Senior Photoshoot Basics: The Before, During & After - Senior Portrait Photographer - Vancouver, WA / Portland, OR

Your senior year deserves to be celebrated and commemorated, and there are so many fun ways to do this – a photo session is one of them.

If you’ve never scheduled a professional photo session before or simply want to know what to expect from a senior session, this guide covers the basics.

This is what you need to know…

The Before

• Yearbook deadlines. If your school is creating a yearbook, find out when they need your digital photo file. This will help you plan ahead.

• The location. The location of your senior session should fit in with your personality and the story you want to tell. Picture yourself doing what you love – where would that usually be? There are always lots of great location ideas to choose from.

• Sooner rather than later. Photographers get a lot of requests for senior photo sessions, so it’s best to schedule it a few months early to avoid missing out.

• The outfit. You can decide on an outfit once you’ve chosen your location, or you can do both at the same time. Your outfit should also represent who you are and fit in with the location you’ve chosen. Just make sure your outfit isn’t too distracting or it will end up being the focus of your photos.

• Hair and makeup arrangements. Don’t leave your hair and makeup arrangements for too late either. Decide on your final look and whether or not you want to do your own hair and makeup.

The During

• Set aside 2 hours. The average senior photo session takes 1 to 2 hours, so take a few hours out of your day. This should include time to get ready.

• Meeting up. On the day of your session, you will meet your photographer at your location at a specific time. There’s no need to be nervous. Your photographer is there to make sure you have a good time and get the photos you’ve envisioned.

• Prepare to change outfits. Some seniors prefer to bring along an extra outfit to change into during their shoot. This is because one outfit might look better in a certain location than another. You can discuss this with your photographer ahead of time.

• Bring some company. If having a friend or family member with you will make you feel more comfortable, bring someone along. Just don’t bring too many people or they could end up being a distraction more than anything else.

• Sign a model release. Your photographer will also require you to sign a model release form before you leave your photo session.

The After

• The wait. It takes several weeks for your photographer to complete your images, so you will need to be patient.

• Share and enjoy. Once you receive your photos, you can share and print them as you wish.

This is a basic idea of what you can expect from your senior photo session. Don’t be shy to ask your photographer more questions if you have any.