1. Ask about Retouching. Professional High School Senior Photographers should offer retouching. It may be free or it may cost a few dollars. If you can't find a photographer who includes the cost of "basic" retouching in their packages - expect to spend around $10-$20 per pose. That seems to be the industry average, and in the age of digital senior pictures, should not be time consuming enough for the photographer to charge more than $20 for the absolute basics. Retouching fees for senior pictures is a legitimate extra fee as the latest computer systems, software, and skilled operators do not come cheap. (NOTE: We usually include the cost of retouching in the basic package price. It is a tremendous savings!)
2. Don't just blurt out "How much for an 8x10?" – Instead, ASK FOR A HARD COPY OF THEIR ENTIRE SENIOR PICTURE PRICE GUIDE. That way you can sit down at home with your high school Senior and discuss your individual senior picture needs. Decide on what sizes and quantities you intend to purchase before you sit down with the salesperson. Impulse buys and salespeople's "suggestions" will destroy your budget. Think about what to get for yourselves, friends, family, coworkers, godparents, babysitter/nanny, and most importantly - your Senior. Most High School Seniors need wallets, and more importantly, something to post on Facebook/MySpace, etc. Watch out for packages that include wallets! Photographers usually have a premium markup on wallets that are "included" in a package.
Social Networking Images are more commonly used to "trade" photos lately, so you may want to go for packages that offer image(s) on DVD/CD. Even their "low resolution" images will do just fine for online photo sharing.
If you get the cold shoulder on the phone when you ask about prices, don't be insulted. Most photography studios are very careful about their competition "fishing" for information about how their studio works and how much they charge. It's oddly common that "newbie" photographers call around and ask about a competitor's prices so they can either raise or lower their own to appear "in the ball park". I've seen it! Some of these newbies don't know enough to block their caller ID before they call!!!
You should also know that several local studios often offer a low “sitting fee” – usually around $19.95. They know once they’ve got you in the door, you are stuck paying high prices for their prints. They expect to sell you more than $1,000 of prints. I know it is outrageous but I’ve seen many parents who are stuck this way.
3. "Can we see some of your work?" - I can't say this enough. Check out what they have done with others. Look at the images. Ask them if they can send you a DVD of 4 or 5 of their recent sessions. This will give you a very good idea of the quality of work they provide.
4. Check on their experience. It is a good and fair question. If the person hesitates or gives you a convoluted answer, we suggest you keep looking. If you are not sending your high school senior to a professional you may be making a mistake you'll never live down.
5. See if they have a Money-Back Guarantee. Ours is relatively simple. If you don’t love the images we create, we will refund your money, no questions asked. We want you to be thrilled with our work and will do everything we can to assure that happens.
6. "Where do you print your pictures?" – In the old days, the photographers wanted to control this process. That way they could charge you $20, $40, even $80 for an 8” x 10” print. And, if you wanted more than one pose, you paid extra for that too. But times have changed. We believe you should own the images. So, we prepare each image for printing and give it to you on a DVD. You can make your own prints much cheaper than we can … and you will save yourself a lot of money.
And because students now like to share photos online, you don’t need to pay for a lot of wallet-sized prints that may never be used.
7. Do you have a studio?
We prefer to shoot on location, somewhere that has special meaning for your student. I have yet to work with a senior who had any attachment to a studio. (It also helps keep our overhead down so that we can offer some of the most competitive prices in the local market!)We have done photo sessions inside some of the high schools and on the school grounds. Also, we’ve been at local parks and inside family homes. We want to be where the student has some memories when we create their senior photos.
When you are ready to schedule a session, please give us a call or text us at: 253-579-4040. We can also be reached by email: getmedana@gmail.com
We want to be your photographer!
Dana Kehr
Northwest Senior PhotosPO Box 731413
Puyallup, WA 98373
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