to that you will want to have a desired template, your selected images, and addresses of all your family and friends.
In reality, you will want in total 2 Months to plan and successfully get your cards out before the big day.
Pro tip: If you or your Senior is artistically talented, Canva is an amazing tool to create grad announcements/cards on and gives you complete freedom to create them however you want while offering the best price.
(& students get Canva Pro for free with there school email!)
That leaves us to, What should you wear? To get the most out of your Senior session I would plan for these three outfits: Casual, Formal, and Personality. Casual doesn’t mean leggings, but choose something you can move around in easily and gives you variety sitting or standing. I always suggest jeans (or any pants) and a cute blouse/sweater. I often find these are my clients’ favorite outfits because they feel more like themselves. You should still do a formal look as well—make a statement with a new dress or, for guys, a button-down and khakis. Lastly, personality—if you have anything that makes you special and symbolizes your Senior year, you should not shy away from showcasing that in your Senior session. I don’t mean super cheesy 2010 Senior “prop photos” with your letterman (although I do think you can make your letterman look cool). I mean if you play football, let’s go to the track. You like horse riding, let’s go to the stables. You want to be a nurse, bring a stethoscope for a few images. Nothing crazy, but I suggest it’s better to have those images than wishing you did.
Tip: Most yearbooks have strict dress codes—ensure at least one outfit meets their guidelines. The rest of your wardrobe choices can be as creative and personal
as you like.
Don’t wait till your dream photographer is fully booked. Book early and get the photos you deserve. Fall booking is now open and ready for you! I have a special offer for my Fall High School Seniors and that is if you book this Fall, you will get a $30 off voucher to come to an exclusive spring college mini tee event where you get to show off your acceptance letter and college gear from your dream school.
Offer ends September 1st.
(Ask About Voucher When Inquiring)