Can I Do My Senior Session With Someone?

Senior sessions are your time to shine but can you do them with someone? Absolutely! But what does that look like, practically speaking? I'm so glad you asked!

Why Share A Session?
First, let's talk about why someone might want to do a senior session with a friend or relative. One reason is cost. If you have twins, it would be more cost-effective for you to have them share one senior session rather than have them each do their own. Scheduling is also much easier. Another reason might be that the senior really is not all that excited to have their portraits done. (Just being honest, this is usually more of a guy thing). By splitting a session with a friend you don't have to be in the spotlight as long. But maybe you just really want to do your senior session with a friend because it's fun! Whatever the reason, it's totally doable, but it does look a little bit different.

What's The Difference?
A shared session is still the same length as an individual senior session but the structure and planning is even more intentional!! Each person gets about 45 minutes of portrait time for themselves and then in the middle we do 30 minutes of poses together.

Another difference is that each person only gets two outfits - one for their individual portraits and one for their shared portraits. You can change things up with your one outfit to add variety by adding a hat or jacket or other accessories and props. So even though it's only one outfit, it won't look like just one outfit :)

If someone didn't want together portraits, then the time would just be split in half, an hour for each person, and they could each have two outfits.

Lastly, you have to coordinate EVERYTHING! A shared session is very fun, but it takes a lot of coordination. You have to find a day and time that works for both of you, pick a location that you both like, and you have to plan your outfits for your photos together to make sure they work well with each other.

A "Real-Life" Example
I'm going to give you a scenario. Nikki and Hannah are best friends and they want to split a senior session. They find a Thursday evening that works for both of them and we get it set up. They pick a location with a few different spots and pick their outfits. Nikki gets the first 45 minutes of the session and Hannah is already in the outfit for their shared portraits. Then Nikki changes and we do portraits of them together. (Props are great for this portion too!) Finally, Hannah will change into her solo outfit and we will do her individual photos.

Who Can Do A Shared Senior Session?
Really, anyone can do it. But I would say this would be best for people who are really dreading getting their photos done or who doesn't need/want a full variety of senior photos. It would also be good for twins or siblings who are graduating in the same year. Since I don't do senior sessions with any of my shorter session offerings, this is the only way to get a senior portrait experience for a lower price and for less time.


What questions do you have about shared senior portrait sessions? Would you want to do one or would you prefer to have your senior portrait experience fully for yourself?






Bottom photo by Bimata Prathama on Unsplash