Do I Have to Take My Portraits with the School Photographer?

The Benefits of Taking Your School Portraits with a Private Photographer

High schools have contracts with specific photography companies to take annual photos as well as senior portraits. The contracts guarantee that a certain number of students will purchase portrait packages to commemorate the school year and milestone. In exchange, the photography company sends a photographer to the school to take photos with very limited poses and backgrounds.

These portraits are perfectly fine for those who only want a yearbook photo. However, if you really want a way to celebrate your senior year of high school, you have the right to step outside the box and use a private photographer to take your senior portraits.

Doing so will not exclude you from receiving a yearbook photo. In fact in many cases, you can use one of your senior portraits taken by your photographer for your yearbook photo. You have the right to submit any appropriate photo to your school for the yearbook. We would have to work with the yearbook advisor to be sure.

There are several benefits to using a private photographer to capture your senior year milestone (and this may also be appropriate for any other year for school photos).

1.    You Do Not Have to be Alone

When you have your photos taken by the school photographer, you must sit by yourself for your photos. The pictures are often staged and limited in poses and looks. Furthermore, what you see is what you get, and in many cases you can’t fix your hair or look prior to them being taken. You do not get a lot of retouching or editing to make the photo the best it can be.

However, when you use a private photographer, you have the option to take some pictures alone, some with family, and some with friends. As a result, you do not need to stand alone in all your photos. You can showcase your senior year framed by those you love the most.

2.    You Can Take Photos in Stages

When you take photos with the school photographer, you get one, maybe two times throughout the year to capture everything about your senior year. However, when you use a private photographer, you have the option to take photos throughout your senior year to capture each stage of your senior year as you grow from a high school teen to a young adult getting ready for the next stage of your life. These can also include different activities you participate in, friends, college shirts, etc.

Therefore, your senior year is not one-dimensional. Instead, it shows the stages of your year and how you have changed throughout the year.

3.    You Can Showcase Your Personality Through Your Senior Portraits

When you get senior photos with your school photographer, you have your clothes and smile to showcase your personality. However, when you use a private photographer to capture your senior portraits, you have the opportunity to select backgrounds and props that will help you show your true personality, likes, and hobbies! You can be an individual instead of another model for the camera.

Lisa Mongulla Photography Can Help You Capture All Aspects Your Senior Year Has to Offer

As you prepare for your teen for high school and their senior year of high school, you should begin to consider alternatives to school portraits with the school photographer. Contact Lisa Mongulla Photography at 856.297.0910 to learn more about ways to capture your senior’s final high school year in style.