There's no shortage of milestones in a person's life - we can identify dozens of important moments over the course of a lifetime.
As we celebrate these milestones, most of us like to capture and freeze them in photographs. From a professional newborn session, to a cell phone snap of baby eating their first ice cream, there are countless ways to preserve memories.
One of my favorites is the Senior Session. While high schools will typically provide a studio photography option for their yearbook, it has become increasingly common for families to also want a more individual and personalized record of their senior as they approach one of their most important milestones: Graduation.
Below are my top 5 reasons to hire a professional to capture this important time:
1.This is truly a pivotal time in your teen’s life. If you're the parent of a senior, you don’t need me to tell you that. But you might not be able to wrap your head around the reality that in 6 months/1 year, there will be a different human in front of you. Grab some photos of this one while you’ve got them! Regardless of their post-graduation plans, they are approaching a decided end to one phase of life and the beginning of another exciting one, and that's worth recording.
2.Capture the individual they are right now. There's a place for formal studio portraits; consistency in the yearbook matters, as does the tradition of simple, posed graduation photos (stuffy as they may be). But there's a more important place, in my humble opinion, for capturing your senior's true personality right now. That's not the purpose, nor is it typically the outcome, of a standard studio/yearbook session. It is, however, the singular goal of a professional Senior Session.
3. Celebrate the accomplishments they're most proud of at this moment. In an on-location personal session they can include props to highlight their accomplishments and passions; a lacrosse stick, an award, the car they worked hard to buy, the horse they've got a special bond with. You can get super-creative with this and focus on what means the most to them right now.
4. Utilize professional expertise and gear. When you hire a professional you can work with someone who has studied posing, lighting, composition, and editing; someone with the equipment to capture the images, the software to professionally polish them, and the years of experience to pull it all together, from prepping for the session to ordering the right wall art and designing albums & announcements.
5. “Not the Mom” taking the pictures. There’s a different dynamic when there's another adult taking the pictures, and that can be especially important at this stage. There may be the typical teen independence-type bristling, or an emotional parent who is understandably holding on tight. (I’m looking in the mirror!) Those things can show in the images you get. Trust me, my senior daughter was OVER having me take her picture for years before graduation! So I actually hired another professional photographer for a session that I’d have nothing to do with. And it was amazing! It’s just a different dynamic and that matters. (Of course I insisted on a session for me too, but it was a different vibe…and a photo from the “other” photographer’s session is framed on my dresser!)
There's a short list and a long list of true milestones in a person's life, and it's safe to say that graduating from high school is on the short list for most of us. You'll never regret preserving these memories.
Sign me up!!! 🎓❤️