High School Senior Photos

Preparing for Your Downtown Harrisburg High School Senior Portraits: Top Tips

So many of the photo sessions I perform are centered on a specific moment in my clients’ lives, and creating lasting mementos of this moment that they can cherish in the decades to come. That’s certainly the case with downtown Harrisburg high school senior portraits. Your child (or young adult) is about to launch a new life for themselves, and I’m here to make sure these portraits are the exciting milestone celebration they should be.

Want to make sure your teen’s senior portraits go as well as possible? Follow these tips as you’re planning and preparing.

Be Strategic with Outfits for Your Downtown Harrisburg High School Senior Portraits

Clearly, the outfits your teen chooses will make a great difference in the final look of their portraits, so it’s important to choose outfits wisely. It can be difficult to know what will and won’t photograph well. While planning your session, I’ll chat with you about my recommendations based on your teen and the look we’re aiming for, but here are a few other tips to keep in mind:

  • Choose solid colors or simple patterns over busy distracting patterns - we don’t want a shirt to steal the spotlight from your teen! The same goes for your jewelry: simpler is better.
  • Select outfits that are comfortable so your teen feels confident for their photo shoot.
  • Make sure the wardrobe feels authentic to your teen and their style.

When in doubt about an outfit, bring it! I can check out the outfits you’ve brought and give you my expertise on which ones will photograph best.

Leave Some Safety Time for New Looks

You don’t want to do anything *too* new on the photo shoot day. A fresh haircut is great, but make sure you schedule it for at least a week before your teen’s photo session. That gives it time to even out a bit if necessary and time for them to get used to styling it (or to fix it if they don’t like it). If your teen wants to try a new hairstyle or makeup look for their portraits, practice a few times at home first.

Work with Your Photographer on Props for Your Downtown Harrisburg High School Senior Portraits

During your teen’s high school senior portraits, props are a fantastic way to highlight who they are at this fun stage in their life. I’m always up for incorporating props like their sports jerseys, musical instruments they play, and props that align with their other hobbies and interests. We may even be able to take portraits with your teen’s beloved car or bike!

With props, though, you don’t want to bring any surprises to the photo shoot. Chat with me in advance about what props you want to bring so I can strategize the best ways to incorporate them.

Make Skincare a Priority

It’s so easy to fall out of your skincare routine, but your teen should make it a priority to maintain theirs in the weeks before their senior portraits. If your teen wants a facial, talk to your aesthetician in advance about when to schedule it based on their photo session, because some facials can cause irritation for a day or two.

With that said, don’t worry if your teen has some pimples during their photo shoot. Editing software is our friend!

The Ultimate Advice for Your Downtown Harrisburg High School Senior Portraits: Use Your Photographer’s Expertise

All the tips above are helpful but here’s the end-all-be-all: take advantage of your photographer’s expertise. I’ve been taking senior photos for many years and have first-hand experience with what works well and what doesn’t. When you hire me, you’re not just paying for my camera and my photography skills, you’re paying for my expertise. So, if you have a question, just ask!

Ready to start planning the outstanding downtown Harrisburg high school senior portraits your teen deserves? Contact Karissa Zimmer Photography today.

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Camp Hill High School Senior Portraits: Questions to Ask Your Photographer

Senior photography is a hallowed tradition that creates a lifelong memento of this incredibly unique milestone in your teen’s life. Every photographer works a bit differently, though, so it’s important to ask the right questions to know what to expect from the experience. As you prepare to book your Camp Hill high school senior portraits, make sure you’re asking these important questions.

How Will You Customize My Teen’s Camp Hill High School Senior Photo Session?

Senior portraits shouldn’t be cookie-cutter copies with the same poses and styles from person to person. These portraits are all about representing your young adult and who they are at this time in their life, so make sure your photographer will customize their session accordingly. For each of my clients, I customize their session based on their interests, activities, and personal aesthetic.

What Should I Bring to My Teen’s Photo Session?

Be sure to make a list of items your photographer recommends that you bring to your senior’s portrait session. That will include all the obvious items, like outfits and accessories as well as anything you might need to touch up their hair or makeup. Along with all this, though, I ask my seniors to bring any props that will help their portraits suit them. That can include anything that represents their interests – musical instruments, sports jerseys, and so on.

What Finished Products Will I Receive?

Before you book your senior portrait session, make sure you know what you’ll have in hand when all is said and done. Does your photographer work with you to design and order quality products like prints, framed portraits, albums, and so on? Or will you only receive digital files? As a full-service photographer, I guide my clients through every part of the process including ordering, sourcing, and delivering printed products so you know that you’ll have prints you can treasure and enjoy.

Booking Your Camp Hill High School Senior Portraits

Ready to get the ball rolling for your teen’s Camp Hill high school senior portraits? Book a senior photo session with Karissa Zimmer Photography today.

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Alexxa’s Downtown Harrisburg Senior Session

I am so excited to share Alexxa's Downtown Harrisburg Senior Session!  She just entered her senior year at Boiling Springs High School.  When Alexxa booked her senior session with me, I knew just the perfect location to suit her style.  She didn't want the typical "sunflower field" senior pictures that are common amongst high school senior girls these days.  I loved this about her! She is original and wanted that to reflect in her portraits. So, we did just that. We choose to start her downtown senior session in Shipoke, Harrisburg.  All the colors, textures and dimensions of the downtown Shipoke scenery were a perfect fit.  Later, Alexxa's choice location at the Capitol building proved to offer a beautiful result as well! Her outfit choices were perfect and the evening light was magnificent! Alexxa's fun and super easy going personality made this senior session one of my favorites!

Alexxa, what can I say? You killed it, girl! I absolutely loved working with you and you look absolutely stunning in ALL of your shots! Narrowing these down was truly a tough job. Thanks for choosing me to capture these memories for you! I hope cherish these images as much as I know your momma will!

 

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Summer might be over, but there is still time to book your senior session! I have a small handful of dates left for September & October, book now to make sure that you get on my schedule. Fall is a beautiful time of year to have your senior pictures taken in Pennsylvania. Mid-September through mid-October typically has favorable weather, perfect for photo shoots. Leaves will just be starting to turn and the trees will still be full and bursting with color! CLICK HERE to complete the contact form to book a senior session!

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