YOUR FAILURE PROOF SENIOR YEAR CHECKLIST, PLEASANTON CA SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER
AMADOR VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR PORTRAITS PLEASANTON CA
Well those three first years of high school really flew by didn’t they?!?! If you are a first timer parent of a senior or if you are a newly minted senior you may be stressing and wondering about all the dates and deadlines. I may be a San Francisco Bay Area high school senior photographer, but I have been in your shoes when my daughter was a senior. Hopefully this blog post will help not only as a resource, but also a source of calm as you approach this milestone year.
FOOTHILL HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR PORTRAITS PLEASANTON CA
Let’s talk deadlines and dates first
The biggest one is kind of obvious lol: applying for college (if you are going the university route). It’s important to know when the universities you are applying to open and close their application process. In addition to knowing these dates, it’s also helpful to see if you can apply to these schools via College App. College App has over 1,000 universities that you can apply to. Some seniors, like my daughter, have only one school they want to apply to. When she started her process she applied directly to the school and then we waited…
LIVERMORE HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR PHOTOS, LIVERMORE, CA
Your Yearbook Photo
Another important item that is probably on the top of your senior to-do list and also has a firm deadline, is the yearbook photo. Here in the Tri Valley and East Bay most schools have a studio that they contract with for the yearbook photo. Now here’s the caveat, you are NOT required to use this studio for your senior portraits. In fact, if you want a personalized session that is an authentic representation of you I recommend finding a different photographer for your official senior portraits (I know of one 😜 ). So yes, you must use the contracted studio for your yearbook photo, but NO you do not have to use them for your portraits. I have an entire blog post dedicated to this topic and you can find it HERE.
GRANADA HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR PORTRAITS LIVERMORE CA
The Parent Page
The senior parent page is another checklist item I am often asked about. For our local high schools and the deadline for this is typically in November or December. It is important to know what this deadline is, especially if you want to use your senior’s professional portraits in your submission. Why is this important? It sets the timeline for when to book your child’s portrait session. Every photographer has a different process and delivery timeline. At my studio images are ready four to six weeks after your session reveal (aka the ordering appointment). The reveal takes place one to two weeks after our portrait session. As you can see from that timeline it takes six to eight weeks from your session date for everything to be ready. That means if your submission is due December 15th your senior photo session should take place no later than October 15th. During our style consult we will discuss these dates and whether it is your goal to use any images in your parent page submission so we can make sure that happens.
CAL HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR PHOTOS SAN RAMON CA
Buying Your Cap and Gown
There is usually an email that comes out reminding parents to purchase their senior’s cap and gown at the beginning of the year. Most schools go through Josten’s for this. Orders are often placed in the fall and received in spring close to your graduation date. Here’s the tricky thing I learned firsthand about Josten’s: when you go on the website it looks like you are stuck ordering a $150-$200 collection with your cap and gown in addition to lots of swag like those impersonal announcements and “class of ’24” gear. If you want all that, great! Tap add to cart and proceed to checkout. If you don’t want all that and opt to stick with the cap, gown, and tassel, or throw in a rhinestone tassel for a total of around $40 you have that option as well; it is just hidden in the hopes that you will be so overwhelmed that you juts give up and purchase one of the collections. When you are on the page where the packages are listed (gold, silver, etc.) go to "shop all graduation products" and click "shop all". This will take you to a page that lists everything and if you scroll down past the packages you will find individual items that can be purchased separately.
DOUGHERTY VALLY HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR PORTRAITS, SAN RAMON, CA
Graduation Announcements
Speaking of Jostens, no you don’t have to buy announcements through them. If you have worked with a professional photographer for your senior’s portraits see if they offer announcements. I work with professional photo labs to ensure that you have quality announcements to share with your family and friends. This means the color and white balance of your photos will be true to color. For my studio, the announcement deadline is April 1st. This way we can ensure that your senior’s announcements arrive well before graduation so you have time to address them all and mail them.
Also, here’s a fun hack I like to share with all my senior families: use just one image on the front of the announcement and have minimal design. This way your family and friends are getting a 5x7 photo of your kiddo that they can easily put into a frame. This is a very popular with grandparents, aunts, and uncles. Both my daughter’s grandparents did this with her graduation announcement and our family Christmas cards.
DUBLIN HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR PHOTOS DUBLIN CA
Does Your High School Have a Senior Ticket?
The senior ticket is a something you purchase in advance that gets your senior into all the senior specific events such as senior picnic, grad night, etc. Not all schools have them so check to see if this is something your high school offers. For my daughter’s high school the senior ticket had an early bird price that went up in price after a certain date.
CARONDELET HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR PORTRAITS, CONCORD, CA
Test Dates
In this category we have two sets of tests: the SAT/ACT (if you still need to take that or are trying to get a higher score) and the AP test date(s). If any of these apply to you make sure to add them to your calendar so you give yourself ample time to prepare and mitigate stress. That sounds like such basic advice, but I have found when I slowly chip away at something rather cramming the night before I am far less stressed. I learned these things the hard way in college and it was not fun. Do not be like college Yvette! She was fun, but she was also a very poor planner and huge procrastinator.
DE LA SALLE HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR PORTRAITS, CONCORD, CA
College Tours
Budgeting time for this is often done on long weekends and/or spring break when families and seniors have time to travel. Maybe you haven’t been to every college you applied to or maybe you want to take another look before you commit to a school in the spring. I have seen first hand how seniors have their dream school change after a college visit so don’t underestimate the power of these.
LAS LOMAS HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR PHOTOS, WALNUT CREEK, CA
Where to Find All This Information
Is it possible to feel like you are receiving a barrage of information and yet are completely unprepared all at the same time? I know I felt that way and many of my first time senior parents feel that way as well. So here is a list of potential resources you can utilize to find your senior year to do list and their deadlines.
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School website: this is the first place to look. They may have dates and/or links on where to find all this vital information.
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Your school’s PTA website: they may or may not have the information you need, but it is always worth a shot as every school’s PTA operates differently.
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IG and FB pages: This was a very helpful resource for us. There were posts with links on Facebook and updates on Instagram. The trick is finding these accounts if they exist. Oftentimes they have the school name or abbreviation and the graduation year. Other times it is the school mascot and grad year. If you are stumped, check out some of the other Instagram accounts that are associated with your high school and look at who they follow and who follows them. You may be able to find your graduating class account that way.
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Email: It’s always best to make sure that you are signed up to get emails from the school and any senior parent forums or organizers.
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Other parents: When all else fails turn to other parents either past or present. I have done this with my kids’ sports and when my oldest was a senior. Even if I think I am getting everything I like to ask around to make sure I am, in fact, getting everything. (Sometimes even after I sign up for emails it turns out I am not getting everything lol)
NORTHGATE HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR PORTRAITS, WALNUT CREEK, CA
Hopefully as you head into senior year you now feel a bit more confident and have some clarity on all the to dos to add to your checklist, the deadlines to keep in mind, and some potential resources on how to get them. This year is going to be one that you will remember for a lifetime. Cherish these moments with your family and friends and the educators who have worked hard to get you here. Cheers to senior year!
ACALANES HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR PHOTOS, LAFAYETTE, CA
Want to see what a session with Pixel Pages Photography looks like? Click HERE and HERE.
Need some location ideas for your San Francisco Bay Area senior photos? Click HERE :).
SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA SENIOR PHOTOS
Looking for a senior photographer in Alameda County, Contra Costa County, Santa Clara County, or the San Francisco Bay Area? I would love the opportunity to get to know you and work with you to capture this once in a lifetime moment for your child! My clients come from all over the Northern California and the Bay Area - Pleasanton, Fremont, Danville, Dublin, Walnut Creek, Castro Valley, San Ramon, Livermore, Lafayette. Book a consult with the button below so we can get to know one another and start planning your senior's bespoke portrait experience.
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