Best Senior Pix!

Picking up from the last blog entry, you’ve spoken to your short list of photographers over the phone. And you’ve thoroughly reviewed each one’s website. You’ve got a sense of their personalities, how they like to work, their general policies, and pricing. Seems like you’re ready to make your final decision and book your session with yor favorite photographer and be all set to go, right? Not so fast.

This is where a lot of people take an uneccesary gamble. They book their session with a photographer they’ve never had human contact with.  Remember taking a look at all those websites at the beginning of  your search? You got a bit of an idea of each what each photographer was like. After speaking to a few of your favorites you figured out some of them just weren’t right for you. Now imagine how much more you can learn about them by actually meeting face to face for thirty minutes. Great portraits come from sessions where the photographer and subject have a great rapport and to meet before the session to make sure it’s there.

On the other side of the coin, if a photographer doesn’t want to meet with you prior to having you as a client, you should think twice about hiring them. Mind you, there are a lot of fantastic photographers who choose not to meet their clients until their actual session. Personally, I don’t think it’s worth the chance. Some have you have you meet with a member of their staff. At least you get a sense of what they’re all about in that meeting but you still haven’t interacted with your potential photographer. Another set of photographers will again have you meet with a member of their staff and then drop in for a few minutes to speak with you. Very acceptable. But what you want to shoot for is at least fifteen minutes of uninterrupted time to ask questions and know who is going to be creating your portrait. In that short amount of time you will definitely get a sense of what it’ll be like to work together. 

The time you have set aside to meet with your photographer is an amazingly valuable time for both of you. You and your parents will get a sense of the photographer, and your photographer will discover how he or she will approach your session. You’ve probably thought of  a number of questions you didn’t ask in your telephone conversation and this is the perfect time to follow up. You’ll be able to get into more detail about location, photographic style, clothing, etc. Ask for more information about the entire process; how long between your session and selecting your portraits, do you select your portraits from an online gallery, proofs, a projection session (my favorite!), etc. Let the photographer know of any deadlines you might have.

This is also the perfect time to go over the policies, agreements, and releases you and your parents will need to sign. Generally, most of these are about the same from photographer to photographer and there’s nothing out of the ordinary that you’d need to worry about. Still, there are probably differences from photograoher to photographer. Make sure you have a good understanding of what all of these forms mean and that you feel comfortable with them. Don’t be afraid to ask questions; an reputable photographer will have no problem explaining these materials and, if asked, giving you the reasons for their policies. Also worth noting is if you don’t like the photographer’s policies it’s a whole lot easier to walk away now rather than when you show up to your session thinking you’re all ready to go. 

By following the processes outlined in my last three blogs you are going to have a much better chance of crreating some amazing portraits with your photographer.  And in the end you’ll find that all the preparation was well worth the effort!

Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have, I’ll be more than happy to help out. You can check out some of the senior portraits I’ve created at my website, www.cotugnophoto.com.

Charlie

As promised yesterday I’ll be re-posting my series on surviving the senior portrait process over the next week and adding some updated information. In this first post we’ll talk about hoe to select the photographer that’s right for you. Feel free to leave a comment or contact me with your questions – Charlie

Selecting the right photographer for your senior portraits takes some work. If you don’t find one that shares your vision for your senior portraits then chances are you’re going to be disappointed. So how do you navigate through the sea of photographers to find just the right one?

One of your best resources is going to be your friends who are now seniors and had their portraits created over the last year. Ask who their photographer was and what the experience was like. Find out why they chose who they did and about some of the other photographers they considered. Get their website addresses and check out their work. Do you see anything that makes you say “wow?”  Search the web for photographers in your area and keep a “Favorites” folder in your browser just for the ones you would consider hiring. At this point you shouldn’t be worrying about pricing. What you need to look for are portraits you find interesting and in a style you think you might like for your.

How do you figure out what styles you like? As you look at different photographers ask yourself these questions. Are you more drawn to studio or location photography? Do you like more glamourous or more natural portraits? What about the lighting? Are you finding you like harsh, dramatic light or more even natural lighting? How does the posing look? Does the subject look like they’re actually enjoying themselves in the portrait? Do you get a sense of who the person is that has been photographed? These are the areas you need to pay attention to when figuring out what you like and don’t like. Once you figure this out you’re ready to narrow selection of photographers and move on to the next step. 

Tomorrow: What to ask a potential photographer.

The end of the school year is still over a month away but now is the time to select your senior portrait photographer. Every year my calendar is 80% full for seniors who have scheduled their sessions throughout the summer. And every year between late August and mid October I get tons of calls from panicked students and parents practically begging for me to squeeze them in somewhere so they can meet their school’s yearbook deadline.  And it’s not just me, every good photographer around the country experiences the same thing year after year.  If you haven’t started the selection process for your photographer then you should get on it ASAP.

Last year I wrote a series of blogs about how to choose your photographer, find a location, as well as providing a lot of other information that can guide you through the senior portrait process. Over the next week I’ll be updating them and posting them here for you. And, as always, you’re more than welcome to contact me with any questions yo may have no matter who your photographer is. Your senior portrait session is a once in a lifetime event and I want to help make sure your experience is a great one!

That’s it for today, check back tomorrow as I begin to re-post my series on Surviving the Senior Portrait Process. And be sure to visit my main website, www.cotugnophoto.com.

Charlie