You are a Junior. Or perhaps you're a mom of a Junior! Next Year is Senior Year. It’s a BIG deal. It’s the LAST year. And you’re thinking to yourself- where do I start- I’ve never done this before!?
First of all- don’t freak out! I know Senior Portraits are a HUGE part of the Senior process and you’re stressing out but I promise you, we’re going to make this not only easy, but memorable, adventurous, and beautiful.
So let’s get to it- 10 tips to make your life easier when booking your Senior Photoshoot with AJBC Photography.
1- Figure out your Look / Season:
June and July- if you want to avoid the heat but take advantage of that summer golden glow.
Aug and Sept- ideal if you plan on getting in the water or want wild flowers
Oct and Nov- Fall colors come alive and temps cool back down.
Jan and Feb- if you’re daring and want snowflakes or “icebergs” on the lake.
April and May- if you’re super last minute or love the bare trees and spring blossoms.
2- Then figure out your Timeline:
Typically Senior Photoshoots happen late June thru Early November (but we do photograph them all year!) July - Sept is quite busy but October is by far the craziest. You’re going to want contact us 2 months prior to your desired shoot day for June - Sept and 3 months for October. We shoot Monday thru Thursday both am and pm shoots.
3- Find out your School’s Yearbook Timeline:
Some high schools allow you to submit a professional portrait to be showcased in the yearbook. Contact your school to find out if that’s available and when the turn in date is. We’ll need at least 3 weeks from our shoot to have your images edited, viewed by you, and ready to send in so allow yourself time. Many schools also require a composite shot, which they may supply a photographer at your school, but we can make sure your composite stands out by doing them in the studio!
4- Get in our system
After we chat about how you envision your portraits we'll send you our Welcome Pack along with our Photoshoot Collections Guide to look over. A $50 deposit is then taken, which goes towards any of the collections, and that gets you in our system and starts your booking process! We take care of the rest!
5- Start to put together your outfits:
Your wardrobe is SO important, it's the first place we start when figuring out how to help you visually express yourself. It sets the foundation for your shoot. If you feel clueless, don’t worry! As part of your experience here we hook you up with our exclusive Style Guide to help inspire you! Number 1 tip though- think outside the box!! Be a little extra for your shoot to punch it up a bit! And don’t forget the fun details! If you’re still stressing, don’t worry, that’s why we have style guidance, which varies depending up on the Collection you pick!
Also be sure to check out thes blog we put together for you--->
5 Fashion Tips for your next Photoshoot!
Fashion and Beauty Trends for 2018
*You can also add on our Designer Wardrobe Package to any Collection, where we personally shop for you, choosing pieces based on your unique style, vision and body type, to then spoil you with 2 designer wardrobe pieces for you to wear during your shoot.
6- Location
This is our favorite step and one you don’t really have to worry about if you don’t want to! Once we know your personality we can pair that with the perfect location to showcase the style you’re going for. If booking our smallest Collection, In.Style, the AJBC Studio has both an indoor and outdoor shooting space with a ton of natural and chic options! If booking our Vogue or Couture Collections know that we have spent literally hundreds of hours over the years scouting unique locations off country back roads and scouring back city alleys to bring you anything other than over used landmarks. Lastly, If choosing our top Collection, the Vanity Fair Collection, it covers up to 4 hours in travel time to a unique destination that we promise will look more like a far off land than Michigan.
7- Hair and Makeup:
Some of you have this step covered, but some of you, the last thing you want to worry about is having a bad hair day and a crooked cat eye! We have Professional Stylists that will provide everything you need to make you fab the day of your shoot- you just simply show up! Our Hair and Makeup Packages can be added to our smaller Collections, and is of course included with our top 2 Collections!
If doing your own Hair and Makeup for your shoot check out this blog we put together --->
Makeup Tips and Hacks for a Poreless, Flawless face!
8- The Shoot- prepare yourself:
I don’t mean get organized, well, do that too, but what I mean is be prepared to do things you probably have never done before!
We believe in giving you an amazing experience just as much as we believe in giving you high quality portraits. Prepare yourself.
Our shoots are fun, they’re gorgeous, they’re high end, but they also come with a grand sense of adventure and getting out of your comfort zone- it's time to be a little daring, darling. Nothing good has ever come from hiding who you are, we’ll naturally pull that out of you! And when we say adventure, I mean it. You might be on the side of a cliff, up to your neck in the lake, or cat walking thru a huge drainage pipe. That uniqueness sets your session apart from everyone else.
9- The Art:
We are artists for you first, photographers second. Our brush is the camera and our finished painting is your prints. So be thinking about what you want to do with your portraits now, and years to come. Will you be hanging a few up in your home, does family need prints, what about wallets to pass out or open house invites!? Every Collection we offer comes with BOTH physical and digital art, so your Instagram feed can stay fresh now thanks to the digital fad, and your experience can be preserved to enjoy by future generations later thanks to the power of physical print.
10- Trust
Trust that we got you and we’re here for you EVERY step of the way. Our all female team welcomes you into our AJBC family for a persoanlized experience unlike any other. This is a very exciting and precious time for you that only happens once, and you don’t have to do it alone! So let’s start planning.... What are you waiting for!? Go tackle step 1!