It's official! Class of 2023 have graduated and now it's time for 2024 seniors to start planning their senior portraits!
You're probably just beginning to think about what you want your portraits to look like and what kind of experience you want. So, where to start?!
Google, of course! lol
Naturally, Google is an incredible resource and it's probably the first place your parents will go to help you find a photographer for your senior pictures. A Google search is where about half of my clients end up finding me so I'm very thankful for it! At the top of the page on your search results you're going to find photographers who have paid for an ad. Just check them out and find out if they specialize in senior portraits first! Just because they pop up at the top doesn't necessarily mean they're a senior photographer. Quite often, you'll find that the ads are for photographers who mainly take pictures for weddings or even newborn babies...which you haven't been for quite awhile!
What you really want to look for is someone who has a lot of experience with teens and their parents. Not all photographers know how to relate to this age group or they might even be intimidated by them! Find a photographer who really loves making you feel comfortable in front of the camera, one who knows all the best locations, poses their clients naturally and, most importantly, one who is truly invested in you as an individual. Trust me, when you talk to them it should be really obvious!
More Places to Find the Right Senior Photographer!
There are honestly so many great places to look for your senior photographer!
There's Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, and Facebook.
Instagram is probably one of the easiest resources for finding a photographer. Your friends who have graduated ahead of you or the ones who post their senior pictures on that Last First Day of school will likely have tagged their photographer in their posts. If they haven't and you love their images, just ask who they used! Don't be worried about "copying" someone else's pictures just because you choose the same photographer. The best photographers can not only give you the same great experience as your friend but they can insure that your pictures don't look like a cookie cutter version. By using different locations or using even the same location but in a different way, your pictures will be your own!
Even if you're not on Facebook with all the old people, your parents probably are and they can ask for recommendations there also. Other moms definitely have the inside scoop on these things! And there is no better place to express a strong opinion than on Facebook, am I right?!
Of course there's also Pinterest and TikTok! Pinterest is like one of the greatest search engines out there! When you're looking for ideas for your outfits or awesome locations it's highly likely you've gone there first. But did you know that if you're looking for a photographer in your area that you should be able to find your photographer by doing a search by city or area?!
And then there's TikTok! I'll admit that personally I could do a whole lot better about posting there. Always more ideas in my head than on my feed! If you look for a senior photographer on TikTok that could be a really easy way to find out what their personality is like. Are they all business or do they know how to have fun and laugh at themselves?
A Google search is how Cassie found me last year for her senior portraits. She actually was looking for a photographer who uses film which, obviously, I think is the coolest! It always makes me SO happy when a client says that's one of the main reasons they chose me to do their pictures! I happen to think it probably means we have a lot in common and share the same values and are willing to be not only patient but trusting also.
Cassie just graduated a couple weeks ago from The Paideia School and will be attending Spelman College like her mom and aunts before her. For her session she wanted a pretty nature location and Piedmont Park is always my first choice in Atlanta because of all the trees, the duck pond and, as a bonus, you get the hill with the skyline in the background! Her session was scheduled for the middle of November and we were really lucky to still have some fall color on the leaves in the park. It was one of the coldest sessions for me all year but she powered through and treated it like an adventure. She wore her mom's vintage coat for one of her outfits and it was a great idea considering how chilly it was.
In the spring, we met again but at a smaller park in town to take pictures in her college tee and her graduation dress. That dress is incredible! Cassie is absolutely gorgeous and that dress was perfect on her! At Paideia, they don't wear caps and gowns for graduation but they get all dressed up instead and I think that's such a wonderful tradition. I especially love that her dress is the same blue and white Spelman colors!
Congratulations, Cassandra! I'm so excited for you and I'm so thankful you chose me to be your senior photographer this year!
0 Comments