seethrough, or low cut.

No hats are allowed in most yearbooks—neither the cap worn for graduation, nor
fashionable, cowboy, or baseball hats. These rules are set forth by the school to represent the look and taste
they feel appropriately represents their students and parents.

each and every senior for the yearbook. Contract portraiture is generally the worst of all worlds in portrait
photography. There is mildly adequate lighting (but it’s the same for each person), standard poses and
expressions, and images that are all alike—like a passport photo. In short, nobody takes a really good
yearbook photo. So why do schools employ contract photographers? They do it because photographers
essentially pay for the contracts, most often by doing activity photos at no charge or by giving free supplies
and the use of cameras to the school photography class. Contract photographers simplify (for the school)
getting photos of sports teams, dances, band groups, graduation, etc. The studios then make their money on
reprints. In the past, contract photographers locked up the area high schools. Portraits by non-contract studios
were not accepted for the yearbook, and students were literally forced to buy from the officially sanctioned
studio. Today that practice has largely disappeared, and most of the large contract studios have lost their
stranglehold on the senior business. High schools can suggest the contract photographer—and even threaten
that the student’s portrait will not appear in the yearbook if their portrait is taken by an independent
photographer—but it is ultimately the parent’s choice

researching this book, both the first and second editions, I spoke to quite a few accomplished senior
photographers who have migrated to this field from other successful ventures. Some are award-winning
wedding photographers who wanted a change—or a means of making their studios profitable year-round.
Some are successful portrait and children’s photographers who simply like working with teens. But almost all
of them agree that the senior age group represents the fastest-growing segment of the photographic market
—and it attracts primarily upscale, highdollar clients. That means you can see not only increased profits but
also increased prestige within the community. It’s cool to be an in-demand senior photographer. Accordingly,
the status of the senior portrait photographer has risen from the surly guy who does yearbook photos to a full-
service studio with a large staff of employees (including makeup artists and skilled retouchers) and hundreds
of customer options

and reinforcement that they look great. This age group knows what they want, and it’s up to you to provide it.
Show What’s Unique About Them. As with any good portrait sitting, the aim is to show the different sides of
the subject’s personality. You’ll need strategies for showing their fun side as well as their serious side. In many
cases, this will require you to work with teens in different styles of clothing (including everything from prom
gowns, to tee-shirts, to sports uniforms), at locations that reflect the senior’s personality, and with meaningful
props (from footballs, to musical instruments, to cars). Understand Their World. Teens want to be accepted by
their peers. While they may be nonconformists in the adult world, they are part of what’s happening in their
own world. As an expert at photographing this age group, you need to be aware of the latest trends in
clothing, hairstyles, music, movies, and television. It helps if you have kids in this age group (at least you’ll
know some of their favorite bands), but if you don’t, it would be beneficial to develop a working knowledge of
(and genuine interest in) popular teenage culture. Larry Peters, a very successful senior photographer, says
the kids that come into his studios are always blown away by the selection of CDs he has on hand—including
rap and hip-hop. Then he