3 Ways to Use Your Senior Portraits After Your Session:

Let me paint a picture for you….

You spend weeks planning for your Senior Session. You research hair styles. You research makeup. You research current clothing trends. Then you make some Pinterest boards…yes, you know you do. You might also do a little shopping for the perfect outfits…or you might do A LOT of shopping!!!! 🙂

So basically, you spend all of this time preparing then you go get your hair and makeup styled the day of the Senior Portrait Session and meet up with your photographer for your shoot.

Flash forward…you had an AMAZING shoot….you have AMAZING final and edited portraits from your sweet photographer…(I surely hope it was me!) 🙂 Let’s say you chose your favorites and selected your products…maybe a gorgeous canvas for the wall and some nice wall sized prints for Grandma and a few desk sized portraits for Aunt Sally and Uncle Bob.

So now do you just pack up those files and images and it’s all done? Nooooo…. that’s not it!!! These portraits are so valuable and can be used in other ways.

Here are 3 Ways to Use Your Senior Portraits:

#1: Graduation Announcements:
Graduation announcements are a wonderful way to let family and friends near and far know that you graduated and are ready to celebrate. Even if you aren’t hosting a party, it’s great to send them because people traditionally like to send you a small gift or monetary gifts to say congrats!! It’s great when they open up the announcement and see your smiling face!! Kinda like a Christmas card…our girls fight over the mailbox during the holidays because they like to be the one to open the cards we receive and see how much all their friends have grown. So consider using your favorite Senior Portraits to create awesome announcements. You can find really great quality companies now that print on heavyweight paper. It’s a great way to celebrate this big accomplishment!!

#2: Social Media Headshots:
Social Media is the name of the game in many industries…Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat… We’re all on it. Often times, people will go check out a new acquaintance’s Facebook profile to scope them out.  Admit it, we’ve all done it.  🙂  Instagram has become the new business card or calling card. This adult world that you’re about to head into is using social media just like you’ve been using it with your friends….ok, maybe not just like you’ve been using it with your friends (I so hope you know by now that inappropriate social media posts can bring lots of trouble and heartache!) But please know that adults are using social media platforms for college, work, business, etc. Wouldn’t you like to leave an awesome first impression with beautiful professional images of yourself?

BAM…you already have them when you’ve done your Senior Portraits.

#3: Scholarships:
As a mom to a High School Senior, can I tell that this morning I uploaded a pic of her for a scholarship that required it. We’ve also printed out three more to include in her application packets that will be mailed out this week. It’s great to have a professionally edited headshot instead of one where you’re standing on your front porch before heading off to school that your mom took with your iphone. In fact, the one I uploaded today was even specific enough to say that the image selected needed to look age appropriate and not suggestive, and be appropriate for publication when the announcement for scholarship winners was made. WOW!!! That tells me that A) they’ve received sexually suggestive images and B) that they weren’t appropriate for publication. What the what?!??!!? Um…No!  You have a wonderful opportunity to get the most bang for your buck when you think through session and plan for these future needs.

I hope these ideas were helpful and that you realize this investment pays off in the long run! Now go start planning…