I've chosen who I want to capture my senior year, now what?

You've worked so hard to follow and choose a photographer and now comes the fun part, the planning. This part of the process can either cause so much excitement (as it should!) or can leave you feeling a little overwhelmed about where to start. The point of this post is to walk you along the process of preparing for your much awaited senior milestone session.


For me there are 5 big parts that I will cover:

  1. Choosing the time of year for your session.
  2. Choosing your location(s).
  3. Deciding on what to wear.
  4. Making your choices on props.
  5. Incorporating your personality and including what has shaped you into the person you are today.

I'm so excited to get the chance to be a part of your journey! Let's Plan!

Choosing Time Of Year


Let's start with what is most popular, Summer and Fall.


Summer is an obvious choice because of the longer days, golden hour, and bold colors. When booking, it is important to know the benefits and the downfalls of each month.

  • June - Cooler days are a plus but the flower fields are just starting to bloom. When caught at the right time I have a location for white florals at the beginning of June and at the end of June a lot of the wildflowers will start to bloom.
  • July - By July flower fields have taken off with yellows and purples. On the downside, days are more hot and humid so extra prep for the weather has to be considered.
  • August - Flower fields have started to die back and we really start to see yellow flowers take off. In the right location, we can also find some Queen Ann's Lace to offer some whites. Here the temperatures are still really hot and humid so plans need to be made with that in mind.
  • September- Flower fields are yellow and still popping off. Days start to get a little cooler. In my opinion, September is highly underrated for summer shoots!


Fall is such a great choice for color. Trees and leaves start to turn yellows, oranges, reds and browns. After everything has died off, the brown can offer a fun neutral for fall photos.

  • September - Trees start to turn colors and you can get the best of both summer and fall.
  • October - Yellows and Oranges are at their prime mid to late October. Downfall is our days are getting significantly shorter.
  • November- Early November is an underrated fall month. I love a good photo in fields that have died back and usually we still have trees changing colors here in early November!


Winter and Spring are also great for photos.


Winter photo sessions are usually play by ear sessions. When a good snow has come through, it is a great time to get out and try to take photos. *Disclaimer* I do not travel in bad conditions and I would never expect that of my clients. I love a good flurry but I will not be making a call during heavy snow for us to meet. We can get pretty photos after roads are safe for travel.


Spring photo sessions are a fun way to get pictures with flowers that compliment business casual to professional looking outfits. Spring flower seasons are really short, so we have to catch them at the right time.

  • March - Not a whole lot going on besides green grass. Might I suggest a local greenhouse or a trip to a downtown area for urban photos!
  • April - Things such as daffodils, narcissus, and tulips are in full bloom. Some locations have native bluebells in bloom too.
  • May - Peonies in full bloom towards the middle to end of the month! Warmer weather and beautiful sunsets.


Cap and Gown sessions- I usually capture cap and gown sessions on campus. These I usually start shooting after they get their gowns in April and May. Sessions typically fill up fast!