When Should I Book a Photographer for Senior Photos?

When should I book a senior portrait photographer?

As portrait and wedding photographers located in the beautiful Fox Valley, here are some key tips to keep in mind when your starting to plan your senior photo session. Believe it or not you really should look into booking your photographer for your senior pictures sooner than later, especially in areas like Wisconsin where you get all four seasons; where it’s not just your schedule, or the schedule of the photographer to work around, but you have the weather to work with as well. The summer after your junior year is when senior picture season officially starts. While you may think this seems to early, it really isn’t as this is the best time to start looking online, etc. This is so not only can you try to book with your favorite senior portrait photographer, but you also want to leave plenty of time for everything related to your portrait session back in time before graduation. 

Here are four take a ways to keep in mind for when to book your senior portrait photographer.

1. To get a photographer you may really want, you need to make sure they are actually available to photograph your session. Photographers can be booked weeks to months out, especially in the peak times like mentioned above. So, booking sooner than later will help you work out a schedule with your favorite photographer during a time when you’re most wanting to do your session. 

2. Next you really want to leave enough time to get everything back related to your senior portrait session. As you want to make sure your going to get your digital images (if that’s an option for you) back in time for things such as graduation announcements, etc. Depending on the options available to you by your photographer, this can take weeks to around a month or so to get all or even part of those options back. Don’t forget to check your school deadlines for when they need your yearbook photos too. 

3. Think about what some of your interest or hobbies are, or what are you are wanting to wear, and locations because if your wanting to try and include some of those, that could impact the time when you need to book your senior pictures as well. I.E. If you love to fly fish and want to incorporate some of that into your senior pictures, then you need to plan for that. 

4. The four seasons. Think of it this way, if your wanting to shoot in the Spring going into your senior year, your going to want to start looking for your photographer during the Winter of your junior year so that you can shoot in the Spring (yes you will still be a junior at the time of your session). Waiting until Spring of your senior year can make it very hard to not only get your session booked with your favorite photographer but also tough to get everything back in time for your graduation and or your yearbook. If your thinking of shooting in the Summer after your junior year (so going into your senior year), then you want to start looking by at least in the Spring while you’re still in school but look sooner if possible. If your thinking Fall for your senior portraits, then start looking at least by the start of Summer right after your junior year. Winter sessions maybe easier to book but just be aware some photographers may take this time off, then there are holidays, but more importantly weather can be a big factor as well not to mention your starting to cut it close again to get everything back in time before you graduate. However, we would suggest looking for your senior photographer by the start of Fall of your senior year (so when school starts).

We hope you have found this information helpful and if you or someone you know happens to be looking for a senior portrait photographer, Erin & Dennis are located in beautiful the beautiful Fox Valley of Wisconsin and would like the opportunity to talk to you, get to know you a little bit, and see what it is your wanting and then of course if everything sounds good lets have a great time shooting your senior photos too.