Can you believe it? Your teen has reached their final year of high school! How quickly time flies! This is such an exciting time for not only them but also for you! This is such a commemorative time in life, which is why I love taking senior pictures. Capturing their style, personality, and excitement, you can’t beat that! That’s why I’ve written A Parent’s Guide to Senior Pictures to help you navigate this special milestone.
Senior year can be overwhelming, but don’t worry! I’m here to help take the stress out of the senior picture process. Senior pictures should be exciting, fun, and memorable for you and your teen. Keep reading A Parent’s Guide to Senior Pictures to learn the process before, during, and after senior picture day.
Before the Senior Pictures Are Taken
Minneapolis senior photographers’ calendars fill up fast and early. My calendar opens for booking the first week of March, and many seniors book within hours of my calendar opening. The sooner you get on the calendar, the better. Booking your teen’s senior pictures early allows you to get the day you want and the most time to plan outfits, choose locations your teen will love, get their hair and nails done, and do anything else they need to feel comfortable and confident in front of the camera.
Once the session is booked, I will send you a questionnaire so I can get to know your teen better and understand their vision for their senior pictures. You’ll also receive three helpful guides (location, style, and session prep) to ensure the planning process for your teen’s session is stress-free! We will also schedule a meeting in person or via Zoom, where you can ask all your questions. I will review your teen’s questionnaire and finalize locations and outfits.
If your teen has questions about what to wear or whether an outfit looks good, they are always welcome to text me. I’m always happy to help, especially since I can envision the outfit at the location.
It’s Senior Picture Day!
It’s finally here! Parents are always welcome to come along to their teen’s session. Not everyone is comfortable in front of the camera right away, especially when people are watching. My husband Alex will be there; he pushes the wagon around so you can put all of your teen’s items in there, so you don’t have to carry around an arm full of things. He’ll also talk with you while I take your teen’s senior pictures. That way, you’ll be close by if they need you, but you’re not making them feel awkward by watching over my shoulder.
At the end of the photo shoot, I’ll ask if there is anything that we missed. If there is, we can go get that quickly. If not, I offer to take a few quick pictures of you and your teen. I won’t post these anywhere; they’re just special pictures for you to have and enjoy.
Once we’re done taking photos, there is no need for the fun to end! Make this an entire day if you can, and take the day off work. Go enjoy some quality time just you and your teen. Go for lunch, chat about your favorite parts of the photo shoot, and enjoy the day together. If you need restaurant recommendations nearby, just ask!
Senior Picture Delivery
Within 24 hours of the photo shoot, you’ll receive a handful of sneak peeks. You’re welcome to post and share them on Instagram or Facebook; just make sure to tag me in them, too! Two weeks after the photo shoot, you will receive the entire gallery. I’ll review the gallery, select the best images, and edit the pictures. Don’t worry, I won’t do anything too drastic. My editing style is true-to-color, so I like to make sure the photos are true to the session and your teen. I’ll remove blemishes, fly-aways, and any distracting objects in the background.
You will receive an email with a gallery link from Pic-Time. This email can sometimes end up in your spam folder, so you also get a text from me saying your pictures are ready. I recommend waiting to view the gallery together; you’ll be happy you did!
Printing Your Teen’s Senior Pictures
I encourage all my clients to print their beautiful memories, especially from the print store attached to their gallery. For the first week your teen’s gallery is live, you’ll receive a 15% coupon to the print store attached to their gallery. I have selected the highest quality professional printing company (White House Custom Color) to print your images. The quality is much better than what you would receive from Shutterfly, plus my guarantee. If, for any reason, the print product arrives damaged, I will get it reprinted for you at no additional cost. But remember, this is only through the print store attached to your gallery. If you print your teen’s senior pictures elsewhere, you’re welcome to do that. Keep in mind that I can’t guarantee the print quality of the printing company you choose.
If you have any questions about the booking or photo shoot process, feel free to email me! Let me know if you’d prefer to chat over the phone, in person, or via Zoom, and I’ll happily schedule something for us to chat! Make sure to share this blog post with your friends who are also planning their teen’s senior pictures.
Ready to read another helpful blog about senior pictures? Check out this one – The Importance of Booking Your Senior Photos Early
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