Now that we've crossed into January, seniors across the state unite in their collective joy at the thought of finally making it to May.  Soon there will be no more waking up early, no more homework, no more tests.  FINALLY they will be an.....ADULT!  Moms will get a kick out of that last statement.  Although the teens are super anxious to make it to May, moms and dads want to savor every single minute of this year.  And, it goes by way too fast.  As their "babies" are already trying to pack bags for college, parents are saying "wait, wait, wait - slow down please".  As a mom that has gone through this myself already and about to do it again in 2020, I know all too well just how much your emotions can be all over the place.  We are sad that this season of life is winding down but super excited at the season coming.  Where will they go?  Not too far we hope.  So, why worry about senior pictures in January?

One of the most anticipated activities at this stage of life is getting senior pictures done.  It's a big milestone!  Some want to be glamorous, some want to show their unique personality, some want a more low key experience because they are just cool like that. 

Why think about this in January?  Here are a few helpful hints for why you should be putting pencil to calendar now:

1)  EVERYONE IS DOING THE SAME!  January/early February is a very popular time for LOTS of people to look at calendars to pre-book their session.  They know there is only a limited window of a couple of months left to get this on the calendar before it turns into frantic time.  A couple of months doesn't sound too bad, right?  Don't forget that prom is tucked into this timeframe also which can dominate time for dress/tux shopping.  Those weekends start to fill up very quickly.  The last thing you want to do is wait too long and have to settle, scramble, or be stressed.  The early birds get the worms, right? 

2)  PLANNING AHEAD MAKES IT EASIER!  If you plan now for your Spring session, you have time to work out important details like reserving a special venue, getting those special outfits, and gathering those special items you want to include in your shoot.  There is nothing more disappointing than to find out that you can't reserve that space and then just trying to figure out anything you can do to just get in anywhere to meet deadlines.  When you reach this mode, you are already going in with a level of disappointment which means you'll look back at your pictures and say "I wish we would have..." or "I love the pictures, but I wish we had gotten in to the...instead".  Photographers across the state are applauding your proactive self since we often get indirectly linked to that disappointment because the pictures were not where you really wanted to go. 

3)  YOU GET YOUR FAVORITE PHOTOGRAPHER!  If lots of people are looking at reserving a session date, you actually may not get in with your photographer.  Wait, what?!  How could they do that to me!  Calendars fill up quickly, as these sessions tend to be a bit longer in length, so remember that photographers only have so much time available for these special sessions.  And photographers already know that Aunt Sadie has assured you several times over Christmas dinner that she can do that for you because she has a camera and can do it for free.  We get it - she would love to help and you love her for it.  But odds are pretty high that Aunt Sadie hasn't had many hours of training and experience to give you the pictures that make you tear up and whisper "wow" as soon as you open that gallery.  This whole process is a very important deal.  Now maybe isn't really the best time to pin your long awaited anticipation of this moment on that.  Sorry Aunt Sadie.  Have her head up the graduation party instead if she wants to help.  She can snap candid pictures to her heart's content at that or even the ceremony itself.  Win/win!   

4)  YOU GET YOUR PICTURES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS BACK IN TIME!  Getting a gallery of pictures means you have several to choose from when it's time to print things.  And, if you haven't done something like that, it can be hard to choose.  I mean, it's your sweet faced baby looking back at you in them all.  How can you pick just some of them to put on their announcement?!  Almost seems cruel, doesn't it?  But, realistically, you won't want 25 different poses on that announcement card.  Plus, you and everyone other client that your photographer is working with will have things to be ordered.  And, there is a certain turnaround time to get those back and delivered back to you.  If you book a little earlier, you can spend a time making sure you've picked just what you wanted.  You also get it ordered timely to avoid pulling into the post office on two wheels desperately hoping the announcements make it out in time. 

5)  IT IS NOT AS EXPENSIVE AS YOU THINK!  Did you know that we only require a $50 deposit to hold your session date?  It's true!  If you reserve now, you have time to budget and plan accordingly for paying by the session date.  This helps with spacing costs out so that everything from the year doesn't hit all at once.  We also offer packages starting at $99 because we know first hand just how expensive this year really is.  We offer different session lengths - starting at 30 minutes - to best suit your schedule and budget.  Ask us for more info!

So while you're enjoying that cup of coffee on this cold morning, grab your calendar and start planning now.  The more planning that happens early, the more you can relax and enjoy each moment of this year with as little stress as possible.  And, don't worry.  We will take great care of you and your senior at your session because we pour ourselves into making it a memorable and exciting experience!  We'd love to share the moment with you!