A Guide to Senior Photos for Parents

For most parents, senior portraits are a distant memory. They have changed a lot over the last two decades, incorporating more creativity and individuality than ever before. Senior pictures are more than just the stiff yearbook image.

Seniors have a lot more options available to them, ranging from traditional sessions in a studio to trendy urban shoots. This is the perfect opportunity for them to showcase their unique talents, passions, and personality, while also creating a lasting memory.

However, with all the available options, portrait sessions can quickly become overwhelming for both parents and seniors.

Here are a few quick tips to help you prepare for your child’s upcoming senior photos.

Make a Note of the Yearbook Deadline

Knowing the yearbook deadline encourages you to schedule a senior session instead of putting it off until the last minute. Depending on your requirements, a senior photo session will start with a yearbook portrait followed by creative shots that are unique to your child. In most instances, it takes at least 2 weeks to receive the final images, so plan accordingly. Check with your high school or even ask your senior photographer what the rules are for your specific school.

Keep Your Senior’s Schedule in Mind

As a parent of a senior, you already know how crazy their schedules can be. Before you go ahead and schedule a session, take a minute with your senior to discuss a good time. They should be just as involved in the planning as you are. Even the specific time of day matters when scheduling a senior session. Ideally, you want to take photos just after sunrise and just before sunset, as this is when the lighting’s the best. However, the right photographer can make any time of the day work.

Compromise with Your Senior

You may have a specific idea about the photos you would like to see, but this is about your senior and what makes them feel confident and comfortable. Most senior sessions allow for several outfit changes, so use this as an opportunity to find a happy balance between what you want and what your senior wants. Be patient and hear them out before you brush off their ideas. Their portraits should represent who they are and what they love. At AFH, we help with outfit ideas and one of them is always "mom's favorite outfit" and another is "the seniors favorite outfit". This ensures that both the senior and the parents will have images at the end that they love!

Encourage Sharing

Prior to a senior session, get your child to open up about their passions, hopes, and dreams. This information will help guide the shoot and ensure the most authentic photos. Knowing what your senior wants these photos to represent will also guide their outfit and location choices.

Don’t forget to include your senior in the search for a photographer – a photographer’s style needs to fit in with the images you hope to create. If your senior is like many senior's, they already know who they want to photograph them and may have for several years. Listen to them. They should feel comfortable with the photographer and if they help in the process, it's more likely to show in the finished products!

Do you have questions about senior pictures? Reach out to us at AFH Media today