Planning on hiring a Professional photographer for your Senior Session?! Here are my 5 tips below and WHY this is so important to prepare for your Senior Session.

But first, hi! My name is Macayla Lott and I am a Senior Photographer located in Utah! I mostly work with couples for their elopements and intimate weddings, but I also choose to work with Seniors in High School because I truly believe that every Senior should feel worthy to celebrate how far they have come!

To the future graduates…

Taking your senior photos can be nerve-wracking—I get it. Chances are, it is your first time in front of a professional camera by yourself. It can be scary. But I’ll be there every step of the way!

So here are my Top 5 tips to prepare for your Senior Session!

1. Inquire early

Most likely than not, many Professional Senior photographers are going to be booking months and months in advance! For me, my first year of doing Senior sessions, I overbooked myself and wasn’t able to send fully edited galleries off until a few days before some Senior’s graduation! Preferably, I know you would like them quite a few WEEKS or even a few months before graduation so you can print them, use them for invitation cards or whatever it may be. So that is why I suggest you INQUIRE EARLY.

Another benefit to inquiring early is that you get to work with your photographer for months to carefully craft and curate the type of Senior session you want. No last minute planning or preparation!

2. Have a specific vibe in mind

I’ve had Seniors who fully trust me to plan their Senior session based on the location and type of photos they want, but most of the Seniors that inquire with me love my vibe and style and feel aligned that I will provide them with candid, authentic, earthy and ethereal portraits. HOWEVER, I will say, the inquiries and Seniors that I discuss with that do have a specific vibe in mind helps me understand what kind of vibe they want in their photos. Whether that is playing with your guitar, running around barefoot on the beach or woods or solely wanting pine trees and sagebrush, this specificity does help your photographer get a better idea on only the photos themselves but also the location, suggestions for outfits, creative shots, etc.

If you feel like you are struggle to get inspiration, I would suggest looking at my Pinterest board for Senior Session Inspo to get the kind of vision that you may way. Even if it isn’t from the pins I have saved on there, you might find a Pin that will inspire you for a specific vision.

3. Try on your outfits before your session

Let me give you a really important tip!! If you’re planning out outfits, going shopping online for outfits, etc…always ALWAYS make sure you try on your outfit for a full day (at least) BEFORE your senior session. Here’s why: You want to feel confident, comfortable and not self-conscious during your session, right? There’s no better way to do that then wearing your outfits for a full day before your session. This will help you notice if you are tugging at any part of your outfit, how it will make you feel, etc. BE PREPARED BY WEARING YOUR OUTFITS BEFORE THE SESSION.

4. Give yourself plenty of time the day of the session

I don’t know about you, but if I am rushing to get ready then I overall feel wayyyy more stressed and wayyyy less presentable. Give yourself ample of time before your session to not only get ready, but not feel like you’re rushing the entire day so you feel like you are able to arrive calm and ready for your session! Consider time it will take to do your hair, try on outfits, do your makeup, eat, travel to the location, etc. Give yourself the time you need to feel really good about yourself before your session! This will help you feel so much more ready (in every way– mentally, physically, emotionally, etc.) for your session with peace of mind.

5. Trust the process

If you are hiring a Professional photographer, you love their work and vibe and you’ve been communicating thoroughly about your Senior session and you feel good prior to the shoot, then when you meet them is the time to trust them! Trust the process. Trust your photographer with the poses they direct you to do, with the location they helped pick for you, the editing process and everything.

This is the most honoring and humbling feelings I receive when I work with my seniors for their Senior photos– when they say they TRUST ME. It means THE WORLD to me!! It allows me to not only give you a safe space that will let you work your magic, show your personality and have a fun fun time, but also gives me a safe and trusting space to work my magic as I work and create art with you. SO TRUST THE PROCESS AND TRUST THE PHOTOGRAPHER.

YOU’VE WORKED TOO HARD TO JUST HAVE MEDIOCRE SENIOR PICTURES

Surviving high school is no easy feat. Now is the time to treat yourself to a senior session where you feel comfortable, genuine, and beautiful! I am always SO excited to work with seniors because I truly believe that each and every person has the opportunity to create art in some meaningful and intentional way that TRULY tells THEIR story as well as helps them recognize the beauty of their soul.

If you’re looking for a Senior photographer, I got you. I also offer Adventure Senior photoshoots and am open for travel as well as for other Seniors to travel to me as well!

Take it from my past client Eve: “My experience with Macayla was overwhelmingly positive! She made me feel so comfortable and instantly calmed any worries I had. She was super flexible and helpful in guiding me what to do too. She was so kind and I could tell she genuinely cared. Not to mention she obviously knew what she was doing on a professional level too!”

Want to see your options? Feel free to check out my Seniors page on my website here!