So you graduate in 2026 – first of all, congrats!

As I talk about all the time, graduating is a big deal, so congratulations! You did the thing, you’ve survived high school. Or college, everyone deserves photos to commemorate matriculating, whether you’re at the beginning of your academic career, or the end!

Which brings me to my next question, because if you’re here… it’s likely because you’re looking for someone in Minneapolis to handle your senior pictures.

Have you already booked your Minneapolis Senior Pictures?

So, have you already booked? If not, you might be wondering whether it’s too late. I mean, if you were hoping to have images to submit to the year book, it might be too late on that front, depending when your school or university requires images are submitted for that use. But, that doesn’t mean it’s too late to have senior pictures done, and it DEFINITELY doesn’t mean it’s too late for them to be useful for you personally, beyond being included in year book materials!

There are so, so, so many ways you can use senior pictures, from things like your graduation announcements, to posting on social media to celebrate your accomplishments. I’m personally a little biased toward having them printed, I mean, it’s old school, but retro is back in style, right? We’re all wearing flare legged jeans again, might as well send out snail mail too. And I don’t know about you, but I get pretty excited when I get something in the mail that isn’t a bill!

So if you haven’t already booked your Minneapolis senior pictures, it’s definitely time, and you still have options. Summer isn’t the only season senior pictures can be taken!

With Jessica Strobel Photography, you’ve got in-studio options

But if you don’t have your Minneapolis senior pictures on the calendar yet, and you’re still looking, there’s a few things you’re going to need to take into account that you wouldn’t have if you’d done things sooner. No shade though, life is complicated and we all do things in our own time!

One of the biggest things you’ll need to think about, is the fact that it’s November now. Which means it’s COLD here! And when it comes to photo sessions, we definitely want to be comfortable, because we want to be as much ourselves as we can be. And when we’re not comfy, we’re not ourselves. Kinda like the Snickers commercials – you’re not yourself when you’re hungry, and you’re not like yourself when you’re uncomfortable, either.

Why does this matter? Well, when you’re choosing someone to take your senior pictures in the summer, you have a lot of options. There are tons of amazing photographers in the greater Minneapolis area who you can book senior pictures with – but not all of them have a studio space you can use for your session.

Now, this being said, if there’s a photographer you absolutely want to work with, but they don’t have an indoor space themselves, you can always ALWAYS suggest that they rent my studio here in Minneapolis! I’m all about it – there’s no gatekeeping here.

But on the other hand, I would be honored to be the person you work with, and Jessica Strobel Photography DOES have an indoor studio for your images. I’m also more than happy to do some outdoor this season too, as long as you’re sure you’ll be comfortable enough to capture images that you love!

Consider what you want to wear

Before any photo session, you have to think about what you’re going to wear. However, when it’s this season, there are extra details to take into account! Specifically, the whole “temperature” thing again. Like I said, it’s cold. Which means if you’re having senior portraits taken outdoors, then you’re going to need to adjust your expectations around what you’ll be wearing for the session. It’s just not realistic to take photos outdoors in the freezing cold in something like a gown, your prom dress, or even just without a coat.

You’ll be SO cold, and it’s just not a reasonable plan. So if you have wardrobe “must haves” for your session that don’t involve puffy coats and/or sleeves, then I again point you to the whole “let’s book a studio space” situation! Working indoors, in the Jessica Strobel Photography studio, means you don’t have to worry about being too cold in your chosen wardrobe options.

Capturing this milestone deserves more than an iPhone!

If you feel like it’s too late to book your senior pictures, it’s not. You’ve done something amazing, and accomplished so much – and you’re going to want to be able to look back on this later, and reminisce. I know it might feel like you have a camera roll full of memories because, let’s face it, we have cameras in our pockets all the time now, it’s 2025. And I get it.

I’ll even openly admit that when it comes to quality, the photos you can get with your phone have gotten better and better over the last few years – it’s totally reasonable to print them. Some phones even have pretty solid “portrait” options, that digitally recreate the look and feel of bokeh in the background of your image (that dreamy creamy look accomplished by aperture when you’re working with a professional). And a lot of the time, they’re a quality that can be printed, too. Not every time, and not in every lighting situation, by far. But way, way more than in like, 2014, for example. Things have improved.

But that doesn’t mean your phone is the best way to memorialize this milestone! Booking senior portraits with a professional photographer is about more than just photos. It’s about making a memory, about celebrating, and about taking a little bit of time to focus on you. What you’ve done. How far you’ve come. And that just can’t be done with a few selfies you take wearing your graduation cap!

If you still need to get on the calendar… I’ve got spots!

Even if you feel like you’re too far behind… reach out. I’d love to talk to you about booking in your senior pictures, and setting up a session that will feel uniquely yours! Wardrobe changes, set shifts, indoor, outdoor – whatever will make your images reflect your experience, and what you’ve loved most about your time in school. Whether that’s high school, or college – it doesn’t matter! What DOES matter, is celebrating. And I would love to celebrate with you!