The perfect senior session is a reflection of your interests, personality, and history. It’s a combination of fun pictures for posting on Instagram and classic pictures that look good in the yearbook and on Mom’s wall. Every senior session should have one killer shot—whether it be a smoke bomb, something near the water, a bonfire, or whatever you can dream up. Creating a portrait collection is fun, and that energy should be reflected in the images. It’s a once in a lifetime event. Make it epic.
This will not work:
ME: "What are your ideas for senior photos?"
Senior: "I don't know. You're creative. You tell me what I should do."
It’s true that I'm the photographer and, therefore, ultimately responsible for creating beautiful images, but the best sessions are a collaboration between the client and the photographer.
We start this collaboration by you writing down everything we could possible do for your session.Think about your current obsessions, childhood interests, and places that are meaningful to you. Here are some examples:
Ally loved art class in high school and her senior project was learning to make bowls and other objects on a pottery wheel.
MacLaine helped his dad with welding projects, and the summer before his senior year he assisted in building his grandma’s new house. We included both in his senior album.
Isaac planted these trees with his father and brothers.. We also chose to take a family portrait in this location.
The best way to get great photos is to communicate your ideas. The more I know ahead of time the better the pictures turn out. I prefer to meet or phone before the session so I can get a feel for your style and interests. Creating a Pinterest board is always helpful. The pictures rarely end up looking the same (different model/ different location), but it gives us a place to begin. Too, the best pictures are pictures that include places that mean something to you. Give some thought to location. I love to shoot in new and interesting places.
The reason I started the PM Roam is that I am so limited in where I can shoot because Jamestown is tiny, and there are only so many options. Shooting in the morning very early or after dark gives an entirely different look to downtown. If you are willing to get up early, or if you want to try a PM Roam session, you can get some different photos than what you typically see in my albums.
Another option: if you live in a surrounding town, please consider using that town for photos.
Meet me in Fargo for an entirely different experience.
Do some digging on your own. You and your parents have different connections than I have. Sometimes you can get into places where I an not allowed. The salvage yard was a fantastic place to shoot. Mckenzie's dad knew the owner and got permission.
