How to Select The Best Photographer For You
AND a 60 % off coupon offer at the bottom of the page if you want to use our studio!
Hey there! Wow, it’s time for senior portraits, CRAZY! It sure came fast didn’t it? Well, I would like to give you some tips for finding the right senior photographer for you and even some tips to give a parent if they are taking them for you. I hope this helps and if you need anything or would like to talk with me more about having our studio create your senior portrait I would love to talk with you.
There are a LOT of options out there for senior portraits today. There are many differnt levels of professional and even semi professional and hobbiest photographers avaible. Also some families may even choose to take them their self too. My goal for you is that you find what is right for you and make the most out of it.
I would like to point out some common mistakes to avoid and how to avoid them.
Here Are Examples I found to help you know what to look for:
The lighting is really poor in this image, you can barely see her eyes. The shadows are too great and too dark, the transition should be smoother. Eyes are the windows to who we are and having them well lit is important. In a situation like this adding additional light would have made the world of difference. I would have brought a reflector and/or used an outdoor studio light. We like to have lighting available to us if we need it on location but for the most part use a reflector to change light for an image . You also want to avoid bright spots on a persons face too, this can be done but adding light or using something to blog or soften the light.
I am going to create a funny spoof one day about 1980 syle senior photos. I joke and tell people no hugging trees in your photos – lol This image would have been much stronger if it was more close in and maybe even at a different angle. It ismpotant to also white balance your camera before each new area to get the right colors. This image is reflecting the colors from the trees around her, so it has looks too yellow. That is fixable in photoshop if you understand color balace but you can avoid this by balancing your colors or even shooting in a RAW mode and changing the color in the conversion process.I reflector or outdoor studio light diffused by an umbrella would have helped with the lighting
Not everyone feels like they have the perfect body, even the thinest teens I have met. Posing is everything and so is the camera angle. This young lady is stunning, this photo below could have been as beautiful as she is with some simple changes. I would have created this image from slightly above her, this naturally slims the body and puts focus on the face and takes it off areas farther away in the cameras lens (the body). Some other things to think about are the lighting. Women’s bodies should be slightly turned away from the main light source to make them look less broad (no woman want to look broad even if she is tiny), Men are the opposite and want to look broad across the shoulders. Lighting and posing are the most important thing in any photographic portrait. Here is a tidbit you men should know, you can be posed wrong and look feminine super easy so be carful tilting your head a lot in photos.
What make a GREAT image?
Lighting, both studio lights and truly understanding natural light. In camera flash is a no-no, it is unflattering in so many ways. A great pose can be ruined by bad light
Photoshop: Yeah, you will hear some photographers say “I get it right in the camera so I don’t need photoshop” I say “I dont think so…”, every image need a little something, it’s the spices that bring a dish together and that is what photoshop does. It pumps up the flavor of an image, it pops up the color, brings richness to the skin, brightens the eyes, and if you are really good at it it can ad artistic flair and creativity that will set the image apart from all others. I promise you that any music CD cover you see that looks amazing has photoshop, and those photographers are 10 times more $$$ then a senior photographer, so are the ad magazine photographers too. Also watch any show on how a cover model can look “that good” and you will know what the skills of a pro photo retoucher can do – miracles baby! Now, I don’t disagree that an image must be perfect out of the camera but I believe that photoshop takes it to a whole other level, like it could be on the cover of a magazine
. Now what do you “need” in senior portraits? Well, definitely you need the spices for sure, we go a little farther and get artistic on many images from each session because it is fun and our seniors LOVE it.
People almost always ask, will these be re-touched? Yes, for sure. I create a solid image right out of the camera but I add all the spices to make it perfect.
So what do you ask when calling around?
- What is included in your most popular senior session and what is offered in the one I can afford? Time, backgrounds, locations, clothing changes?
- Do you create new backdrops based on my favorite clothes?
- Do you work in a studio and on location?
- Is there a charge to go someplace else other then your backyard studio garden and if so is there a charge?
- How much (HONESTLY) does the average senior spend? Some are not honest and rely on you loving them and spending more then double that is why I say honestly…
- Do you sell Digital Files I can print from at any size? Facebook sized images can not be printed.
- Do you re-touch every image at no extra fee?
- Do you get artsy in photoshop with some images?
- How many outfits can I bring? Am I limited by only so many clothing changes?
- How many sessions does your studio or photographer shoot in a day, in a summer?
- How much time will you spend with me
Now, I am a little bias but I think our studio offers the best of both worlds if you are going to get professional portraits created
Here is more information about us:
We love getting to know are students. There is nothing more fun then a senior session. We have as much fun as you do! That is why we only work with 2 main sessions per day so that we can have fun, get to know you and bring out your personality so it shines through in your portraits forever. We stay creative because we don’t work with 500 to 1000 seniors each summer either. We love what we do and love enjoying being creative, the extra time we have by not working with 5-10 seniors each day gives us the opportunity to be creative and have fun making a fun senior experience for you.
Our most popular session for girls is the deluxe, it includes 2 1/2 hours of fun photography time at up to 3 near by locations (including a graffiti wall, open grassy spaces, trees, a bridge, a cool space we can create more urban looking images plus the studio! By the way tour collection for this session start as low as $350 about half of other studios. There is a tie for boys, it is either the regular senior session of the deluxe, it just depends on the guy. The basic senior session is up to 1 hour with a choice of indoor our outdoor (with a little exception depending on the situation). There is never a limit on clothes and I always say bring more then you will need. Also for a deluxe session you can send some photos in 2 weeks early and we will print 1 new background for you that no one before you has used!
We don’t charge more to go to near by locations because everything we do is custom. We need to be familiar with the lighting so we get good image but you are not stuck in one place, nor are you stuck with only outdoor images because we also have a studio too. We also offer for a slight additional charge to cover the time places that are not close by, we even offer some field trip session to save you even more money (thee are coo, call to learn more).
Because of the way we run our studio you will pay less with us then any of those “big studios” like Vision, Monte Nuss, Sgt Peppers. We can do that because we don’t have the overhead they do so we pass that saving onto you. That way you can get more image for less, more time, more personal service and just more of everything.
I hope these tips will help you find the right photographer for you. This is such a fun time in your life and you deserve to have great senior pictures to remember it by. If your parents are thinking of creating these for you let them know that I teach a photography class for parents as well. They can call the studio for details. If you are thinking of booking your session with our studio please do so as soon as you have a moment, because we limit our sessions we don’t want to get booked up before you call. (303) 617-8388
To see a montage of our work click play (For Some GREAT and AFFORDABLE Senior Portraits)
Please feel free to call and I will give you any information you are looking for including pricing, open session dates and specials
(303) 617-8388 or email us though the website.
If you have not received a 60% off coupon for your session fee please give us your information and we will send it over your way
&nbs