So you’re graduating from high school (or college!!)
Either way, it’s time to get your Senior Photos!
Whether you’re going to be a senior in high school, you ARE a senior in high school, or you’re graduating from college or post-graduate study, you should know by now that whatever you’ve accomplished is worth celebrating!! And I’m all about celebrating. But there’s planning that goes into your senior pictures, whether you’re scheduling for next week, or you’re scheduling for months from now!
With senior sessions, the prep steps are a little bit different than for something like a Maternity session, or a Newborn session, since they’re sometimes scheduled pretty last minute. But that doesn’t make the planning less important – it actually makes it MORE so, since you might have to do it more quickly!! But whether you’re scheduling for next week, or next month (or next year, if you’re ahead of the game!) you’re going to need to go through the same sorts of steps. So today, we’re walking through those in detail, that way you know what’s up!
Since timing might differ, I’m going to break this one down differently.
If you’ve used my ultimate prep guides before, you might be wondering how I’m going to break down something that isn’t time-locked like a maternity session. But I’ve got you covered! For senior sessions, we’re going to break planning into categories with timing SUGGESTIONS, instead of a solid schedule like for other session types. That way, it not only makes sense, but you can apply it to YOUR schedule, no matter what!
The First Steps for your Senior Session
The first steps for ANY photo session, are choosing a photographer, and getting booked into their calendar! But there are a few things you need to think about when you’re choosing. I break them down in detail elsewhere, but… the broad strokes are these! Make sure you’re choosing a photographer who’s work you’re OBSESSED with. You want to love their portfolio, so look at it in depth before you reach out! Whether that means stalking their Instagram profile, or checking out the website (I’d recommend doing both!) make sure you love their work before you reach out.
Another really big one, is making sure that they work in the region you live in, or one you’re willing to travel to. That might sound like a really silly thing to think about – but we live in the internet age! You might see pics online from photographers who live across the country, and love their work. But… they might not be the most realistic goal for your senior photo session. So make sure when you’re looking, you’re being realistic about who you can work with!
Finally, before you choose a photographer… make sure their policies and standards align with your needs. So if you’re booking your senior session with a really quick turn around, do you need your images super soon? Some photographers have a turnaround on images that looks more like three weeks or more, and others are really quick with their image delivery. There’s nothing wrong with taking a little more time, especially if you love their work – but you have to keep timing in mind, because if you’re submitting your images for the yearbook, there might be a timeline to work with!
So that means steps 1-4 are:
- Choose a photographer local to you whose work you’re obsessed with
- Ask them the burning questions you’ve got, and check their policies and standards
- Talk about locations
- Get booked into their calendar!
Right After You Book Your Senior Pictures
This one is really going to depend on your style, and sometimes it’s a step that I group into the “closer to your session” category. But it’s largely going to be up to you, when this happens! Especially if you’re booking a session for like… next week. It’s ALSO going to depend on whether you’re a “hair and nails” kind of human! Because if not… you can totally skip this, because you should be who you ARE in your session. But, if you ARE a hair and nails kind of human, you’re going to want to make sure your appointments for those are scheduled when you book your senior session, so that you don’t have any catastrophes when it comes to getting in their calendar! Sometimes those folks book out super quickly, so again… if you’re booking a session for next week or the week after, you miiiiiiight have to skip this one.
If this is something you’re going to do, that makes step 4:
- Schedule styling appointments with hairdressers and nail techs
One to Two Weeks (ish) Before Your Senior Photo Shoot
Once you’re in a photographer’s calendar for your senior photo shoot, you’re probably going to have at LEAST a week before your session, so we can stick to a time-scale here!
And getting booked in, means you have a few things to decide. Firstly, you’re going to have to pick out clothing! There are SO many options for what you can wear to your session, but there are a few logistics to think about. When you booked your photographer, you may have selected a session with a specific amount of time, or a specific number of wardrobe changes! I personally don’t limit wardrobe changes, but make sure you ask your photographer what their standard is for senior session outfits.
The other thing you’re going to want to think about at this point, is whether there are props you need to bring to your session! You should have already discussed photo shoot locations with your photographer, so you should know where you’re going on the day of your session. But there might be things that are important to you, or that are kind of “icons” of your accomplishments. And that’s what we’re celebrating with your senior pictures, so… bring ‘em with you!! Play the sax? BRING IT. Was cheerleading your vibe? Consider that when it comes to props and wardrobe. The same counts for your graduation gown, if you plan on having images in that!
Get your things selected, and consider collecting them in one place so you don’t forget them!!
This means your one-to-two-week list is:
- Choose your clothes
- Think about props, if you want them!
3-5 Days Before Your Senior Photo Session
The last 3-5 days before your session are where the excitement really happens!! Your session is absolutely coming up fast, and there are a few things you should think about before you meet your photographer at their studio (or the location you’ve chosen to start at.)
First of all, it’s time to stop the spray tan, if you happen to use it. I know it’s really, really, REALLY tempting to top up the glow, but in that last 3-5 days… skip it. Spray tan and self tanner can show up orange in your images, because of the way light is processed, and it can’t be fixed in editing. So if you’re orange……. You’re orange. And we don’t want that, right? So yeah – pause the tanning, I promise you’ll still glow on your photo session day!!
Next, you’re going to want to try on all of the clothes you’ve chosen for your session, make sure you have your accessories chosen too, and take all of the tags off!! If you’ve bought new clothes, and forgotten to remove the tags, those will absolutely end up in your final images. It’s also the time to check for bra straps, or underclothes lines. They’re another little detail that makes everything smoother (pun intended!).
It’s also time for a little unexpected step: WATER! It’s time to HYDRATE. Making sure you’re drinking enough water helps you have that glow we were talking about, aside from just straight up being a great habit. So start drinking more water, so that you’re hydrated on your big day!
3-5 Days before your session, you should:
- Stay away from the spray tan, despite how tempting I know it is
- Try on all the clothes you’re going to wear, and make sure nothing has tags on it still
- Make sure you’re happy with your accessories, and that there are no bra/panty/undershirt lines you’re going to want removed
- Hydrate!!
1-2 Days Before Your Senior Photo Session
Once we hit the 1-2 day point, you’re ALMOST there!! You should have your necessary appointments booked, if you wanted your nails done, they should already be done by now. You’ve stopped using self-tanner, and you have all of your clothes picked out!
Once you’ve gotten to the 1-2 day stretch, it’s time to check your clothes, and pack them up in a bag. Make sure you have EVERYthing! Same with any props you’re bringing with you. Check them, and pop them into the same place as your other items so that nothing is forgotten.
It might also be a good time to message your photographer to confirm the session time, and make sure that you’re totally set for your first location! If you haven’t already, you can also send them any inspo photos you love from their portfolio, and some photographers are even cool with you sharing a Pinterest board with inspiration for the session. Make sure you ask before you send it over, but… if they’re cool with it, put one together while you get excited about your session!
And of course… keep drinking that water! We want you hydrated and healthy the day of your session.
That makes your final pre-session checklist look like this:
- Double check all the clothing things
- Make sure you’ve got all of your props
- Final confirmation messages to your photographer
- Drink more water
To bring it all together, let’s look at the Senior Session prep list in full!
What all this leads us to, is a list that looks like this:
Booking
- Choose a photographer local to you whose work you’re obsessed with
- Ask them the burning questions you’ve got, and check their policies and standards
- Talk about locations
- Get booked into their calendar!
Up to a Month Before
- Schedule hair, nail, or makeup appointments
One to Two Weeks Before
- Choose your clothes
- Think about props, if you want them!
3-5 Days Before
- Stay away from the spray tan, despite how tempting I know it is
- Try on all the clothes you’re going to wear, and make sure nothing has tags on it still
- Make sure you’re happy with your accessories, and that there are no bra/panty/undershirt lines you’re going to want removed
- Hydrate!!
1-2 Days Before
- Double check all the clothing things
- Make sure you’ve got all of your props
- Final confirmation messages to your photographer
- Drink more water
If you’ve got questions, never hesitate to ask!
Of course, if this guide still leaves you with questions… reach out!! I would love to talk to you about your vision for your senior session, and get you on the calendar to celebrate everything you’ve achieved thus far.
You’re doing AMAZING, and that deserves to be celebrated!!
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