I'm answering your top searches related to senior pictures all in one place!

HERE'S THE LINEUP:

• "When to do senior pictures?"
• "When are senior pictures due?"
• "When will I get my senior pictures back from my photographer?"
• "What to wear for senior pictures?"
• "What size are senior portraits?"
• "What do senior pictures cost?"
• "Where to print senior pictures?"
• "Where to get senior pictures taken?"

The "When's"...

Q: "When to do senior pictures?"

A: The best time to scheduled your portraits is the summer after your Junior year of high school. August is a favorite month for senior photos in Eugene, Oregon and surrounding areas! The summer months are my personal favorite because of how reliable the warm, sunny weather and captivating sunsets are. Many photographers plan to book their senior's a few weeks-a few months, though when booking your session, earlier is always better to insure the photographer of your choice has availability!

Q: "When are senior pictures due?"

A: Senior pictures are usually due during the fall. Having your portraits in your hand (or on your computer) by September is the safest best. Photo turn in dates vary by school anywhere from late September to early November at the latest.

Q: "When will I get my senior pictures back from my photographer?"

A: Turn around time is important to consider when scheduling your senior pictures and varies from photographer to photographer. Full gallery return may be anywhere from a week, to a few months, so it's best to schedule your photoshoot as early as possible. Inquire with your photographer prior to booking what their return time is like to guarantee you'll have your photos back by your yearbook submission date! Personally, my return is one week with a next day preview of images.

The "What's"...

Q: "What to wear for senior pictures?"

A: The short answer? Whatever you're most comfortable and confident in! Typically senior portrait packages come with at least two outfit changes. I recommend for seniors to choose a more dressed up look (examples: a flowy dress that shows movement, a skirt and blouse or tank top, a two-piece outfit or jumpsuit, etc.) and a more casual look (examples: your favorite pair of jeans or shorts and a t-shirt/tank top, a shorter, more casual dress, perhaps your future college's t-shirt or sweatshirt, etc.).

Solid colors and minimal patterns photograph the best and keep the attention on you! Avoiding loud patterns like stripes that may appear fuzzy on a screen helps to deviate from distraction. My personal favorite colors to photograph on seniors during sunset sessions are ranges of whites and creams, blues and greens and oranges, pinks and lilacs.

Q: "What size are senior portraits?"

A: This question refers to the image conversion size you'll need to obtain to turn into your high schools' yearbook department to be submitted to your yearbook! Your photographer should be able to do this conversion for you - just make sure ask them in advance to convert your favorite portrait to yearbook specs so you're able to meet your yearbook's deadline on time. 300x500/600 dpi is typical, but can vary from school to school. If you're proficient in Photoshop or similar programs, this is also something you could do at home on your own computer. Most yearbook departs are unable to do this conversion for you due to the sheer volume of conversions they'd have to perform to get everyone's images ready for printing. Your yearbook department will inform you on proper specs for submitting your portraits usually by email or newsletter/flyer!

Q: "What do senior pictures cost?"

A: According to a quick Google search, senior pictures in Oregon cost anywhere from $200-$5,000. Obviously, this is a VERY wide range and not the answer you were looking for, so let me break it down! There are two ways photographers typically curate their senior picture packages: a. a lump sum rate (example: packages starting at $300 and moving upwards depending on the amount of time, number of locations, number of outfits, number of photos, etc. included), and b. a session/shooting fee (example: $300 to photograph you for X amount of minutes) plus additional cost per image (example: + $25/image you want to obtain in your possession) you choose to purchase.

In the Eugene, Corvallis, Albany, Salem, Portland area a budget that will get you a lot of "bang for your buck" is around $500 median cost.

Here's what my personal pricing bracket looks like to give a better visual:

OREGON ADVENTURE SESSION - $600

+ free travel anywhere in Oregon

+ unlimited outfit changes

+ outfit/style consultation

+ up to 100 minutes of shooting time at up to three locations within 30 minutes of each other

+ a minimum of 90 professionally edited images delivered via private online gallery within a week and a next day session preview

+ image size conversions for yearbook specs prior to your yearbook submission due date

+ printing and personal use rights

TWO LOCATION SESSION - $450

+ up to 90 minutes of shooting time at up to two locations within 30 minutes of each other

+ free travel up to 45 miles outside of Eugene

+ a minimum of 70 professionally edited images delivered via private online gallery within a week and a next day session preview

+ up to four outfits

+ outfit/style consultation

+ image size conversions for yearbook specs prior to your yearbook submission due date

+ printing and personal use rights

ONE LOCATION SESSION - $300

+ up to 50 minutes of shooting time at one location of your choice

+ free travel up to 30 miles outside of Eugene

+ a minimum of 50 professionally edited images delivered via private online gallery within a week and a next day session preview

+ up to two outfits

+ outfit/style consultation

+ image size conversions for yearbook specs prior to your yearbook submission due date

+printing and personal use rights

The "Where's"...

Q: "Where to print senior pictures?"

A: I get asked this question by almost every parent after a senior's portraits have been taken! Many photographers have a photo printing service built right in to their galleries. In other words, it may be as easy as opening your online photo gallery on your computer, selecting the images you want to print, adding them to the cart in the top right corner and ordering prints directly from your gallery. From there, your images will be printing through a professional quality print lab and delivered directly to your home.

With most photographers (of course, first take a look at your Client Agreement with your photographer to confirm) you'll also have printing rights. Meaning, you'll have the ability to download your photos to your phone/a flash drive and order your prints from a printing lab of your choice outside of the photographers built in printing service.

Q: "Where to get senior pictures taken?"

A: My FAVORITE question and one of the most fun parts of planning your senior photoshoot: Choosing your location(s) for your portraits! I have a whole section dedicated to this question on my Senior Portrait Session Planning Guide blog post!

Below are links to view my top 12 recommendations for Oregon senior picture locations with full guide to planning out your senior picture experience, Senior Portrait Portfolio and Adventure Senior Portrait Packages!