OK, what are the senior session rules: What rules? No rules. Zip. NADA. none.
What? That doesn’t make any sense! I am a storyteller by nature, temperament, and personality. The moments of your senior year are a milestone that should be celebrated as a transition from childhood to adulthood and this is the opportunity to show exactly who you are on the cusp of adulthood.
What does that mean in practicality? Who are you? At this moment in time? We want to tell THAT story. We have done a lot over the years. I have also been water skiing, to an Alpaca farm, to the top of Crowders Mountain, and also shown people who are into reading and their vinyl collection. Certainly every sport I want to make cool photos of. (and no it will never be that cheesy lineup photo they put on your poster.) Who are YOU? That’s the story I want to tell.
Wait: My school says I have to go there to get my photo done by the school photographers? Yep. They get a kickback. A big chunk of what you spend on their inflated packages goes back to the school. For my sons, I paid the $25 charge for the tuxedo yearbook photo. And then we went to do cool photos elsewhere.
Can’t you do the yearbook photos? Yep, we do them pretty regularly, normally when someone is really unhappy with the yearbook photo company’s photo. We will do everything we can to match the style of the other photos and submit it to them. But because they don’t want people to go elsewhere often they play with the image so it doesn’t match the others and then stick them in weird places in the senior lineup in the yearbook.
The school photo company told me I had to pay a bunch more for taking other photos. Yep, remember the kickback. They got to make money somehow.
Do I get a 20-minute slot with 3 changes of clothes with you? I would laugh if it were possible here. So HAHAHAHAHA! Remember we don’t have rules. Often our seniors will do two or even three shoots during the course of their senior year. No limit on clothes. No limits period.
That must be expensive: Nope you pay a one-time sitting fee. We do one shoot or three it is the same price. (It’s $167.50) Normally senior shoots are between 40 and 90 minutes each. No rules on number of ideas either.
I heard you can pass that sitting fee on to other members of your family? So little brothers don’t pay a new sitting fee when it’s their turn. Your mom wants a family portrait before you go off to school? Cool! No more sitting fees. Ever.
OK so how do you make your money then if you only pay a sitting fee once? Good question. I am in the print business. (I would say the art business but that sounds really snooty.) I want you to have physical manifestations of who you are at this point in your life.
So your packages must be really expensive! No packages ever. Zip. NADA. None. Why should you have to buy six things you don’t want to get the three you do want? Ok, what am I not understanding here? We sell individual prints. They start at $37.50 and go from there. NEVER a minimum. Never a maximum either. You can buy as little as you want or we will let you spend way more than you want (yes that was a joke).
Do you do graduation announcements? Yes but again everything is custom designed based on your photos. No templates. Your cards are going to be your cards. I design them myself.
You have not said anything about digital files? For any photo you purchase a print of, you will receive a digital proof BEFORE we go to print. That image is sized to do almost anything you want to do with it online, on your computer or phone. You can share it as much as you wish.
Can I print from the digital files? Honestly, I know once the digital file is out there it is beyond my control. But I encourage you to come to see me for your prints. That way I can guarantee the quality of your prints. Candidly, It is also how I make money as a business.
Wait I have another dozen questions: Ok here is the really weird thing about me. If you pick up the phone and dial 704-844-2993 you will almost certainly reach me personally. If for some reason you get voice mail leave a message and you will be surprised how quickly I call back. But you will always get a callback!
