Be sure to read this thoroughly as you plan and prepare for your senior portraits! It should hopefully answer all of your questions!
THE ULTIMATE GUIDE FOR
AJP SENIORS
Welcome, friend!
I’m Ally, your senior photographer, fellow Aggie, and new friend!
Welcome, sweet GRADUATE-to-be! I am SO excited you're here! You have worked SO hard to get to where you are and I cannot wait to capture your academic victory! This guide will be your best friend as you prepare for your senior session!
As always, feel free to reach out at any time if you have any questions along the way!
WHAT TO EXPECT
If you're like most people, you're probably a little nervous about being in front of the camera...
It's COMPLETELY normal to feel this way, but I want to encourage you to just relax and have a good time. I'm going to be giving you allllll the direction so you never feel like you don't know what you're doing. We're going to capture those timeless photos that everyone loves, while having fun! Some prompts I give you might seem a little silly at first, but TRUST ME, they create some magic.
All you have to do is show up and be confident in who you are! I'll take care of the rest!
TIPS & TRICKS FOR SUCCESS
BE ON TIME: We typically plan your start time based on sunset time. If you are late, it cuts into the sunlight we have available! No one wants dark photos, so arriving on time will ensure we have gorgeous light to work with for your whole shoot! :)
BRINGING SOMEONE ALONG: It's really helpful to bring a friend or mom to your session for two reasons. First, they can help you feel at ease in front of the camera and help you think of funny memories to make you laugh! Second, they can drive you around from spot to spot and help you change into your next outfit! Lastly, I would be more than happy to snap a few photos of you and your mom/friend/significant other so make sure they dress up too!
BRING THE AGGIE RING: This is a huge part of your academic achievement! Don't forget to wear your Aggie ring so that we can take some photos showing off that Aggie gold!
EMPTY YOUR POCKETS: Especially for guys, make sure you don't have anything in your pockets! I am more than happy to store phones and keys in my bag, or ladies, you can bring along a bag to keep everything in.
RELAX! You don’t have to be a pro at this! I’m going to help you along the way and it’s going to be a blast! I don't expect anything from you. Enjoy the process! Plan dinner afterwards and celebrate!!
GET YOUR NAILS DONE: Make sure your nails are freshly painted, or spoil yourself with a trip to the salon! Chipped nails will be noticeable in your photos. Neutral colors and pastels photograph beautifully and will match any outfit! Don't forget about those toes too if you're hearing open toe shoes!
BRING COMFY SHOES: If you're wearing heels, bring a pair of flip flops or comfortable shoes to walk from spot to spot. Your feet will thank me later!
CHOOSING OUTFITS & MORE
HOW MANY OUTFITS? Depending on how many locations you choose, I recommend having a different outfit for each location.
PROFESSIONAL HAIR & MAKEUP: I highly recommend getting your hair and make up done for your session! Not only will it ease the stress from you having to do it, but it will make you feel more confident than ever! If you're on a budget and can't do both, then just have your make up done! Or ask a friend who is really good at hair and make up to help you! I like to get mine done at Naturally Flawless and Glow and Grace Artistry!
* Hair tip - I'm going to share a harsh truth. Straightened hair doesn't photograph very well, especially if it is windy at all. I highly recommend curls or loose waves if curls aren't your thing. The only exception would be if your look is a short straight bob and curling won't work.
CHOOSING COLORS: When choosing colors for your outfits, I recommend choosing a dress that will look good with the maroon A&M stole. Solid dresses tend to photograph better for the more formal cap and gown photos! For your other outfits, the options are endless! Just be YOU!
SKIP CASUAL CLOTHES: I know that jeans and a tee can be comfortable, and if you're going for a tee because it represents where you're going to grad school, then let's definitely throw it on for a few images. But for your main outfits, you'll want to get dressy!
FLATTER YOUR FEATURES: Keep in mind which features you want to flatter and which features you want to hide when picking outfits! For example, if you want to hide your arms, choose a top with sleeves and skip the spaghetti straps. If you want to minimize your bust, choose a dress with a higher neckline and skip the strapless dress. If you opt for a low cut dress, it will minimize the amount of angles I can shoot!
* Another harsh truth: bodycon dresses rarely photograph well. They wrinkle at your tummy with any move you make and it's just not a flattering look in photos. Try to stay away from these. If you have a dress you love and you are curious about how it will photograph, send me a photo of you in it and I can tell you what I think!
SKIP THE TANNING FOAM: Tanning lotions and foams have the tendency to leave streaks and spots, especially around the hands, elbows, and feet, and it will show up on your images. If you want to be tan, i highlight recommend going to Shades Atelier - their spray tans are amazing! And they have given me a discount code exclusively for my clients! Use the code ALLY25 at checkout for 25% off!
*Editing requests outside of lighting and minor touch-ups will be subject to additional charges (this includes bad spray tans, tattoos you want to cover, etc.).
RECOMMENDED LOCATIONS
Here is a list I've compiled of some of my favorite locations for TAMU senior sessions! I love these spots in particular because I'm able to provide photos that are super consistent with what you see on my website and blog, and also provide a huge variety in backgrounds for you! If a location you're considering is not on this list, feel free to reach out to ask about it! I love exploring new spots. Lastly, when choosing locations, don't forget to take into consideration how long it's going to take to drive/walk from spot to spot.
Jack K. Williams administration building
The administration building is the most popular campus spot for graduation photos, and for good reasons. The pillars and the steps make for a stunning academic photo. At the top of the steps, the floors are beautiful, as are the iron doors! There are SO many options at this building. Because of how popular it is, depending on time of year, we may have to wait in line for certain spots.
PARK AT: Central Campus Parking Garage or Lot 54 or 55 with a TAMU parking pass.
AGGIE PARK
There are ENDLESS options in this area! We have the giant ring, lots of trees, the pond, and Kyle Field in the back. Walking distance from here we also have the fountain (listed below)!
PARK AT: Free guest parking right in font of The Association Building off George Bush (by the huge Ring statue).
KYLE FIELD
This area is a gem for brick stadium and Aggie spirit! Wearing an A&M Jersey is a very popular option for this spot, but I also love the way that it looks with a pretty dress! This is a fun spot for champagne, glitter, and cap tosses!
PARK AT: University Center Parking Garage
ACADEMIC PLAZA
This is another spot with SO much opportunity for several different backgrounds. Military Walk has the most stunning trees and is an A&M staple, The Academic Building has some fun architecture to play with. The YMCA makes for a playful backdrop (the building with all the windows!)
PARK AT: Gene Stallings Blvd. Garage or University Center Garage
GRUY FOUNTAIN
The fountain is another senior favorite. We can easily hit up this spot the last 15 mins or so of your session. The sun sets right behind it so it makes for some of the most amazing golden lighting. This is the BEST spot for those blue waters and A&M jumbotron in the back, This is another great spot for celebratory champagne!
PARK AT: The Foundation parking lot off Houston St.
THE BELL TOWER
The Bell Tower has beautiful arches and provides a clean and glowy look on sunny days! *Note that because of the location of the sun, we can only capture the Academic Building in the back on days that are overcast or during a sunrise session.
PARK AT: Gene Stallings Garage or Lot 30e
SO MANY OTHER OPTIONS!
There are many other options on and off campus for senior portraits. To list a few - The Gardens at A&M, Northgate, Olsen Field, George Bush Library, Studio 717, I could go on and on!
YOUR SPECIFIC SCHOOL'S BUILDING
I know that not all buildings are pretty, but if you spent a lot of time there and you want some photos there, why not?!
The best way to make your photos portray a little bit more of your personality and to make them unique, is to think of some props to bring! Props are not mandatory, but I highly recommend choosing at least one! Here are a few ideas:
- champagne
- books/papers
- 12th man towel
- announcement of what's next
- some sort of sign, get creative!
- something related to your major or profession
- what do you love? roller blading?
- your dog :)
If you have any ideas, please reach out and let's dream something up together!
*If you want to do confetti, you have to bring a broom and clean it up. It's usually not worth the added time/stress to pick it up
making your session your own
BRINGING YOUR DOG
I am a BIG fan of pups. So if you have any desire to bring your dog to our session, please do! Some seniors will even get their dog an A&M jersey or their own graduation cap!
The best way to incorporate your dog into your photos is to have someone come along who can take care of the dog during the photos that he/she will not be in. If you booked a two hour session, it may even be better to just have a roommate or friend bring the dog for 15 mins and then take him/her home while we finish our shoot.
Don't forget to bring treats, water, and doggy waste bag because you just never know!
DOWNLOADING YOUR PHOTOS
I recommend downloading the ENTIRE gallery all at once, so you immediately have a copy of all your images! After downloading your gallery, be sure to save it to multiple places. You can also download individual images as you want them!
ACCESSING YOUR PHOTOS ON YOUR PHONE
The online gallery system that I use is extremely mobile friendly! To access, just go to your phone’s web browser and navigate to your gallery’s webpage link. It work seamlessly and just like it would on a computer! You can download individual photos onto your phone for crisp and clear Instagrams and having access to your memories at all times.
ORDERING PRINTS
You can actually order professional and affordable prints from within your online gallery and have them shipped directly to your house! Prints are printed in a professional lab to ensure color and contrast accuracy. You are more than welcome to print images on your own. However, I would warn you to avoid Walmart, Target and Walgreens. I cannot promise that your colors will print true-to-life if you choose to print at those stores!
GALLERY EXPIRATION
Your gallery is guaranteed to remain open for 3 months after your shoot. Therefore, I highly recommend backing up your images in more than one place, on multiple devices, flash drives, hard drives, and even in online cloud storage systems like Dropbox or iCloud. You can't have enough copies!
SHARING YOUR IMAGES
You are completely free to share your images wherever you would like! Whether it's on social media, printing them for your home, or sending to your friends, share away! I want you to treat your images like they're yours. Just keep in mind not to add filters or re-edit them in any way (cropping is totally okay!) And please don't screenshot your images. The quality decreases significantly and it will make them look bad. Lastly, please tag me when you post on social media so that others can find out about my small business! Thank you so much!
online gallery
SENIOR Albums
Senior albums are the perfect way to remember your collegiate years. You can order one anytime before or after your portrait session! Reach out if you are interested in ordering one!
20 PAGE 8X8 LINEN ALBUM: $250
30 PAGE 10X10 LINEN ALBUM: $375
40 PAGE 12X12 LINEN ALBUM: $500
• Leather Cover Upgrade: $50
• Additional 2-page Spread: $20
Thank you SO much for choosing me to take your senior photos. I can't wait to come up with a game plan together for where we will go, what you will wear, and what fun things we will incorporate. Please schedule a Zoom call with me so that we can plan everything!
NEXT STEPS...
SCHEDULE A ZOOM CALL
