Has Your Senioritis Set In?

Now that you’re a senior in high school, a lot of big decisions are going to come up fast, if they haven’t already. You have a lot to think about. It’s a big job. This means college considerations, SAT/ACT prep, building up your volunteer hours and sticking them on your resume—which is totally starting to fill up, by the way. And, of course, in the midst of all that, you still have to juggle school and all its demands, the potential prom and homecoming plans, and then, right there at the end are your plans for graduation. Thing is, before you think about graduation, you have to consider your graduation portraits.

Sure, you could just go with whatever service your school is providing. Those get the job done well enough. But the most exciting results come from a photo shoot customized to you and your preferences.

Gretchen Adams Photography does whatever we can to:

A) Make you comfortable during your shoot B) Make sure you love love loveee your results C) And key the shoot to your personality and hobbies.

On that thread, we’ll help you figure out what looks go best for the results you probably have in mind, what settings would make the photos exemplify who you are, and more. For example, want results that showcase that awesome new cut and color with the highlights you just got? Not a problem. You’re allowed to want those things. This shoot is totally about you! We’ll figure out what time of day is best for this and shoot at the peak of daylight where the sun can really show you and your new do off.

Another thing we like to do is figure you out. What are your hobbies? Do you love music? Bring your instrument along to the shoot, or if it’s not portable, we’ll come to you. Your baby grand piano doesn’t have to budge an inch. Maybe cheer and dance are your after school activity of choice? Bring your poms along for the shoot. Or we can even do a couple shots of you in your dance gear, all done up. This extends all the way down to football/basketball/baseball lovers, the wood shop pros and even the chess club enthusiasts. Again, when you have your senior portraits taken with the professionals at Gretchen Adams Photography, you’re getting a custom shoot that showcases you in all your Senior glory.

Planning your high school senior portrait

High school is one of the most memorable stages of life, and it can be bittersweet to leave this stage behind. Capture the memory of your senior year with high school senior portraits. Whether you decide to display it proudly or keep it safe in a photo album, these pictures can evoke fond memories as you move on to the next stage, whether it’s college, a career, or traveling. While you may get a yearbook photo taken by your school’s photographer, you'll probably want a more personal touch. Small studios are able to focus on you so that you are represented in the best possible way. At Gretchen Adams Photography, we can take your photo whether it’s for your yearbook or for a memento. Instead of relying on the typical solid background, we'll have a bit of fun with some travel so that you can get your photograph taken at your school, outdoors, or even at your home. All the details will be considered so that you will look your best in your high school senior portrait.

One of the best things about working with a smaller studio like us is the ability to take your time to get the perfect shot. In a typical school photography shoot, you are rushed and this shows in the final result. At the school, you are also typically limited to headshots, with no flexibility in poses. With Gretchen Adams Photography, you’ll have the time to try out different poses and the fun of different photo touches and lighting. Full body shots are really big, too, so be sure to consider those as one of your potential options. The hard part comes when you have to select the ones you like best, but don't worry, we actually make that a snap with our private in-person preview appointments. We're here to help guide you towards the very best images and the best ways to package them together. Although every family is unique in their portrait needs, most of our clients decide on one of our gorgeous folio box collections so they can have a set of beautifully matted prints with matching digital files.

If you find yourself in the SF bay area, consider consulting Gretchen Adams Photography to learn more about our senior portraits. Instead of waiting to see if you get a photograph you like from a typical school photography session, know that you’ll get excellent results you can be proud of by working with our studio.

High school senior portraits are important in every way

High school senior portraits are a long-standing tradition—a tradition that represents a step taken toward the adult world. This milestone deserves to be marked, and for many decades now, senior students have been getting their own personal photographs to help mark this milestone.

The trick to getting that absolutely spot-on high school senior portraits is to be sure that the personality and character of the student shows through. Many times, shooting on location is the best way to do this. On location shooting helps reflect the interests, habits and loves of the student while still ensuring quality photos. Whether the senior wants good head shots or wants pictures on the hood of their classic car, a high-quality photographer can ensure that the final results are more than worth the effort.

We know that you and your high school seniors are in the midst and chaos of one of the busiest times of the new adult's life, so Gretchen Adams Photography does everything within our power to snap a great shot with minimal fuss. What this means is that it's up to you to contact us and set up a time when we can begin this fun process. We'll all plan the shoot from the top of A to the bottom of Z, coordinating locations, poses, looks—all of it. That's one of the incredibly enjoyable parts, we've found, for everyone involved.

Students who've spent their high school lives playing a sport or instrument might like to don their letterman jackets, poms, or use their saxophones and violins as props. Some students really like to be photographed doing a certain activity, like drawing or playing with a pet. Others really enjoy straight on, face-forward headshots. Either way, it's important that you, at the end of the day, be happy with the final product.

To all you seniors out there, these photographs are an important part of senior year, and are the pictures that parents will send out to family and friends and with graduation announcements as well. To that end, it's pretty crucial that you get the very best photographs possible. Many times these headshots are the treasured mementos of this time of life and are those that will be kept for many years to come.

If the student is looking for a photographer who can generate something creative or of a certain quality for them, we at Gretchen Adams Photography, in combination with the student, can work together until that quest for awesome senior portraits is realized.

Thanks for the memories

Whether you're looking forward or looking back—high school senior portraits are the pretty much the definition of tangible memories. They're an awesome way to remember what sort of things you spent your high school career doing as well as, perhaps, what you'll be doing as you move forward.

changing it up

You want your high school portraits to stand out, seniors. Here's why. First and foremost, your parents will likely send these portraits out to friends and family. And those friends and family are going to want to hang those photographs around their homes and offices. You know what that means—lots of eyes getting a glimpse of your photos. Having your portraits taken with us here at Gretchen Adams Photography means you're signing up for quality portraits taken with your wants in mind.

Another reason? These images also get sent out with your graduation announcements. Grandparents across the country, aunts and uncles, distant cousins—they're all likely to receive these photos with the announcement of your commencement. So, let's do this right. Let's do something a little different this year. Let's shake things up. We'll work together to figure out what looks, locations, and poses work for you.

lasting spirit

Parents. We've got some news for you too. Your graduating senior has got a style all their own and it's likely they've got a few ideas in mind for their senior portraits as well. With us here at Gretchen Adams Photography, we can capture a few stunning shots on location or in a studio. Either way, the portraits will be something both you and your teen can love. Our goal is to make these portraits into lasting memories. They've got the potential to capture the essence of the things your teen loves most—sports, nature or even just a few great pieces of clothing—and showcase their hopes for the future. After all, for some of us, those things do include the things we were doing in high school.

Senior portraits done with us have just what's needed to make those images standout from all the rest. Unique is just what we do. We also make sure that the individual portraits stand apart from each other. You might be wondering, "Well, how's that?" We do this by getting your senior to relax and show of their unique personalities. Sometimes all it takes is a bit of conversation and a smile to bring out that spark.

personality, quirk & interests

The personality that your seniors are growing into is an important thing to encourage. Naturally, you want them to achieve future success and further development, so why not support those goals with fabulous portraits? Half the fun is planning the portrait session. Parents, think back to your high school careers. What were your interests? Some of us were sports lovers, some of us were math lovers, others were band and cheer enthusiasts. Some of us might have even been a complex combination of all those things. If that's your senior, then half out battle's already taken care of.

Gretchen Adams Photography specializes in not only capturing the perfect shot, but also keying the photographs to the person in front of the camera too. We'll do everything we can to make sure the session is 3 things: stress-free, fun, and a perfect depiction of the graduating senior to-be.

Contacting us at Gretchen Adams Photography can get you started with planning an exciting senior portrait day.

Eliminate senior portrait stress!

One of the great milestones in everyone’s life is graduating high school. There are a few things to look forward to (including the glory of seniority): Homecoming, Prom, and—of course—senior portraits! You know graduation is coming up fast when the topic of senior portraits comes about. Though this is an incredibly exciting time, it can also be a little bit nerve-wracking to make sure that the perfect photo is taken. This is the portrait that everyone is going to see and every family member is going to ask for! The pressure is definitely on! Worry not—Gretchen Adams Photography has all your bases covered. Lots of students use the photography company provided by the school, but many times, seniors see their yearbook photo or their prints and aren't exactly pleased with them. Why is that? Can somebody say, "Re-do!" Well, the reason for this is that the company provided by the school sticks students in a few awkward poses, takes a couple of quick shots, and then jumps on to the next. They don’t pay much attention to hair and make-up, nor do they make sure that all accessories complement the photo. Frankly, they aren’t paid to consider most of those details so, sadly, every celebrating senior just becomes a ticket number.

But no worries!—You've got options. If you're a parent or high school senior, you may want to seek professional photography services elsewhere, like with us here at Gretchen Adams Photography. This way, you aren’t restricted to the poses, the time constraints, and the fixed photo packages of the school. Some senior portraits are taken in cap and gown uniform, but others are taken in the standard black dressy shawl for ladies and suit and tie for men. With Gretchen Adams Photography, the choice is yours! Barefoot with jeans and a tee? Your letterman jacket and a ball cap? Sure! The photograph should be the perfect précis of who you are.

When you independently seek a photographer for senior portraits, you're essentially guaranteeing a top notch and quality experience. Not everyone is comfortable in front of the camera or taking pictures amongst their peers. Most students would actually prefer a private setting, and a little more time than just a few minutes to get comfortable with the idea of being in front of the camera. Having senior pictures done professionally also means that there are a variety of poses, and even backgrounds, to try, rather than the much smaller selection that may be provided at school. A better photograph means that, ultimately, you have acquired more for your money and the difference in care, quality and sheer aesthetic will be obvious.

If you live in, or can travel to, the San Francisco Bay area and would like to have senior portraits done independently, make sure you get in the studio with us here at Gretchen Adams Photography, and experience what it's like to have photos done with a seasoned professional. Not only will we deliver portraits that you'll be incredibly taken with, but we'll take our time with you and work at your comfort level.

Outdoor senior portraits | san ramon valley high school

Another senior portrait session! These shoots are so much fun, I really enjoy working with the high school seniors to create special and memorable portraits for them. For this session, Madi brought along her sweet little dog, Kitty. It’s obvious how much Madi loves her and she was a good little doggie during our session! We started in town and captured some of the urban scenes and then headed down to the water as the sun was setting to get a different feel.  We even lucked out with a beautiful little tree that was changing color for the fall and had perfect light.  These are some of Madi’s favorites from our shoot…

Senior portraits by the water | san ramon valley high

Such a fun shoot with Claire to celebrate her senior year! I have known her since she was a baby and it's so cool to see what a beautiful young lady she has turned into! We had a gorgeous evening for our shoot with nice warm weather right at the end of the summer. The sun was setting fast, so we moved quickly and got a great collection of images with a few outfit changes in less than 30 minutes! Here are a few of our favorites from the set...

Senior portraits monte vista high | danville, ca

Justine and I met a few weeks ago for her senior portrait session and had so much fun. I had her text me shots of her outfit choices prior to our session and then I planned our shooting route based on the outfits she had lined up so that we were able to get a good variety of images while the light was still perfect. We had a gorgeous summer evening to work with, so we started in town and then ended by the water to capture the last little bits of setting sun. The sunset that night was amazing! After the sun set, the sky was such an incredible vibrant pink color, and it was reflecting on the water around us while I shot. One thing that drives me nuts about blog post is that I can't control how my images will look on every monitor they might be viewed on, so I hope the soft pastel colors are coming across on at least some of the devices out there! Here is a selection of images that Justine and her family chose to go into her folio box collection, and I know the prints will be incredible! I can't wait until they arrive!!!

Samantha's senior portraits | walnut creek, ca

Do you like Sami's dress? I had her come over about an hour before our shoot and I simply "made" her a custom dress with some fabric and safety pins. Voila! A couture gown made just for her! She actually just had a tank top, bike shorts and Uggs on under all of this. Then we headed out to our evening location and created some beautiful images for her senior portraits. Even though it is nearing the end of January, we had a gorgeous evening with temps around 65 degrees. I always time my shoots so that we have perfect lighting and plenty of time to work before the light disappears. I brought along an antique ladder chair to give us additional options for posing since we would just be working in an empty field. I love the classic, elegant, yet simple feel of these images. Truly timeless and gorgeous. Thanks, Sami, for being so easy going and such a wonderfully beautiful subject to photograph, as always!

Senior Portraits in Benicia