Choosing a Senior Portrait Photographer – North Dakota Senior Pictures

Congratulations!  You’re a senior and now it’s time to start considering what to do about those Senior Pictures! The next time you may have pictures taken that are as important will likely by at your wedding.   High School Senior Portraits are one of those milestones in life.  Think about it…you have the baby photos, the year by year school pictures and finally the senior portraits.  The senior portrait is often times the one that hangs for years on the parent’s wall. You want to choose your photographer carefully and with consideration.  So what should you consider when choosing your senior portrait photographer?

First off do a google search for senior photographers in your area.  Look through their websites, blogs and facebook pages.  What are you looking for?

1. Do you like their over all style?  Great – now look a little more closely…
2. Are their photos consistent?  Consistently good lighting, posing, natural looking smiles, etc?  Look across all the pages and make some comparisons.
3. Are there a variety of photos to look at?  Both in studio and at outdoor locations?  Different backgrounds, props, locations, poses, expressions?

Talk to your potential photographer!  Is she friendly, open, flexible, knowledgeable and communicates well?  This is important!  You want somebody that you are going to feel confident in and comfortable with, not ill at ease or awkward with.

Price?  Yes, senior portraits are an investment and you want to invest wisely.  Ask for the price list up front.  What is the sitting fee and what does it include?  But, like a lot of things in life, you do get what you pay for.

So what differentiates a True Professional?  A true professional knows how to use a combination of light, posing techniques, manual camera procedure, and post-production editing to create images that just cannot be duplicated by the amateur person pointing and shooting a fancy camera.

A professional photographer knows how to use light.   Light is the most important part of creating a photograph.  Whether using professional studio lighting or available natural light, a professional photographer knows how to find and shape light and how place the subject in the light to flatter the body and face, to create drama, and enhance the overall scene.  Take a close look at the eyes.  Look at differences in the way light works in the eyes of the subject when taken by a professional. Properly lit, eyes look more expressive and call to mind that “window to the soul” feeling.  When not photographed properly, note that the catch light (the reflection of light in the eye) is missing and the emotion that “sparkle” creates just isn’t there – even worse, the eyes may appear as just dark holes in the face, hidden in shadow and dark circles.

A professional knows how to pose their subjects!  Yes, I know there is a trend towards the photojournalist style and everybody wants to look natural and not “posey”.  But we also want to look GOOD, right?  Very few people are truly comfortable in front of the camera and know what to do.  Most people look to the photographer for direction – even professional models take direction from their photographers.  A professional photographer understands angles and knows how pose you in the most flattering ways to enhance your body type.  Posing is a critical skill that takes time and experience to learn.  There are rules and tricks that the professional knows that flatter the body, slim the hips, curve the waist, diminish the size of the nose, create broader shoulders, etc.  A professional knows what to do with your hands, your feet, your chin, how to hold the football or the flute and even how to evoke a look in the eyes all in a way that still looks natural and pleasing.  And if those rules are true, so is the opposite – an untrained photographer without the ability to refine the pose can make you look bigger, awkward, stiff, or distort your features or body parts like hands or feet.  Yikes!

PhotoShop Skills. In the digital era, the photographer does not stop creating the image when the camera is put down.  Professional photographers are skilled with their computers and the use of Photoshop.  Please understand – the best photographs are created with the camera not fixed with the computer.  But a skilled photographer knows how to enhance the photos with the use of the computer, including sizing, color correcting, creating flawless skin and even rendering dramatic and artistic final effects!

A professional photographer has invested a significant amount in equipment, lighting, education and computers.  In addition (especially here in ND where our weather is unpredictable and we have to be inside a good portion of the year), they have invested in studio equipment, backdrops, props, and posing aids to create a variety of looks that will be fun and unique. Professional photographers have access to the highest quality printers to ensure that you get final portraits that will last a lifetime and become priceless keepsakes for generations to come.

You deserve to feel confident that your photographer “knows her stuff”.  You deserve to have fun!  You deserve to feel like a star for the day!  You deserve to have great senior portraits!  You deserve the best for this once in a life time experience and I hope these tips give you some direction when deciding on which photographer you choose.

I guess I got a little long winded but photography is something I am passionate about and senior sessions are truly some of my favorites!  I love the fresh faces, the fashion, and the unique ideas the seniors bring!  Spending time with seniors who are so filled with the anticipation of the future inspires me every time!

Please feel free to call me to ask questions, discuss your ideas or to find some time to get together so you can take a look at the studio – or to schedule your appointment and receive a guide to help you prepare for an amazing senior portrait experience!

Most of all, have a GREAT SENIOR YEAR (yes, I know I’m shouting)