YOUR TRI-VALLEY CALIFORNIA SENIOR YEARBOOK PHOTOS
What is the difference between your high school senior yearbook photo and senior portraits here in the San Francisco East Bay? I get asked about this all the time as a senior photographer. Here is the lowdown on the difference between the two and why they both are important.
The summer before senior year is the start of that monstrously long senior year to do list. This list often includes the fun stuff and the not-so-fun stuff like senior sunrise, senior picnic, decorating your car for the first day of school, applying to colleges, college essays, the SAT or ACT, and of course, senior photos. There are two types of senior photos: yearbook and portrait. I am here to talk about some of the questions I often get regarding these two types of senior photos.
AMADOR VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR PHOTOS
Your school will have a contract with a specific portrait studio for your “official” yearbook photo. This is the drape/tux photo that goes in senior class section of your yearbook. Is this studio portrait required for your school’s yearbook photo? Yes. Are they required for anything else beyond that? No! You’re not required to go to them for anything other than the yearbook photo when it comes to your senior pictures. The goal of having all students use the same portrait studio for each senior’s yearbook photo is:
1.) All photos look the same for a cohesive yearbook layout
2.) The school only has to worry about getting images from one studio
3.) It streamlines work for the yearbook staff, especially when you have a massive senior class of 600+ students. They don’t have to communicate with dozens of studios or someone’s uncle who has a fancy camera to get the photos in time for printing.
4.) It’s easier for the school to make sure all seniors are represented in the yearbook.
5.) The studio (at least in my experience as a parent) has a pretty efficient system so it is an easy for the senior and their parents.
These are all very valid reasons for your school to contract with just one studio for the yearbook photos. It makes everyone’s life easier and when you have this long senior list that unfurls before your eyes like some ancient scroll, you embrace easy where you can get it lol!
FOOTHILL HIGH SCHOOL, PLEASANTON, CA SENIOR PICTURES
Now for personal photos the contracted studio is often not your best option. This is due to several reasons. The biggest one is that they are not a concierge-based boutique studio that has the time to create an inclusive experience that celebrates your child. Larger studios are focused on volume and as a result will create some very static and basic images. After all these years of hard work and dedication our seniors have earned more than basic. They are on the cusp of a thrilling new season of life and isn’t it fun to celebrate them in this moment? In terms of professional portraits their next big photo moment will most likely be their wedding day. As a parent it’s the beginning of an emotional rollercoaster year and trust me, you will want to savor tall of it. It is the last year of you all being together under one roof (insert crying emoji). I share this feeling with you because it hit me hard the night before we moved our daughter into her dorm room.
GRANADA HIGH SCHOOL, LIVERMORE, CA SENIOR PHOTOS
The studios that contract yearbook photos put their focus on volume rather than curating a custom client experience that results in authentic images. A smaller boutique studio will act more as a concierge, investing the time in getting to know both you and your senior, creating a custom experience, offering locations that fit your child loves and fits their style, does not make you feel rushed, and guides you every step of the way from booking the session to choosing artwork. They should help mitigate the stress of this process and make something that is a fun. A full service studio will also create an experience that is an authentic representation of your child, allow for multiple clothing changes, and will work with you to make sure you have quality heirloom products to enjoy for years to come. The larger studios don’t make an investment of themselves in your child’s experience because there simply isn’t the time.
SAN RAMON VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR PHOTOS
When it comes to time, a boutique studio will work with you to figure out what heirloom artwork will work best in your home, talk to you about how you want to display, how share your images, and work with your family budget. They won’t send you a gallery link or flash drive for you to sort through the images, figure what you want to do with them, and where you should print them. How many of us have had our photos taken professionally to only then have the photos just sit on a computer, maybe putting a couple photos on a holiday card or printing a picture or two at a budget, big box printer with subpar quality? We do that because the entire process is just so overwhelming and who has the time or desire to figure it all out? I want you to be flooded with joyful memories when you look at your walls and see your family showcased on heirloom quality artwork. A smaller boutique studio will work with you to make that happen.
DUBLIN HIGH SCHOOL CALIFORNIA SENIOR PICTURES
Another misconception is that you have to do more photos that just the yearbook photo. I am here to tell you no, that is not necessary unless your child wants to. When my daughter took her senior pictures for the yearbook we opted for only the yearbook photo. She had already taken her senior portraits (I happen to know a really awesome photographer 😜) so we opted just for yearbook photos. It was a 20 to 30 minute process and we had a handful of images to choose from. It was very simple; we were in, she took pictures, and we were out. Although this quick process means the task is simple, it also means that there were no hugs, no getting to know one another to ensure that she was comfortable in front of the photographer, no relationship was built, and there certainly was no cozy session reveal where are my child was made to feel special and treated to baked goods. None of can deny the giddiness baked goods bring, am I right?!?
LIVERMORE HIGH SCHOOL CALIFORNIA SENIOR PHOTOS
Here’s the thing about senior portraits, they are a once in a lifetime experience. That’s a big deal! Investing in a concierge-based senior portrait experience means you will get to preserve this moment of time for your child for decades to come. These pictures will be a true representation of who your child is because a boutique photographer will take the time to get to know you and your senior to figure out what works best for you all and to capture those looks you as a parent know and love. These relationships are incredibly important. I value them because I understand that you’re letting your guard down and letting me into your life. That trust is a gift. I want to help you create something special for your child and for your family, not just for the yearbook.
SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA SENIOR PHOTOS
You can find some tips for when you start researching senior photographers (I know a good one 🥰), HERE. Even if you don't choose us here at Pixel Pages Photography, I hope you have an amazing senior portrait experience and enjoy taking your senior yearbook photo. This is a special moment for you and I am so excited for all the adventures that are headed your way this coming year and throughout college. Cheers to you and your senior year!
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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