When is the Best Time to Take Senior Photos?
It’s a question I hear a lot – when should senior pictures be taken? Outside of the yearbook photo (and those lovely fake tux and dress facades…) prior to your senior year, there’s no guidance on senior portrait sessions.
So if you’re a senior or a proud parent of a senior, then this post should clear some things up!
You may be backtracking and asking why even take senior photos? Senior year is a monumental year filled with excitement, hard work, fun times, and a whole mix of emotions. It’s gone in a flash, even if it doesn’t feel like it between all the schoolwork and planning out your future.
Senior portrait sessions are a chance for you to slow down and reflect on how far you’ve come. They’re the chance to capture your spirit at a big time in your life! These are photos that your parents will cherish and, fast forward many years into the future, the ones you’ll share with future generations.
One other important detail – as you start to enter the professional world, you can use a senior photo as a headshot for social profiles. Don’t even think about cropping yourself out of a group photo! Potential employers and professors want to know that you’re serious with your social media presence. A good profile picture of yourself is one of the very first things they’ll see!
When do you take senior photos?
Back to the original question – when’s a good time to take senior photos? There are three phases of senior year where one may work better for you….
The Fall of Your Senior Year
Fall is the quintessential Back-to-School season. A new year is upon you and full of opportunity. If your schedule allows for it, then fall is a good time to bolster your feeling of being a senior. Plus, if you’re like me and love the fall colors, then you need to capitalize on the season. Depending on your school, senior photos taken in the fall can then be used for senior announcements or for your senior photo in the yearbook.
Prior to Graduation in the Spring
By the Spring, everything feels fresh again. Trees have leaves again. Flowers are in bloom with vibrant colors. Your senior year is in full swing and you probably really feel like a senior with talk of graduation starting to emerge. Spring senior photos allow time to order graduation announcements, if you intend on using your senior portraits.
After Graduation in the Summer
Find that the year is flying by and you’re too busy to take senior photos before graduation? There’s no harm in taking your photos after graduation! Take one big thing off your plate and schedule photos for after graduation. You’ll still look and feel like a senior! Your smile will be even bigger because of that glowing feeling you get from graduating. Bonus – you’ll have your cap and gown to include in your photos. Besides, it’s better to take your senior photos than to miss out on the opportunity because you didn’t do them before graduation.
When should I take senior photos?
If you haven’t already made up your mind or are still questioning when’s a good time for you, then ask yourself these two questions:
How do I want to portray myself in my senior photos?
More comfortable wearing clothes for warmer temps than adding on the layers? Skip the fall and take your senior photos in the Spring or Summer season. Always attended the football games or maybe even played? Take your photos in the Fall to spark those memories.
What time of the year are you the happiest?
As I mentioned above, I love the fall. Come September, it feels like a new year is starting and it’s been several years since being in school. By the time October rolls around, I’m ready to be outside with the vibrant Fall colors, cooler temperatures, and golden tones of the sunset. If I had to do it all over again, then I would pick fall because it suits me. Feel that passionate about a season, then go with that time of year!
Senior photo sessions are a fun time! I tell all my seniors that the first 10 minutes will be a little uncomfortable, if you’re not used to being in front of a camera. But after those 10 minutes, you won’t really notice the camera and we’re talking and joking a lot.
Thinking about a senior photo session? Learn more here.