Senior Session - Preparation & tips
Choosing a location
Popular locations in and around Kenosha Wisconsin area for high school senior portraits are Petrifying Springs Park, Kenosha’s lakefront, sandy beaches like Southport beach house, the sand dunes, and Simmons Island beach and lighthouse, Kenosha’s charming and historic downtown, and Lincoln Park. I’ve even traveled to downtown Chicago for a senior portrait session, as well as downtown Milwaukee.
You can also choose my home studio, where I can have complete control over the lighting and scene for your portraits. We can definitely add on a short location shoot if you have your heart set on getting portraits done somewhere locally. But this would definitely need to be scheduled at a specific time of day as the weather conditions need to be considered.
Home studio shoot:
Kenosha area locations:
When to Schedule your Senior Session
Fall in Kenosha Wisconsin is absolutely the most popular time of year for senior portraits. With yearbook deadlines and gorgeous fall colors, it’s a rush to find a photographer who has availability for a senior portrait session. So definitely consider scheduling your shoot ahead of time to make sure that you get on the calendar of someone you want to work with.
Preparing for your Photo Shoot
Preparing for your senior session can require some planning as well. If you don’t choose a boutique session with me, you may want to consider scheduling professional hair and make up services with someone whom you trust prior to coming to your photo shoot with me. It’s always great to have your make up and hair perfect for your photo shoot.
Other elements of preparation include making sure that you have clean fingernails… I know that sounds silly but for guys your nails should be clean and cut, and for girls they should be manicured either with clear or colored polish that will match with your outfits. There’s nothing worse than having dirty fingernails or chipped polish in your senior portraits!
Planning ahead of time to put together your outfits is also necessary. You don’t want to be scrambling the day before your shoot to find shoes that match your top. Also don’t forget accessories! Earrings necklaces rings… All of those things matter and help bring a beautiful picture together.
Outfits for your Senior Pictures
I typically recommend for girls to bring 3 to 5 outfits including something dressy something casual and to consider something over the top. For instance, a prom dress. It’s always fun to get a wide range of clothing styles into a portrait session. For guys I recommend 2 to 3 outfits. More if you want, but I find that guys don’t typically like to change as much as the girls do. Definitely recommend something more formal like a tie or a blazer, at minimum a button-down shirt. And then something more casual that speaks to your personality. For both guys and girls if you are in any extra-curricular activities, or sports you can absolutely incorporate those elements of your life into your photo shoot by bringing letter jackets, jerseys or uniforms to your shoot. I also welcome props, but I do not provide props. So if you would like to bring volleyball net/volleyball for a sports portrait you are welcome to! And we can make something really cool with that. I’ve had people bring their instruments, but be warned...I usually make you play them! I’ve even traveled to a high school seniors home high school to photograph them there, with one of my clients being a track and field participant, so we took pictures of them on the track running! It was super fun!