You might be asking yourself “why would I hire someone to take my daughter’s senior pictures when I could do it myself?” To be fair, it’s a valid question to ask. You might feel overwhelmed by picking what photographer to use, finding a date that works, or the expense of using a professional photographer. We hear all of those concerns; however, there are many reasons why having a professional photographer take your senior pictures is the only way to go. Here are four reasons why you should hire a professional photographer to take your senior portraits.

A professional photographer wants what is best for you. They want their work and your beauty to be something you remember and look back on years from now. They want you to feel beautiful and excited during your session. A professional may squeal with excitement because of the shot they just got of you or jump up and down because you are rocking it. You want someone cheering you on or hyping you up. This adds to your confidence in your shoot and in return creates the most magical, beautiful images ever. Having a professional who is invested in you and their work is a huge reason why your images will turn out so beautiful and a top reason why you should hire a pro to capture this moment. ​

Becoming an experienced photographer takes work. It’s not something that just happens over night. But with all that work comes experience and knowledge. The more the photographer knows the better your pictures will come out. A professional photographer knows the angles to capture the most flattering image, knows when the lightning is the best, knows the best poses to help you feel the most confident, is willing to try something new to find the perfect shot. All of this, plus more, is important to have in a photoshoot. Hiring a professional photographer helps ensure that your pictures are the highest quality possible and helps ease the worries away of how the pictures will turn out. After all, senior pictures are often showcased for years to come and you want to look back on your images and truly love them. 

​If you are curious about how Sarah Lindsay got into photography and her experience, click here.

I am sure if you look back at your camera roll you can tell which pictures were taken on an original phone versus which pictures are taken with your phone now. There’s a distinction right? The camera’s on the smart phones we have today are pretty amazing. But, those pictures on an iPhone don’t compare to the final product you get with the camera we use. Don’t get me wrong, your phone captures so many memories and there is a time and place to grab your phone for that picture worthy moment. However, senior pictures are not one of those moments. Having a professional photographer use a camera that can change between lenses adds to the beauty of your pictures. A professional photographer will switch between lenses depending on the type of shot they want to get. This gives you a wide range of images to choose from that are each unique. Hiring a professional photographer with that fancy camera and different lenses will ensure the most beautiful, clear, amazing images you could ask for. ​

Likely, you are wondering how we will edit your pictures but often people forget about the software that is needed to edit those pictures. Anyone can download an app on their phone and whiten teeth or brighten their image, but it isn't the same. Hiring a professional photographer ensures that they have access to high end software to edit your pictures. Sarah Lindsay Photography provides high end skin retouching and smoothing to add to the beauty of your picture. We want you to know that you are beautiful, strong, amazing before we do any editing to any of your pictures. Having a professional photographer edit your pictures helps make sure that those images appear natural and don’t take away from the beauty of who you actually are. 

​Another perk of having a professional take and edit your pictures is that they can photoshop something out. For example, if you wanted your dress to sway in the wind and there is no wind, no problem! We can have someone hold your dress, creating that movement and later on edit that other person out. Using the right software and knowing how to edit pictures only adds to your images and vision of your shoot!

Interested in Working with Sarah Lindsay Photography?

As a photographer, new or seasoned, the amount of options for cameras, gear, lenses, lighting, etc. can be very overwhelming. You want to start a photography business, but don't know where to start, or maybe you're looking to upgrade your gear but are overwhelmed by everything out there. That's why I've made this handy list of my favorite things! I did this with you in mind because I've been there before. I've been in your shoes. ​ I've created this list with more affordable options because, let's face it, camera gear can be expensive! The good news is, you DON'T need the fanciest, most expensive gear. In fact, in my career as a photographer, I have only purchased used cameras! And my favorite lens, is a used lens! However there are more expensive options out there if you'd like to spend more money ;).

Recommended Cameras for Beginners

Recommended Portrait Lenses

The lenses you will need will vary based on what you're photographing, your camera, and your budget. Here is a list of the lenses that will be best for portraits. Keep in mind most companies make the same or similar lenses as their competitor.

NIKON

More recommendations coming soon... Check back tomorrow!

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Many people shy away from the idea of having a photoshoot in the winter. It’s cold, snowy, unpredictable, busier than usual. But, a photoshoot in the winter can create unique and stunning images. You might have a hard time imagining what your images would turn out as. That's okay. Many pictures you would look at for inspiration come from summer and early fall shoots. Here are some 3 ideas to help your senior pictures stand out in a winter wonderland! 

When the snow is falling and the weather is cold, you likely want to put on some layers, throw a beanie on, or add a scarf to keep you warm. Why not add these to your outfit choices for a photoshoot? For winter photoshoots, accessories can be so fun to play with in a picture. If you have a favorite beanie it can be fun to wear that in a few shots. The beanie can help draw attention to your beautiful face and in some cases based on the color of the beanie, make your eyes pop! A beanie can also help occupy your hands as you could hold the strings of the beanie, tilting your head helping capture those perfect images. 
Winter photoshoots are the time to play with accessories. Accessories such as hats, scarfs, and big jackets are common to wear during these months. Accessories in the summer can be much harder to incorporate. If you love to accessorize with pieces such as hats, scarfs, or big jackets a winter photoshoot would be perfect for you!! 

With a white, snowy background it is important to add some color or pattern into what you wear. A good way to incorporate that pop of color is through layering. Layers in pictures photograph beautifully, not to mention during the winter they can also keep you warm. Wearing layers adds movement and dimension to each image. As an example, you could wear a long sleeve shirt with a deep red cardigan with jeans and tall boots. That deep red with a white background will help you stand out and add color to your image.   
If layering is not your style, there are many other ways to add that pop to your image. Don't worry! An outfit such as an animal print top, leather skirt, tights, and tall boots can be a very flattering outfit for winter photos. This look can give you a more formal feel to the images. Having a more formal outfit can boost your confidence in pictures as you will be more dolled up that usual!  
There are so many different options of how to bring a pop of color or a bold pattern into your pictures. For more outfit inspiration for a winter photoshoot, click here. 

Snow is like a built in prop for your photoshoot. Using the snow as an added bonus instead of thinking of it as in the way will help capture those beautiful photos. This might look like throwing snow, looking up at the snow, maybe even doing a snow angel. We want you to have fun in the snow as we want to capture as much of your authentic personality as we can. If you are having fun in the snow, the pictures will capture true beauty and personality. That is what we strive for having in our photographs. Having a built in prop such as the snow will create one of a kind pictures that will bring back lots of memories! 

A senior photoshoot in the winter can give you unique pictures that people will remember for a long time. These images will have a different background, outfit inspiration, and overall feel than most of the other pictures in the yearbook. If you want to stand out and brave the winter cold, a winter photoshoot is magical. ​

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You might see celebrities or friends who appear more photogenic than you, but we want you to know you are also photogenic! A simple pose, hand placement, or head tilt can make a huge difference in how your images come out. You are beautiful and you can be photogenic too with these 5 simple tips. 
Psst! There are many BONUS TIPS sprinkled in here, you don't want to miss them!

This is a little known secret! Movement can capture true emotion and often makes the pictures look more natural. Which is what we all want, right?! When you add movement into your pose, we might be able to capture a giggle or a soft smile that we might not have gotten in a still pose. Posing for the camera does not always mean sitting or standing still. You can twirl your hair, move your dress, hop back and forth, walk toward/away from the camera, or play with a jacket you might be wearing. Don’t worry you don't have to know what exactly to do, these are just ideas. Sarah Lindsay Photography will guide you through poses to capture the most beautiful images. All you need to know is that posing with some movement will photograph beautifully! Here's a helpful video from The Agency Arizona on how to pose with movement like a model.

Have you ever felt awkward in pictures because you don’t know what to do with your hands? You’re not alone! I used to wonder what my hands should be doing in pictures. I would stiffen my hands like I'm playing "Rock, Paper, Scissors" with myself and then feel self conscious about it. The most natural look for your senior pictures is to occupy your hands. This means you might be playing with your hair, hooking your thumb in your pocket, swinging your dress. If you get lost, don't worry! Sarah Lindsay Photography will help give you tips on what you can do with your hands in the photo so that you don’t feel awkward and that the position of the hands photograph well. 
While keeping those hands occupied is important, where they are positioned can also help you look more photogenic in photos. Here's a few things to keep in mind!  Place your hands near something that you love about yourself. Your arm and hand can act like a big ol' arrow directing attention towards it. This can help draw attention to the areas you are most confident about and away from an area that causes you to feel self conscious. For example, if you place your hand near your eyes, it draws attention to your gorgeous eyes! Here's a bonus tip- If you put your hand in your pocket or belt loop, you will want to leave a small gap between your arm and waist. This will help make your waist appear smaller in the images! 

Yes, you heard that right. Turtle! If you extend your neck and head toward the camera an inch or two, then tilt your nose slightly down, it can help elongate your face, neck, and eliminate any double chins. Lowering your shoulder will help too. I don't know about you, but when I get nervous, my shoulders inch their way up to my ears! These simple suggestions might feel weird to do but on camera, trust us, it creates the most beautiful photos! Bonus tip: You know how you can tell the difference between a real smile and a fake smile? It's all in the eyes! The corners of your eyes will crinkle a little when you genuinely smile. A fake smile can also be spotted in your photos so to ensure a real smile, think about someone you love, something funny, or your crush!

This might seem silly when talking about posing as you might be thinking, “well duh I need to have good posture”. But to be honest, this is a huge part of posing that people often forget about. Standing up straight with your shoulders back is a simple request, but can make all the difference in your specific pose. We know slouching might be what the cool kids are doing, but slouching makes you appear less confident and like you don't believe you look beautiful in this moment. Trust me, you do and you deserve to show off that confidence and beauty in your senior pictures! So, stand up tall, shoulders back, and believe in how beautiful you truly are.

Feeling confident and beautiful when standing in front of the camera will make you more photogenic. We're not kidding, it's true! Your emotions will show through your eyes and your body language and people will see that in your photos. So with all the tips you've read above, the most important thing is that we want you to feel comfortable in every pose. If you are in a pose that makes you uncomfortable or it just doesn’t feel like you, tell your photographer! We are happy to change change it up to help you feel the most confident. 
Looking for inspiration on Instagram and Pinterest can be really helpful too! You can save images that you like to show your photographer. (Disclaimer when saving inspo photos: your photos will not look exactly like the one you see. You have a different location, different lighting, different photographer, different outfit, etc. So just keep that in mind when looking for inspo!) When you are excited about a specific pose, that excitement often shows through in your photograph. Sarah Lindsay Photography is happy to try any pose that fits within your vision! We want your photoshoot to feel like it is all about you and you to feel your absolute best. 

Bonus tip: You've probably heard people talk about having a ‘good side’. You might say that you don't have a preferred side or that you don’t know which side it is. Here’s a trick to tell which side you feel more photogenic on. Take a selfie and see which side of your face is more prevalent. Likely this is the side that you feel more confident being caught on camera. If when you take that selfie you feel confident on either side, then you probably have two ‘good sides’! You can also see which side your hair is parted on. Often times that indicates which side you prefer. Don't be afraid to tell your photographer which side of your face you prefer. They want to capture the authentic you!

Bonus tip! It can be helpful to practice posing in the mirror before your senior photoshoot. This can increase your confidence and can help you believe you ARE photogenic before the special day.