senior session info
It’s hard enough at the end of your Junior year in high school [or summer before your Senior year], Senior Portraits should not be another chore you have to get through. In this post, I will help you pinpoint what’s important about Senior photos and how to find a photographer who is right for you. Here’s some senior session info to bring home with you:

Old Mill Restaurant, Westminster, MA Oakmont Regional HS Senior
Firstly, you may not realize how important Senior portraits are right now, but you’ll be glad you went with a professional photographer.
If you’ve gotten awkward school pictures your whole life, it’s easy to not want or not care about your Senior photos either, but a professional photographer knows how to use your strengths and personality to make your personality and interests shine through, not just stick you in awkward poses where you don’t know what to do with your hands.

Stillwater Farm, Sterling, MA Oakmont Regional Senior Portraits [more from Chelsea’s session here]
Do your research.
It may seem like homework to research a photographer, but it’s so important because you need to find the one who’s “right” for you. You may or may not know this, but there are A LOT of photographers in every geographical area with all manner of different levels of professionalism and experience.
Remember: more experience does not always mean more professional or better photos, but there is comfort to the fact that they have probably dealt with many different people and are probably fairly reliable.
It is wholly important to find the right one to fit your personality and style.
It’s both an advantage and disadvantage to the fact that a photographer’s product is photography. Everyone has their work up online for you to see, so it’s easy to tell at a glance what their work looks like. Portfolios, for the most part, are there to show a photographer’s BEST work, so it’s a pretty good representation of what you can expect to receive. You may want to note, though, that what that also means is that they can [and do] pick and choose what you see of their work, so you can’t always depend on it as an exact representation.
But just like shopping for clothing, you want your photography to match your style. How you view the photographer is eventually how people will view you when looking at your portraits. In this way, you can truly choose how your classmates will remember you for years to come.
It doesn’t hurt also to keep in mind that, most likely, these photos will be up in your family’s homes as well. So if it’s not something you like or are proud of, it may be something your family displays prominently in their homes, regardless of how much you may or may not like it.
Use props

Lacrosse stick for senior portraits makes for fun posing and interesting images [more from Adam’s session here]!

Or how about step dancing on the Wachusett Reservoir. How awesome is that [more from Allie’s Senior Session here]??
Use a photographer who will travel to a location that means something to you.
Choosing a location that holds special meaning will not only make you feel more comfortable, but it will also add more depth to your portraits. Choosing a photographer who will literally go that extra mile for you is also important.
I will always suggest locations if people are stuck, but I like allowing them to come up with the location first. It gives you a chance to pick a place that you’ll really love.

Snowboarding Senior, Wachusett Mt. means a lot to her, so that’s where we did her photos [more from Lindsey’s Senior Session here]!
You want to look like the best possible version of yourself.
You don’t want to look fake, but you want to look like your best you. Try getting your hair and makeup professionally done! This also gives you one less thing to worry about. That way, you can spend more of your time focused on what to wear.
Some photographers may even partner with such salons and offer makeup incentives along with their packages.
I’m also looking for a Class of 2017 model:
If you live in the Central Mass area [Westminster, Ashburnham, Leominster, Clinton, Princeton, Lancaster, Boylston, etc.] and are interested in getting a jump on your Senior portraits, I’m looking for a couple outgoing, bright Juniors to help be the face of my next Senior Portrait season. Originally, I was going to close it out at the end of March, but now I’m thinking I’ll keep it open until I find the right two candidates. But hurry – I will only be accepting two, so act now!
Contact me at Amanda@AmandaLuisa.com for more information and be sure to like us on facebook!