We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again – we LOVE our seniors!  Photographing seniors is one of the most enjoyable things we do.  Ally and I both enjoyed high school and we attended North Farmington High School together.  While we knew each other and I was only one class ahead of her, we did not date until after college (it’s actually a fun story).  Because we went to high school together and only live a few minutes away from where we grew up we’ve always been able to relate to each other’s high school experience and it’s never really that far away.  Maybe that’s why we enjoy high school photos so much!

We thought it would be helpful to give some details here about our process for taking senior pictures for those considering our studio, and we’ve included a fun behind-the-scenes video of a senior picking up her proofs.  This can also give you some ideas for what you may want to look for in a studio for senior pictures if you don’t live in the Metro Detroit area.  There are 5 main steps in our process of a senior photo session:

1. Consultation.  We always meet ahead of time with our seniors and usually a parent so that we can get to know each other.  We talk about the upcoming session and plan it out based on the senior’s vision for the pictures.  We discuss style, location, clothing, colors, hair, makeup (for the girls), life, school, plans for after high school and whatever else is on their mind.
2. Photo session.  3 hours of anything goes – often starting with a yearbook headshot and then moving along to fire, water, trees, meadows, alleyways, buildings, pets, friends….  and almost every session has a story.  From a small twister hitting the mall during a shoot to a cat hunting down a chipmunk right in front of us in a park, lots of crazy stuff can happen and often does!  We have a ton of fun during our sessions – lots of laughs.
3. Sneak peeks.  We usually post a couple images from the session on facebook (with a model release OF COURSE – be wary of photographers who will post your image for their commercial purposes without permission), sometimes a behind-the-scenes shot from the session on Instagram as well as the occasional tweet.  We really enjoy seeing all the love that our seniors get from their friends with likes, favorites, comments and tweets online about the pictures from their session.
4. Proof pick up.  This is always really exciting – lots of anticipation to see the images which depending on the season can be anywhere from 2 – 4 weeks after the session.  Our seniors get a physical proof book which they get to keep and we present these to them with an in-person slide show set to music on the big screen in the studio.  It’s a very special two minutes for everyone.  This is the part of the process we have highlighted here in this video clip of a proof pick up!

The 5th and final step is simply to place the order – wallets for friends, wall portraits for the family room, prints for the grandparents, pictures for the office, coffee table books for the living room…  Plenty of options!

All in all it’s one of the best parts of our “job” – and it certainly doesn’t feel like a job at all.