Senior Photos?

[SKL]

Guess it's time to plan this!  Do most people use professional photographers nowadays, or take their own kids' "senior photos"?  What are the trends for down-to-earth families?  Outfits?  Backgrounds?  Anything else?

[Faith-manor]

We had a professional photographer, and purchased a modest package for dd. She really wanted pro photos, and so we saved up for it. Her brothers were barely willing to have any photos taken. Middle boy took a photography class at the community ed for our school district and since he needed a decent quality dslr camera, we purchased one, and he got so good at it, he took his older brothers senior pics. They turned out great. Then he taught me how to use the camera. I took some really good shots, and then also took our youngest photos.

A lot of families I know are not using professional services. It is just not in their budget. Even small packages, one outfit change, small set of enlargements, can cost $1000. 

I am trying to remember the last time I saw a senior photo with a professional watermark/signature on it. I am drawing a blank. I think do it yourself is getting to be common. The nice thing about that is you can be a lot more creative if you and the student want to put the time into it. We were very rushed with dd because of the time limits of what we could afford with respect to the sitting fees and rates of the photographer. They came out great, but this was back in 2009 and we paid $400 for fees and a modest set of enlargements. Our budget was not big. That would be roughly $568 today.

[Kareni]

My daughter graduated a number of  years ago, so my experience is dated. That said, I took pictures of my daughter that we used for graduation announcements and invitations. I had her pose near some flowers at a local site. She was dressed neatly but in a fairly casual outfit.

Regards,

Kareni

[katilac]

Around here, a lot of people go with what I'd call semi-professional photographers: people with professional equipment and experience who do it as a side gig, versus someone with a studio. 

Almost always outdoors. Local landmarks are common, props are common, the length of your session will dictate how many outfit changes you can fit in. 

My oldest did cap and gown, casual, and dressy. Her personal props were a stuffed animal and the "I'm going to XYZ" sign from her college. She was in one of the cool city parks with plenty of landmarks/backgrounds like a fountain, statues, picturesque bridges, and she got some great shots by the streetcar. 

My youngest did two kinds of dressy, a dress and a boy's suit, no cap and gown, no casual. Personal props were a stuffed animal and the big stack of sketchbooks she completed during high school. Same park, same photographer, but they did things like an abandoned building for background, and a wall of bright graffiti outside of the park. So you want that photographer who's going to roll with the kid and the mood, not just work their way down a pre-set list. 

The photographer also had props of their own: a settee, a suitcase, other choices that I don't remember. 

Of course, plenty of people do pay big bucks for the full-time professionals. It's popular to shoot in the French Quarter and nearby locations, and that's hard to do if you don't have a lot of time plus someone who knows exactly where to go. 

My kids 100% chose their outfits, style of photos, and so on, and their pictures reflect that perfectly. 

[catz]

We were late to the game but just did this with my kid heading to college next month.  We had a professional photographer for each kid.  Much preferred one over the other.  One was closer to a semi professional variety.  It was worth it for me.  This last photographer was $$$$$ but did a 20 minute session and we still got dozens of beautiful photos. We did them outdoors, much prefer natural lighting.   We did them an interesting urban area.   

[katilac]

21 minutes ago, Faith-manor said:

They came out great, but this was back in 2009 and we paid $400 for fees and a modest set of enlargements. Our budget was not big. That would be roughly $568 today.

That's not too bad for a studio. 

I paid $200 in 2018 for digital images only. She did take her time, though, she kept thinking of things she wanted to try. Especially with youngest. She asked me if I was willing to leave the park and go over time, because the abandoned building was great but the park graffiti was just not cutting it, lol. 

So, @SKL, I think the answer is people are doing all the things. Not like the old days of everyone doing the cap and gown, the weird shoulder stole for girls (what was up with that?), and a casual pic in front of a very fake-looking barn door. 

[Ginevra]

I did all of my kids senior photos. I’m something close to a serious amateur in ability. I have also done a small amount of paid senior photos for friends. I loved having control over location and outfit choices, as well as including personalized things like a guitar. 

[TexasProud]

We did it a couple of ways:

First child: We took the pictures and were lucky he allowed us to do that. LOL.  He hates having his picture made.

Second child:  One of  the boys graduating with him had a sister who was an amateur photographer and trying to build her portfolio.  I think we paid 50 bucks or something ridiculously cheap and got digital images that included the whole group and then some of ours individually.  They were really good.

Third child- Again, we found someone in our church who was just starting to build a photography business on the side. I think it cost a couple hundred. As someone said, local landmarks downtown.  

Our town Facebook group has 4- 5 who do these for pretty reasonable rates.  Again, as someone mentioned, they do it on the side.  Some don't have a studio, but have props they have collected and know the places to go if you want town, country, or fun shots. 

[Momto6inIN]

We used a friend who does pics as a side gig - so kind of a professional but no studio. We didn't do the "senior pics package" because around here that means several locations and several outfit changes and several hours. We just did a basic one hour session at one location outdoors and did one dress- up outfit and one casual outfit. It cost about $250

I think most side-gig photographers nowadays (at least around here) include digital rights to the photos and you print the ones you want yourself. We use mpix.com

[DawnM]

Sadly, we got none. 

I STILL need to hire a professional photographer to get some made, of the family, of each of us individually, etc.....we just haven't done it.

About 3 years ago, we had two sets of photos done.   One was a professional photographer who wanted to donate something to the Covid cause and she would come to our house and shoot pictures from over 6' away.   We actually have those photos on our walls.      But they were only a few shots, but it was enough.    And then I did some non-prof. photos of our family myself and they turned out ok.

But it is time to do another photo shoot and make up for us not getting senior photos!   

Bad parenting over here.

[Faith-manor]

8 hours ago, katilac said:

That's not too bad for a studio. 

I paid $200 in 2018 for digital images only. She did take her time, though, she kept thinking of things she wanted to try. Especially with youngest. She asked me if I was willing to leave the park and go over time, because the abandoned building was great but the park graffiti was just not cutting it, lol. 

So, @SKL, I think the answer is people are doing all the things. Not like the old days of everyone doing the cap and gown, the weird shoulder stole for girls (what was up with that?), and a casual pic in front of a very fake-looking barn door. 

We got 2/8x10, 2/5x7, and one sheet of wallets the proofs for that $400 that would be $568 today. I think a lot of folks would want more photos than that to gift to relatives, and definitely more wallets for including with announcements. That same package, one hour session plus those photos are very likely more than $568 now. A local pro advertises on the community Facebook page and her annual Easter photo shoot with little kids is one 8x10 of a single pose in her studio with a couple of bunnies for $100 with options to buy more of course. I suspect that a one or two hour session outside or some site that she has to walk or drive to plus an outfit change would cost as much as I paid in 2009 and not include any finished product. 

Oh, also OP there is video series from the Great Courses on Photography that ds and I watched. It helped me really focus on exactly what I am seeing in the view finder. Overcast fall day is my recommendation because it creates far fewer shadows. Sunny days are a bit of a pain.

Also, OP, I see a lot of the do it yourself photos geared towards the student's interests, and not just a posed studio or scenery shot. Dd had hers with the horse she was training. Eldest ds had on set at the beach and another in the woods with his classical guitar. Middle ds had me take his when he was snowboarding. I got beautiful pic of him holding his snowboard, perfectly framed between snow covered pine trees. Youngest wanted photos with his NASA Student Launch rocket  although our favorite shot was one Mark took of him holding up a huge small mouth bass he had just caught on a fishing trip. Eldest nephew had action shots taken when he was playing hockey, middle nephew with a car he was rebuilding, and youngest nephew in his ROTC uniform.

One of our rocket team members wore a NASA jumpsuit and took pictures with one of her rockets on the dunes at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The best photos looked pretty cool. They were taken by her parents. I think that there are more options for creativity if doing it yourself if the budget is not huge.

We used Wal-Mart photo for the announcements which were like postcards, large postcards with photo and text. They were fine. We used Shutterfly for enlargements because the photo paper quality is higher than Wally World.

 

[MEmama]

I was gobsmacked that DS not only agreed but actually had fun getting his senior pictures. We used a professional photographer, but the key for DS is that it was someone he knew and was already comfortable with.
 

It was during Covid so they met at a local land trust area on the coast. The photographer told DS he could bring a few things along if he felt comfortable, and we ended up with terrific shots of him sitting on rocks overlooking the water with his laptop (it works, lol), dressed up looking dapper in the woods, running down a wooded path wearing his XC uniform and school mask, and so on. He actually had a lot of fun and the photos truly represent his high school years.

Professional photos aren't normally something I'd ever consider, but I found myself really wanting some for this occasion. I think DS knew it meant a lot to me, but I would have never asked him to do something he'd be uncomfortable with. That would defeat the purpose, to me. 

[J-rap]

In our area it was anything you wanted, and no one judged anyone about doing it differently.  Even in our own family we did it differently.  I think we had a professional do only one of them.  (One quick sitting, one outfit.)   A good friend of mine who probably could have been a professional photographer did a couple others.  I took a couple myself.  We weren't interested in any big package.  We just wanted one 8X10 picture to hang on our wall, 2 5X7's to give to grandparents, and wallet-sized ones to pass out to their friends.  We used just one image for all photos.  The professional one was done inside and the others were done outside.

Now that we're a few years out and have moved on to other stages of life, we don't even have the 8X10's on our wall anymore.  😄  

 

[Kidlit]

My graduates graduated from private school and thus had a formal sitting with a professional for their school photo (drape for girls, tux for boys).  My sister has a semipro business and did all the rest -- "environmental" type shots which we used for the announcements.  This is the way most folks do it in our area--the schools, public and private, have a required professional shot for the formal (to ensure uniformity for the yearbook and framed class photos, that sort of thing), and you're on your own for the rest. That can be whatever you choose, but we have MANY local semi pros who are good at outdoor photography. 

[Faith-manor]

1 hour ago, J-rap said:

In our area it was anything you wanted, and no one judged anyone about doing it differently.  Even in our own family we did it differently.  I think we had a professional do only one of them.  (One quick sitting, one outfit.)   A good friend of mine who probably could have been a professional photographer did a couple others.  I took a couple myself.  We weren't interested in any big package.  We just wanted one 8X10 picture to hang on our wall, 2 5X7's to give to grandparents, and wallet-sized ones to pass out to their friends.  We used just one image for all photos.  The professional one was done inside and the others were done outside.

Now that we're a few years out and have moved on to other stages of life, we don't even have the 8X10's on our wall anymore.  😄  

 

We just rearranged our wall. We needed to make room for their college graduation photos. It is now all organized, by phew, with four kids, it is a lot of 8x10's. It is fun to see the difference in the maturity of their faces between high school and college ending. Dd is laughing about this because she is 32 and we are just now getting around to hanging her college photo! 😂 Kids are 32, 26, 24.5, and 23. I am being accused of favoring the youngest child, you know, because we managed to hang the photo only one year after his graduation!

[Ali in OR]

Photography (and Photoshop and Lightroom) is dh's hobby, so he did photo shoots for our girls and he's done them for a few friends (for free). It was nice to have him do it because we could go out to different places on different days and see what worked well. Youngest was a senior during the 20-21 shut down year--lots of time to head out for shots. Some in summer, some in fall, sports editions in spring when those activities started up again (I wanted some of dd in her soccer and track uniforms). The yearbook has some requirements, so it's good to know what those are for the photo you turn in. Many people do their own--students even have friends just take a good photo of them with an iPhone.

For outdoor photos, lighting is best late in the day--we have done a lot of family shoots maybe an hour before sunset. You don't want bright light directly on the subject. Don't aim a camera up at someone--more flattering to aim down. Take some shots, see how they look, adjust poses. Have some fun with it if your kids are willing. I just scrapbooked youngest's photos and the one with her imitating the pose of the statue is in there with the good photos.

[Halftime Hope]

I have an engineer-brain kid. He was willing to do exactly one photo shoot with our DSLR in our house. LOL! 

We got a couple of great shots of him, and then he photoshopped himself in front of a stack of the huge speakers like you'd have at a concert. Since A/V was his thing, it was the perfect senior photo for him, and definitely a source of some interest among his peers who wondered (at that time) how he had pulled strings.

It was nice to do something that felt celebratory and fit his interests.

[mom2scouts]

Almost everyone I know hires a professional or semipro photographer (often someone they know), goes somewhere interesting outside, and takes pictures in different outfits that relate to the student's interests. I don't personally know anyone who does it themselves unless they're already an amateur photographer. Photos in one of our downtown public parks on the river with local landmarks in the background are popular here. Dancers I know often get pictures in their leotards, but in some interesting old building or outside. One of mine got pictures at the Boy Scout camp wearing his uniform and others in the woods wearing nicer clothes. Another got a few photos in his goalie uniform and then wearing nicer clothes but holding his drum sticks.

[Lori D.]

We did our own.

One DS did several different poses with things to represent his interests and activities -- took a total of 10-15 minutes -- and the other DS was a candid shot, so his was outdoors with a great, rugged tree trunk behind him -- took a total of 2 minutes. Neither DS cares much about clothes or were into "outfit changes", so their shots are more close-ups (mid-chest upwards). And NOT in cap & gown... none of us were "into" that kind of traditional formality for the photo, because our homeschooling was about individuality and not traditional formality. 😉

Both perfectly capture each DS's personality. Those were the photos we used in the homeschool graduation ceremony program (each graduate got their photo and a page about info themself). And we printed (Costco) and framed (Michael's) those photos as 8x10s to hang on the wall -- plus we printed a couple of smaller versions to give to the grandparents and a few relatives. DSs weren't interested in exchanging senior photos with friends, as most of their friends were also homeschoolers and weren't printing senior photos to exchange, either. 😉

Love that we did it all "in house" and were able to make it so casual and personal.

Edited July 29, 2023 by Lori D.

[Dianthus]

4 hours ago, DawnM said:

Sadly, we got none. 

I STILL need to hire a professional photographer to get some made, of the family, of each of us individually, etc.....we just haven't done it.

About 3 years ago, we had two sets of photos done.   One was a professional photographer who wanted to donate something to the Covid cause and she would come to our house and shoot pictures from over 6' away.   We actually have those photos on our walls.      But they were only a few shots, but it was enough.    And then I did some non-prof. photos of our family myself and they turned out ok.

But it is time to do another photo shoot and make up for us not getting senior photos!   

Bad parenting over here.

I'm disappointed that I didn't get senior photos. I wasn't homeschooled. My mom told me to schedule and I didn't ever schedule appointments for myself, did not understand it was important or significant, and never did it. I really wish she would have just scheduled it for her clueless and careless kid. I would have gone to the appointment if she'd have scheduled it. But I also try not to blame everything on my parents. So I also just wish that I would have understood it was significant and that I would want it one day. Oh well. 

Yes, I'm scheduling professional senior photos for my kids when the time comes. I'm making the appointments.

[Dmmetler]

A friend of mine who was starting a photography business did L's in exchange for being able to use them for publicity purposes. We did them outdoors, at a very pretty park and did cap and gown pictures and a casual favorite outfit. She sent me the digital photos once she'd edited them, including a nice composite and I had them printed. 

[alisoncooks]

We have a few friends who side-gig as photographers. I plan on asking them to do a fall or spring session this coming year for oldest dd. I’ll probably try to do a session at a garden (maybe Duke gardens, if it isn’t cost-prohibitive). And maybe a session at our local rocky river area and abandoned/graffitied foot bridge. I might try to do that one with my phone…

[WendyLady]

We have 4 kids and each graduated from a different high school in different places around the country (military family). I feel like everywhere we lived most people do professional or semi-professional grad photos. We have done beach photos, downtown DC photos, desert photos, and national park photos. We didn't love the quality of our oldest daughter's photos, so I've been careful to find photographers who have their work up online so we can find one whose style that particular teenager likes. Senior portraits have been replaced on our walls with other photos over the years, but I'm still glad I have some nice photos from our kids' last few months at home as children before they move out and have their next adventure... anyway, my vote is to find a photographer who isn't too crazy expensive and have fun getting some nice photos of your girls before they graduate! Congrats!!

[Lori D.]

@SKL -- really, it all comes down to what do YOU and your GRADS want? What would be *meaningful* to them, and to you?

Hiring a professional is partly about paying for a certain kind of experience that represents the senior year and preparing to launch -- is that something that would be significant and special for your rising seniors? Would having professional portraits be special to you? 

Are you more casual people, and would it be more fun to have a friend who's good with a camera and would be able to bring out some great natural informal portraiture be more your style?

If or spouse or a relative is handy with a camera, would you prefer to homeschool it all the way and go DIY?

And what about the cost? Would that be special to spend the $$ on high quality prints and portraiture? Or would you prefer to go DIY for the photos and spend that money on a special family "senior trip?" Or something else that is special and meaningful?

My vote is to go for what YOU all want, because part of the beauty of homeschooling is not having to worry about "what everyone else is doing." 😄 

Edited July 29, 2023 by Lori D.

[Sneezyone]

We ended up with a photographer on the higher end but I have no regrets. We did in studio (my outfit choice) and on location/casual with graffiti murals and her outfit of choice. She’s using her senior photos as professional/work headshots (which are needed for the jobs she’s seeking at school). We used them for her senior ad (not a thing everywhere but definitely in the south), her announcements and thank you cards. We got a lot of mileage out of it and will be happy to display them in our home for years to come. My dad’s senior photo from the 60s is also on my wall. 🥰 Whether you DIY or not, invest in decent printing. MPix is both affordable, reliable (read fast) and archival quality.

Edited July 29, 2023 by Sneezyone

[Sneezyone]

7 hours ago, Faith-manor said:

We just rearranged our wall. We needed to make room for their college graduation photos. It is now all organized, by phew, with four kids, it is a lot of 8x10's. It is fun to see the difference in the maturity of their faces between high school and college ending. Dd is laughing about this because she is 32 and we are just now getting around to hanging her college photo! 😂 Kids are 32, 26, 24.5, and 23. I am being accused of favoring the youngest child, you know, because we managed to hang the photo only one year after his graduation!

Sounds like me!!

[SKL]

I just found out that our school will not use private photos in the yearbook anyway.  They will use the same photographer as for the under-classes at school.

This is a relief to me.

So I will ask my kids if they want to do anything over and above, or not.  It's not an emergency.

I'm not sentimental about photos.  We have so many thousands of digital photos of my kids, and it's so easy to make more.  But if they want to do something, I will maybe work with them on a budget.

[historically accurate]

My oldest graduated in spring of 2020, and she hates having her photo taken. I got a pic of her sitting next to the comm college graduate sign (she graduated DE 2 year degree with high school), and a pic in front of a pretty tree in her cap and gown for the remote graduation ceremony. That's all she would tolerate.

Middle is graduating this year. She wants senior pics. I'm thinking of getting youngest a DSLR and letting her loose as she will take photography class this year (she loves photography and is rather good at it, but we haven't purchased the next camera up). Probably backed up by my co-worker's brother who is trying to break into the business. His work is really good.

Don't know if youngest will care - probably, but we'll do the friend of a friend thing if needed.

Pictures don't do it for me either, but they are important to grandmas, etc. 

[Halftime Hope]

I did my youngest son's pictures. We recruited a classmate to go with us, and I took pictures of him and of her. Hers were bonus photos as a thank you to her for going.  The reason we did it that way was that it's really hard to get a good photo of ds, and I didn't want to pay for disappointment. (My friend had been taking pictures of all the seniors at senior activities all year, and she had commented how hard it was to get good snaps of ds...something I already knew.) Having the fun friend along made all the difference.

 

Edited July 30, 2023 by Halftime Hope

[rebcoola]

Pro or semi pro typically taken outside.  Havent seen a lot of interest based more just pretty pictures in fields.

Oldest Daughter wants a shoot with her dog and her motorcycle.

[Sneezyone]

FYI- yearbook photos, those standard issue ones, are standard for a reason. Think Lifetouch/drivers license. They end up in a photo collage with each graduate being virtually indistinguishable on a wall of the school. DDs were displayed on the Jumbotron at graduation too. She didn’t take the appointment seriously even tho I warned her. These pics live forever, including on Ancestry.com, ask me how I know.😒Lessons learned. They usually have no connection to the graduate or their personality/interests. Senior ads are parent designed/customized.

Edited July 31, 2023 by Sneezyone

[tooelitistformegoeleswhere]

In my experience, unless they absolutely cannot afford otherwise, people hire a professional. Even my aunt, who takes amazing photos, hired a professional photographer for her faux twins (stepdaughter and niece). But it's a cultural thing. The people in your area may not care, or you may not care about what anyone else thinks. It's really a personal decision, and it's one that comes down to your family's preferences and finances.

As for settings, some really pretty ones are the creek and a train track. A lovely shot that I've seen a few times over the years is the student turned away from the camera and walking away. You might consider if there's anywhere related to your senior's hobbies that would work, even if the location isn't necessarily where he or she actually did that hobby. For example, I've seen a lot of Potterheads do pictures with a weeping willow as an homage to the series' Whomping Willow. 

 

ETA "Seasonal" shots are becoming more popular here. Instead of one set, people do a summer shoot, a fall shoot, a winter shoot, and a spring shoot. They're usually beautiful, and they make it easier to capture the interests of the child, especially for athletes. 

Edited July 31, 2023 by pocketfullofpennies
I thought of another point to add.

[katilac]

24 minutes ago, pocketfullofpennies said:

 ETA "Seasonal" shots are becoming more popular here. Instead of one set, people do a summer shoot, a fall shoot, a winter shoot, and a spring shoot. They're usually beautiful, and they make it easier to capture the interests of the child, especially for athletes. 

That's an extremely cool idea for locations that have seasons, lol.