Checklist for your Senior Session
If you are scrambling to get your life together & manage to have the perfect senior session, I made a checklist that will help navigate what you still need.
First, you will need a photographer if you haven’t booked one yet. This is super important, because most senior photographers have limited dates since this is their busiest time of the year. I would contact your #1 choice and see what they have, if they don’t have anything available ask for their recommendations or if you have another photographer in mind contact them!
Second, Hair & Makeup if you are wanting this. Obviously this isn’t a must, but in some cases your photographer may have a package with this included with their preferred vendor. If it’s included its most likely at a discounted rate, aka book with them! If you plan on doing it yourself please buy fake eyelashes, these will completely change your pictures even if you have long lashes, get fake ones because you will see a difference.
Third, Find your outfits! If you’re having 2 outfits bring 3 outfits just so you have options. I tell all my clients to bring extras, so we can see day of what looks best with the locations. I love styling outfits & accessories for my seniors it’s one of my favorite things. I highly recommend making a Pinterest board with outfits, locations, accessories, hair & makeup inspiration.
My Pinterest boards for my seniors:
Senior Style Guide - Outfit ideas
Fall Senior Style Guide - Fall Outfit Ideas
These are a few of my favorite shops for seniors:
Fourth, find a location that will best represent you & allow your outfits to shine. Whether you want the Houston skyline as your backdrop or the ocean, as your photographer. It’s part of our job to show you where we could go for your session. I love going to Houston it has so much to offer when it comes to unique little spots.
Keep in mind when finding a location that if it’s not you, then you don’t have to do it, just because you’ve seen someone else go there also doesn’t mean you have to, and don’t go there if it’s “trendy”.
A couple of my favorite locations to go to are:
Sak’s Garage in Downtown Houston. It’s the rooftop I take all my clients that are wanting a super urban & edgy look.
Tout Suite in Downtown Houston. It’s a super cute urban, rustic coffee shop. The inside is perfect for coffee pictures & behind the building has a gorgeous white brick wall with little leaves coming out of it. Seriously one of my favorite spots.
Discovery Green in Houston. It’s sounds super cliche, but I went there for the first time to shoot this past fall & it did not disappoint. I found a staircase with the prettiest brick & fairy lights, it was such a vibe!! I went there for a morning session & it was such a perfect time. There wasn’t hardly any people & parking was super easy to find, which is so rare when it comes to this spot. No only did they have that brick wall, but you could see the skyline from a few spots & the trees, they were a dream come true! Highly recommend for a one spot shop location.
Boomtown Coffee in Downtown Houston is a favorite among all photographers! It’s super minimal & chic & perfect for a more fancy look. Grab a latte & a spot inside for the cutest pictures! They also have outside seating, which is perfect for a different background.
Beachtown in Galveston is the perfect spot if you’re wanting multiple backgrounds in one place. There is gorgeous greenery all around & in the spring little white flowers bloom & make it even more dreamy. If you’re wanting the ocean, no worries follow the walkway & that’s what you’ll get!
Challenger Memorial Park in Webster. It’s perfect if you’re trying to find lots of greenery & classic senior photos. You can’t go wrong with this location, it hastens of trees, a private road with trees hovering over, & a lake, at least i’m prettifying sure it’s a lake, but it makes for the cutest spring pictures.
Pearland Coffee Roasters in Pearland. This coffee shop is slick & minimal if you’re wanting cute clean coffee shop pictures. The inside is very rustic & they have super cute seating. Not to mention this would look so cute with your cap & gown.
Maas Nursery in Seabrook. This is a plant nursery & looks like something out of a movie. I’ve been here a couple of times & it never fails to amaze me. Every time I go I find new spots to shoot in. This is perfect for a spring session with a long maxi dress!
Fifth, Game Plan! I normally shoot with my seniors 2 -3 hours before sunset & sunrise. I make a plan for when we both need to leave, start shooting at the first location at, and map out the session. I tell all my clients to bring water & snacks, because since we live in Texas it’s hot and even if it isn’t you will want water as soon as we are done shooting plus snacks are for the drive home.
Mock Timeline:
2:00 p.m.- hair & makeup starts
4:00 p.m. - head to first location
5:00 p.m. - start shooting at first location in first outfit
5:45 p.m. - head to second location & change into 3rd & 4th outfits
6:45 p.m. - wrap up session.
7:00 p.m. - all done!
Once you have everything for your session you’re all set & ready to go! Don’t forget about props, I made an entire list of prop ideas for seniors a while back & highly recommend viewing it if you’re feeling stuck.
I tell all my clients to make a Pinterest board with their inspiration for their senior photos. You can fill it up with outfit inspiration, location ideas, props you want to included, the options are endless! I use Pinterest so much when it comes to mood boards for my senior rep team shoots. I find it super helpful when it comes to having a specific vibe for shoots.
I love connecting & helping seniors out whether they are my own clients or not. I simply want everyone to have the best experience for their senior photos. Providing the best experience I can to my seniors is what matters to me the most. So if you haven’t found the perfect photographer for you i’d love to chat with you & hear how I can make your dream session come a reality. I only have a few weekend dates left in April & May, so reach out sooner than later!
