Senior pictures?

mmmatt · May 13, 2009

So when do you guys do most of your senior picture shoots? I want to try to do a few this year and was surprised to hear from a mother of a recent grad that they did them over the summer... is this true? I guess I assumed they happen midway through the school year.

Thanks in advance!

Matt

heatherfeather · May 13, 2009

mmmatt wrote:

So when do you guys do most of your senior picture shoots? I want to try to do a few this year and was surprised to hear from a mother of a recent grad that they did them over the summer... is this true? I guess I assumed they happen midway through the school year.

Thanks in advance!

Matt

In my area, often times the deadline for the yearbook is October.

I would much rather do them in the summer anyway and not have to schedule around winter weather and the dark. (Probably not as much of an issue for you.)

WingsOfLovePhoto · May 13, 2009

Most of the schools in my area do them in them about now. May/early June so they will have them for their senior year. This way they don't miss the kids during the summer when they are on vacation and such. Though the market in my area is covered by the national company Lifetouch....I usually get some stragglers who missed their pictures or just didn't like them. I was doing seniors last year up until November.... So they could get in the yearbook. Good luck

mmmatt · May 14, 2009

Thanks guys. Lifetouch is big here too but they are "stack em up and shoot 'em" and I can't believe that there wouldn't be quite a few people who were interested in something a little more unique than the 5 studio sets they shoot in.

I'll maybe do a few ads and see what I can come up with. Unfortunately most of the portraiture I have done is either younger kids or adults so I don't really have a portfolio for that. I guess we'll see!

I'm not as booked this year as I was hoping for weddings and I am trying to deceide if I want to sell myself off to other studios for contract/2nd shooter work or try something like Seniors to fill in the gaps. Last year I did some contract wedding work and had bad experiences with one of the studios I shot for, and not much money...

Thanks,
Matt

Jeremy Winterberg · May 14, 2009

Alot of senior pictures get taken over the summer-october/november of the school year. Pictures around here have to be in by the beggining of December for the yearbook. You might get a few after the deadline but thats just because they want something to pass out to family for the grad party invites and a few to friends.

LifeTouch is here too, and I hate everything I see come from them. There's no personal touch to it. When they took my pictures in high school, its line you up, shoot you, you don't even get to see if it looks good. 2/3 of the time the pictures end up looking bad, and you have to retake your photos. Such a waste of time.

I say compete with the senior crowd. The parents pay well

:ivar

barb

- sorry, had to show the process of celebrating pure profit just for the heck of it.

as for the problem of not having a senior portfolio... use some pictures from engagement sessions... that will work for them. Seniors usually want that kind of look anyways.

WingsOfLovePhoto · May 14, 2009

mmmatt wrote:

Thanks guys. Lifetouch is big here too but they are "stack em up and shoot 'em" and I can't believe that there wouldn't be quite a few people who were interested in something a little more unique than the 5 studio sets they shoot in.

I'll maybe do a few ads and see what I can come up with. Unfortunately most of the portraiture I have done is either younger kids or adults so I don't really have a portfolio for that. I guess we'll see!

I'm not as booked this year as I was hoping for weddings and I am trying to deceide if I want to sell myself off to other studios for contract/2nd shooter work or try something like Seniors to fill in the gaps. Last year I did some contract wedding work and had bad experiences with one of the studios I shot for, and not much money...

Thanks,
Matt

The problem around here that I am encountering is that in the schools that use Lifetouch, that is the picture they HAVE to put in the yearbook. Especially if it is a large school. They want them all the same. And I agree, their pictures stink. Luckily I have photogenic kids so I of course have them framed on my wall because it was the "official" senior portrait. I would try the smaller and private schools to market your skills. As far as a portfolio, somebody has to know some highschool kids that would pose for you for free and start building it. Design some nice graduation announcement cards with on location portraits to show off your stuff. Let people see that your kind of portraiture can be used in many more ways. I personally make most of my money in babies and kids under 3. There is a big market for that. Get them away from the places in the mall that take crappy pictures. Good luck in your endeavor and keep us posted!

mmmatt · May 14, 2009

Thanks for the good advice and the motivation!

matt

jeffreaux2 · May 14, 2009

I do them year round, but am busiest beginning about two months prior to graduation. Our schools use a drape for the girls and a tux for the guys against a studio background. These are shot by the guy who has a contract with the school for ALL of their yearbook portraits. Very few of the kids actually buy those packages....and would rather something more personal.

I am planning to offer discounts for fall senior portraits to help make more room for scheduling in spring. My youngest daughter will be a senior next year, and we are planning to do her first shoot in just a few weeks while we vacation in Destin.

mmmatt · May 14, 2009

jeffreaux2 wrote:

I do them year round, but am busiest beginning about two months prior to graduation. Our schools use a drape for the girls and a tux for the guys against a studio background. These are shot by the guy who has a contract with the school for ALL of their yearbook portraits. Very few of the kids actually buy those packages....and would rather something more personal.

I am planning to offer discounts for fall senior portraits to help make more room for scheduling in spring. My youngest daughter will be a senior next year, and we are planning to do her first shoot in just a few weeks while we vacation in Destin.

Yeah... back in the day, when I was a wee lad, we just did the tux and had to go to the contracted photographer. I don't recall anyone ever doing a real portrait session for senior pictures... it was just like the 11th grade one except I went to a studio instead of standing in line at the auditorium and put on a tux coat. That was in Clearwater FL in 1987... should I scan it so you can see? HA! no way!!! I was quite the dork. I'm still a dork but know I know how to work it!

Matt

Hackbone · May 15, 2009

Most of my seniors here in MD are between August and February.

Skip the ads, wasting you money. I would find a couple of cute and popular students and work a deal with them. Their time for the session fee and some of the portraits. Let them be your advertising. They tend to travel in packs. Don't do several friends in the same click. Their circle of friends is small and you want to have the word spread around the school. Find a jock, band person, geek, etc.

mmmatt · May 15, 2009

Hackbone wrote:

Most of my seniors here in MD are between August and February.

Skip the ads, wasting you money. I would find a couple of cute and popular students and work a deal with them. Their time for the session fee and some of the portraits. Let them be your advertising. They tend to travel in packs. Don't do several friends in the same click. Their circle of friends is small and you want to have the word spread around the school. Find a jock, band person, geek, etc.

I was thinking about hitting facebook, or maybe a school paper. I do have some teacher contacts too though. Good advice on hitting the clicks.

Matt

Hackbone · May 15, 2009

mmmatt wrote:

I was thinking about hitting facebook, or maybe a school paper. I do have some teacher contacts too though. Good advice on hitting the clicks.

Matt

Date one of the school board secretaries, they can get you anything. Look for parents of juniors who were on the prom committee. They also have the list of current juniors soon to be seniors that the school won't let you have but they can, go figure.

joshhuntnm · May 16, 2009

I'd check when your school's deadlines are. I got a couple of gigs last year right before the deadlines.

jeffreaux2 · May 17, 2009

Something else I do......best advertising EVER!!!!

I allow ALL of my seniors....as part of their portrait package to grab small and medium jpegs by "right click save" off my website. These are watermarked with my web address and find their way quickly to the kid's myspace and facebook sites. There, the photos are exposed to all of their friends...in a kind of....world wide web infinite loop of advertising. They will look like crapola if they try to print from those files, but as advertisement....it works.

Jeremy Winterberg · May 17, 2009

jeffreaux2 wrote:

Something else I do......best advertising EVER!!!!

I allow ALL of my seniors....as part of their portrait package to grab small and medium jpegs by "right click save" off my website. These are watermarked with my web address and find their way quickly to the kid's myspace and facebook sites. There, the photos are exposed to all of their friends...in a kind of....world wide web infinite loop of advertising. They will look like crapola if they try to print from those files, but as advertisement....it works.

yeah, I did that for a session I had with this couple for their Junior Prom. I allowed them to save the small jpegs and put them on facebook... of course with my watermark, and I did a little advertising on their album...

Senior pictures?

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