Can you believe it? Your not-so-little kid is now all grown up and about to experience one of the biggest milestones in their lives - senior year. Maybe they've started considering where they might head off to college and the plans they have for their future. Before you know it, they will walk across the stage and just a few short months you will be hugging them goodbye - holding back the tears as you leave their new dorm room. After they've graduated college and landed that big job they always dreamed of, you might find yourself walking them down the aisle as they marry the love of their life. Years later you may find yourself holding your grandchildren and wondering where the time went.
Okay, I might be getting a little ahead of myself. Your probably thinking - chill, Nicole, my child isn't even graduated yet let alone having babies. But, my point is, senior year is a time to preserve. It is a time just before they make big decisions in their lives that will carry them into the adventures of adulthood. This pivotal time in their lives is important and worth cherishing who they are at this very moment in time so that as they pass through all of life's beautiful stages, you have something to look back on.
So, you might ask, why should I hire a professional when Uncle Joe has a nice camera? Well, let me explain 9 reasons why I believe hiring a creative professional photographer for your child's senior portraits is worth the investment you might be hesitant to make.
1. Safe and secure image archival.
Creative professionals have the resources and knowledge to back up and safely archive your images. We aren't preserving your artwork in an iCloud back up. With professionalism comes high quality production services that offer a wide array of image displays, storybooks and albums, premium prints and speciality products that will last for years to come. Safe and secure digital archives are sure to surpass your iPhone back ups and computer malfunctions.
2. It's not the camera that captures your senior.
It's obvious that just about anyone can purchase a nice camera. However, it takes a professional to know how to properly use one. It's a tool, not a toy, and it takes practice, experience, and knowledge to know how to use all aspects of light and technical skill to capture a well exposed piece of art. When you go get your hair colored at the salon, your paying for their experience and expertise. You can buy any pair of scissors and a box of dye at Walmart, but will your hair turn out the same if a professional stylists doesn't help you? Maybe, but probably not.
3. The professional has the technical skills and equipment to make you look and feel your best.
A photographer not only knows how to use their camera, but also has the tools to make your senior look their best! They understand angles, lighting, posing and interaction, that bring out the best version of themselves. They have the proper softwares to edit and develop beautiful pieces of artwork from the captured images.
4. Your images become works of art and are turned into physical tangible memories.
Although digital files are popular products in the senior market, a professional has the ability to offer high quality, boutique imaging that you cannot get anywhere else. Your images are viewed as artwork. They deserve to live outside of a computer folder and into beautiful, preserved images that you can hold, touch, and display for years and years to come.
5. Your senior deserves to be celebrated. They are worth a professional.
Your child is important! They deserve to be recognized. They have worked hard to be where they are today. They are worth the investment in capturing who they are right now, in this moment.
6. It's a fun and exciting experience that builds confidence and makes your senior proud of who they are.
The senior portrait experience is down right fun. It's a chance to pick out their favorite clothes, express themselves and feel confident in their own skin. Nothing fills my heart more then seeing the smile across a seniors face after they are told how beautiful they look, how well they are doing, and how perfect they are looking behind the lens. I have witnessed seniors become so alive and happy throughout their senior session because I know that it is making them feel good about themselves. A senior portrait session can build confidence and remind your senior that they are beautiful in their own way.
8. It's just as important for mom and dad.
Your senior will love their photos, but so will you. Senior portraits are not just for the senior, but are also an important milestone for the parents. Let this experience be a fun and enjoyable one for you too. Gift yourself a preserving memory of your child that you love. You will laugh, cry, and hold these images so dear to your heart, especially when you are able to look back on them in years to come.
9. Heirloom and high quality production.
A professional is able to produce a higher quality product from images captured in their professional grade equipment then from an iPhone or a point and shoot camera. Your images are able to be enlarged and brought to life in the best quality products available in the high end market. Your images can be preserved as heirloom prints that exceed quality produced through Walgreens, Walmart, Costco, Target, and Shutterfly! Cheap prints can fade and discolor over time. Computers and iPhones can break and someday Facebook could become nonexistent.
So, consider hiring a creative professional and show your senior that you care.