5 Tips When Selecting a Senior Photographer
How do I find the right senior photographer for me?
Let’s face it. There are so many high school senior photographers out there, and new photographers are popping up every day. For me, seniors not only have the choice of selecting from Vancouver, Washington senior photographers but also can easily jump across the river to Portland, Oregon for their search. That’s a lot of photographers!
How are you supposed to find the right one for you? I remember picking out my senior photographer like it was yesterday. It took me searching through six pages on Google (combing through every website) till I found somebody whose work resonated with me.
Almost six years later, and I am still pleased with my choice. How did I do it you ask? Keep on reading for my 5 tips on choosing the right senior photographer for you!
1. Determine your style
Photography is an art. Every artist has a different “style” as I like to call it. I would describe mine as warm and dreamy which is a perfect combination when it comes to senior portraits.
I would recommend searching “senior portraits” on Pinterest and start pinning what you like! Chances are, you are going to start pinning images with similar styles the further you go. Examples of styles could be bright and clean, natural (little to no color editing), moody and my personal favorite warm and sunny. Knowing what kind of style you like is key when choosing a photographer.
2. Quality check
Senior pictures are an investment and you want to make sure you are spending your money wisely. I recommend you zoom into images (focusing on the eye) and make sure that the image is crystal clear. Many inexperienced photographers will “miss focus” which creates a semi-blurry image that can never be printed. Why would you spend your money on something that can never be hung on a wall or put in an album?
Be aware that sites like Instagram and Facebook downgrade the quality of images so it is more difficult to determine quality.
3. Skin retouching
You know you are booking with a professional photographer if they retouch the skin on their images. Be aware that many photographers opt-out of retouching so they can offer more images, but when it comes to quality and longevity this is not something that should be overlooked.
Most of my seniors choose to add wall art, so their skin needs to be natural yet polished if it is going to be put on a large print. Even with well-applied makeup, our professional cameras can see every pore on the skin, and most clients expect that a photographer can give them a clean and natural finish.
Your photographer must offer skin retouching if you have any plans of viewing your images in anything larger than a 5x7 print.
4. Find somebody you are comfortable with
When researching photographers, take a look at the photographer’s reviews. Look on Facebook, Google, Yelp, etc. Make sure you find somebody whose reviews put you at ease. What makes a professional portrait photographer stand apart is being able to make the person in front of the camera feel confident and comfortable.
You wouldn’t believe how many clients tell me they usually “hate getting pictures taken of themselves”, but change their mind mid-way through photo sessions. My most common review is how comfortable I help people feel in front of the camera, and I know that is something that cannot be simply instructed with a pose.
5. The experience
A senior portrait experience goes way beyond a general photo session. This is your last chance to remember your childhood, as well as document the transition into adulthood. That shouldn’t all be wrapped up with a 30-minute photo session and somebody sending you a digital gallery.
Look for somebody who wants to talk to you ahead of time about your ideas and hopes for the session. I like to meet my clients ahead of time in a consultation to make sure I understand their vision and help them feel more comfortable going into the session.
That is not the only time I meet with my seniors. I also meet with them after their photo session to go through their images and assist with custom products only available to professionals. This is a great time to help them narrow down what is most important.
Final thoughts
To wrap this up, I just want to remind you that you only have high school senior portraits done once. This is not the time to settle on anything less than perfection.
Search through Google or social media sites, and don’t feel afraid to look beyond your local photographers if you can’t find somebody whose work you love locally. I have had clients drive from 4+ hours away and make a day of adventuring in a new city because they couldn’t find somebody they liked nearby. Keep your options open and remember not to settle!
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Natasha Victoria
