Senior Photography Sessions for Upcoming Graduates

Get Senior Portraits Before Graduation

When graduation time comes around, there’s a lot for parents to think about; things
like grad parties, figuring out gifts, or any combination activities, banquets, and
gatherings that takes place to celebrate this amazing milestone. I’m exhausted just
thinking about it! But not everything has to wait until the end of the school year.

One of the things that parents can cross off the to-do list is getting senior portraits
taken early, so the portraits are ready anytime you need them throughout senior year. What’s
wrong with having that much less to have to think about when the big day comes?
Nothing! Plus, when you get them done ahead of time, you’re not at the mercy of
scheduling conflicts that might happen around the end of the school year.

Meet Audrey: Plan Your Summer and Fall Senior Photography Session

In terms of getting your portraits done before graduation, Audrey is a perfect example. When her 1-hour Gold senior photo session took place, graduation seemed so far away and of course, Audrey didn’t have her cap & gown yet. No worries though, I pulled black cap & gown from the Style Closet. With the session taking place at the beginning of Audrey’s senior year, Mom can relax all year long knowing that the portraits are under wraps, and when the time comes, it’s one less thing she’ll need to think about!

A Blast from the Past

Any given year, I wind up with a lot of clients, and take a boatload of pictures. Now and then, the past comes back to wave and say hello, and when it does, I get instantly reminded about how fast time goes by. I was hired to do newborn portraits for Audrey’s baby sister. And of course we got to get pictures of the older siblings! Check out five-year-old Audrey, of one of my first clients, and now that same family is back for her her graduation photos!

Here is a little backstory, as well as some talk about how Audrey’s graduation photo shoot went.

Audrey’s mom Beth was one of my very first clients; this happened somewhere between 2010-2011. She came to me to take care of her baby sister’s newborn photos, but eventually, Beth’s 2 kids also wanted in on the action and before they decided to photobomb the baby portraits, I took some pictures of both of them, with one of the two being Audrey. She was 5 at the time and now she’s a high school graduate!

Location, Location, Location!

Audrey is overflowing with personality, and after talking about settings, outfits, activities, and the particular vibe she was hoping to capture, it became clear that the natural locations available in Eastmark were going to work best to allow that personality to shine. And with that personality came vibrance and character, captured against the green Eastmark backdrop.

Hot, Humid, Sticky Weather

A lot of these pictures look as if they were taken on a nice spring Arizona morning, right? Well, the truth is, they were taken on a hot and humid late-August day, and even though it was tolerable for an hour of shooting, I’m happy that it wasn’t three hours’ worth! I can work with the weather and promise to clean up any crazy sweat stains or other unwanted side effect, but I didn’t have to do it so much for this shoot.

The good thing is, Audrey’s chosen outfits worked perfectly. It’s one of the best things about Arizona’s weather. You can wear any outfit during any season! You can choose long sleeves in August or a cute crop top in January because you’ll only be in it for a few minutes before you change into the next outfit!

Natural Lighting in a Natural Setting

With years of experience, you develop an eye for using all kinds of lighting, but natural
lighting can be a lot of fun. This picture of Audrey sitting in the grass is a great
example, as the sun began to get a little low in the sky, splashing just the right amount
of highlight on the foreground of her surroundings.

Instead of creating magic with the foreground colors, this picture is a great example of allowing natural light to bring a background to life! Here’s Audrey with some gentle natural highlighting but not enough to distract from the message she’s conveying in the picture…I’m a senior and I’ll be graduating soon!

If you’re ready to talk about senior pictures, be sure to contact me to get on the schedule. We can chat and talk about all the awesome ideas you have! Follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook for all the latest updates and creative ideas for your senior photos.

Ready to get started? Let’s chat—and don’t forget to grab your FREE download of the Senior Client Welcome Guide to learn what happens next!