How To Talk To Your Parents About Senior Pictures

Let’s face it. Parents might be totally clueless when it comes to senior pictures. If your parents had senior pictures taken it was likely taken on film and the internet wasn’t what it is today. They went to a studio, sat with fake backdrops or maybe even had the trendy glamour shots. (Sidenote, try to find those pictures if you can! I bet they are ah-mazing!) Educating parents about what senior photography IS is a huge part of what I do. Because I’m probably the same age as your parents, even if I don’t act like it. ha!

So how do you talk to your parents so that they not only understand why this is important to you but also what senior photography is in 2019? Follow my steps below to not only decide what it means for you but the talking points to bring it up to your parents so they understand what you want.

Step One: Figure Out What YOU Want

Everything starts with you. For anyone to support what you want, you need to know what you want. Do you follow a few photographers that you like their style? Do you have an idea but don’t know to make it happen? Do you want something simple and classic in a wheat field or do you want something modern with dark brick and glass walls? There are so many factors that go into your senior pictures from whether you want professional hair and makeup, what outfits to wear, not to mention the location. It’s important that YOU have an idea of what you want first.

Step Two: Talk To Your Parents

I know, I know, you want to avoid this right? I’m pretty sure I avoided talking to my parents about most things as much as I could when I was a teen but they can’t support what you want if they don’t know how important it is to you. You can also refer them to this blog post.

Step Three: The Budget

I hear you, this step is even harder! Talking about money, budgets and expenses are not fun and often uncomfortable. Money can have emotional attachments but it’s so important to talk through it. Sometimes what we want, just isn’t in our budget. Trust me, there are some makeup brands I would love to try but they just aren’t in my budget. But if there is something I really want, I save. Senior pictures are something you may need to save for. This is why it is so important to do Step Two. You may think $499 is out of your price range but your parents could have already planned. Or not, you won’t know until you talk about it.

Step Four: The Research

People are always shocked when I tell them I want them to google. I want you to search for photographers because there is so much variety in Portland. You’ll find photographers that photograph anything and everything, photographers that specialize in seniors and ones that have a few specialties. And then there’s the service, do they help you through the process or are you just showing up at a date and time and have no idea what to expect? The style is another thing to consider. Do you like their work? Do you like how they edit pictures? Does their work look consistent? Newer photographers are still developing their style, systems, and pricing. Established photographers likely have a smooth process, consistent images and professional products.

Step Five: Book Your Shoot In Advance

This last step is important. Senior pictures in the Portland area are generally June-October but popular photographers book up in the Spring of your Junior year. Summer is when we have the best weather and you’ll have your images back before your yearbook deadline in early Fall. Wait, you didn’t know that? Yup. Most schools have yearbook deadlines in September, October and early November. Check out the deadlines from last year here, most schools keep the same schedule year to year. Every Fall I get desperate emails from seniors and parents wanting pictures but I’m already booked solid. Don’t procrastinate. My June Luxe shoots are already sold out and only three left for July!

Starting March 1st, 2019 my calendars are open! So grab a minute to talk to your parents about what you really want from your senior pictures. I’d love to be your photographer!