When to get your senior photos with Lepik Photography?
Each year, around late October or early November, we get at least a dozen emails asking if we have ANY availability for senior portraits. Normally, the answer is always yes, but the problem lies in the date of the question. See, here in Pueblo, Colorado, senior portraits are due around the 1 or second week of November. Yes, senior photos are due just a couple months after kids go back to school.
This seems odd but it actually makes a lot of sense. The schools need to photos turned in this early to get them to the yearbook company that can begin adding them into the yearbooks. If senior photos are not due until later in the year or even into the spring of the following year there will not be enough time to make all the books.
The bigger problem is the schools do a really poor job of communicating this with upcoming seniors and their parents. In all actuality Juniors should be thinking about their portraits. Let’s break down the seasons and how it relates to senior photos.
Winter Photos - Junior Year - If you are wanting winter style photos with snow then the ONLY time you can do your senior photos is during the winter of your junior year. By the time senior photos are due in November, we won’t be in a full winter season yet and the chances of snow are almost 0%. If you want winter photos you gotta book them during your Junior year.
Spring Photos - Junior Year - If you want spring style photos you gotta do them during your Junior Year. Again, there won’t be a spring season during your senior year before the photos are due. If you want that early blossoms, bright green grass and cooler temps, you gotta reach out around March, April, May of your Junior year to get those senior portraits.
Summer Photos - Junior/Senior Year - Are you seeing a theme here? Yes, if you want summer photos for your senior portraits you gotta do them during the summer between Junior and Senior Year. Remember, when you go back to school in September, your senior photos will be due in just two short months. That means if you want those amazing summer evening shots, you gotta do them during the summer between Junior and Senior Year
Fall Photos - Senior Year - Fall is really the only season you can do your senior photos DURING your Senior year. Fall here in Colorado starts happening in October and goes through most of November. This means once you get back to school you can get senior photos during your senior year. The only problem here is MOST people wait till this time of year to get senior photos. Remember, the school does a poor job of telling you when they are due, until they are due, leaving parents in a rush. Most of the time we can accommodate seniors and get their photos in on time but it leaves the parents and the students stressed and sometimes even causes a rush delivery fee.
ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS - If you are are a student or a parent that absolutely wants their senior photos during their senior year you have a couple choices. You could book a short session with us in Fall to get their “senior photo” aka, the one in the year book and then book a full session with us in either the Winter, Spring or Summer of their Senior Year. These make great announcement photos, graduation photos and gives you the option to be photographed during senior year. But if this is not of interest to you, you really need to be looking during your Junior year.
If you are looking to have senior photos taken by us here at Lepik Photography, we would love to talk details with you. We have been photographing seniors for the past 16 years. Our look is timeless and beautiful. Our senior sessions are tailored to each senior to provide photos that they will love as well as photos the family will love. We don’t do cheesy awkward smiles here. Our photos are meant to show authentic emotion.
Check out our portrait page for full details and reach out when you are ready to book your EPIC senior session.
