What's the big deal about senior photos?

Senior photos are all about commemorating this last year of your crazy 12 year long adventure through school. Pretty big deal if you ask me. Your senior year is the last year you will be with the friends you grew up going to school with, the last year before you dive head first into the real world and it's going to be a year you're going to want to remember. Looking back at your senior photos will bring back memories of that last year like nothing else will.

Here are 5 reasons why senior photos are important:

This isn't just any photo, this is the photo. This is the one photo that absolutely everyone in your graduating class will have to remember you by. In about 20, 30 or 40 years, you will have forgoten nearly everything and everyone from high school and the only thing you'll have to remember all of your classmates by, will be your yearbook and their senior photos. So when your classmates look back at your photo what will it say about you? Are you just going to be another cookie cutter smile over a background or will your photo actually reflect your personality and who you really are?

Better make your senior photo one that you really like of yourself because you're going to be seeing it absolutely everywhere. You'll see it everywhere from your house to your family and close friends' house and you will surely be seeing it around the school throughout your senior year.

It's not everyday that you get treated like a star like the way you do the day of taking your senior photos. That is unless you're a model or fashion blogger of course, if that's the case then it's just another day but for a lot of people this is a once in a lifetime thing. From having someone help you with picking out your clothes for the shoot, getting your hair and make up done to having a professional photographer take photos of you. You honestly get the full royal treatment.

Alright mom and dad may not think this one may not be a very big reason, but you know you can't wait to have all your photos to make them your profile pictures and share them all over your social media. Because let's be honest, who doesn't want a super cool professionally taken profile picture?

You've waited for what may seem like an eternity to finally get to your senior year, you should really make the most of it and really get the senior experience. This is includes getting senior photos that you love and will be proud to have everyone see and remember you by.

So how do I pick the right photographer to take my photos?

There are many things you should take into consideration when it comes to picking a photographer to take your senior photos.

Price & how much you get for what you pay
One of the biggest (and sometimes only) factors people take into consideration when it comes to senior photos is the overall price of the shoot and products that you want (i.e. prints, canvases, cd's). Some photographers make you pay an arm an a leg for a couple proofs and an 8x10 with their logo over it and some offer more diverse packages for that same price. One big thing you should be aware of is if you get to keep your photos after the shoot. If you're getting proofs you typically don't get to keep them, which means no cool profile pictures! Some photographers, including myself, will give you all of the final photos from your shoot edited on a cd (or in my case an online gallery), while some give you a handful of photos and some just flat out don't give you anything other than your prints once you buy them.
Quality of photos and products
Another thing to take into consideration is the quality of what you will be getting. Will you be getting a photo straight out of the camera with nothing done to it or will you be getting a finely edited photo? Will you be getting overpriced inkjet printer prints that you could easily make at home or will you be getting professional photo lab quality prints?
Style
Some people may still want a traditional senior photo and some may want an all out high energy fun photo shoot experience. Both are absolutely fine but you have to make sure your photographer does the style that you're looking for or else the day of the shoot will come around and you will have a less than pleasant surprise.

Above all just make sure you communicate with your photographer and maybe schedule a meeting to make sure that they know what you want, you know what they offer and what it will cost you. Most photographers have affordable packages making it easy to make sure you get to shoot with the photographer you'd like to.

So by this point you may be wondering, what do I offer for senior photos?

If you google "traditional senior photo" you may find a bunch of photos of high school seniors with fake smiles, robotic posture and a plain dress shirt. Thankfully my photos aren't like that at all because the era of "traditional" photos is long gone in my opinion. I offer a fun lifestyle style of senior photos that is sure to really portray your personality and who you really are.

As for what I literally offer with my senior photo packages all of my packages include the following:

30-75 minute photo shoot at a location of your choice.
No proofs! I give you 50-100 edited photos that are yours to keep.
An online gallery with your photos from which you can download photos and order prints from any computer or mobile device.
A complimentary cd with all of your photos on it upon request.
Senior photos that you'll proud to look back at!

All of that with my lowest package starting at only $150! I also offer many other packages that include high quality prints, canvases and even professional make up and hair!