Rylie's Senior Portraits at City Place in Spring, Texas

Rylie and her mom knew right away they wanted to have her senior photos that were both a little urban and also outdoors, so my typical park/garden or Downtown Houston wasn’t going to be the best fit. I had only shot one engagement session there before, but I definitely thought of City Place near The Woodlands, Texas.

Rylie did her own makeup and hair which were beautifully done. She had her eye on a few different outfits for the shoot. Her first outfit was a lovely white dress that went really well shooting in the green, outdoors areas. She also had a coral colored dress, a college t-shirt and these awesome jeans with cute heart patch/ruffles.

At the start of her session, we started at a bridge and worked our way to some tall grass and a bridge on the pond. I used my pop up tent for outfit changes, which is really helpful for senior portrait sessions. We then made our way back to the small park area and then to some spots along the shopping area. We also squeezed in a few cap and gown shots with a borrowed gown from her friend.

I did use some off camera flash. I used a Godox AD200 with the new Magmod XL that is great for run and gun shooting outdoors. It was actually a must because of the strong wind that would have took out any umbrella or softbox. She wanted a confetti shot which came out perfect with the wind.

After shooting my first senior session at City Place, I definitely can see myself going back to shoot there. It’s got a variety of spots for different shots, which can be a bonus for someone not wanting to commit to a park or garden, nor downtown either. I’m quite pleased with the results of this shoot.

Matison Street at Mercer Botanic Gardens

Matison and her mom knew right away they wanted to have her senior photos taken at Mercer Botanic Gardens in Humble, Texas. I knew right away that this was an excellent choice because I’ve shot many times there in the past. Needless to say, I was excited about going there again for some beautiful senior portraits.

Matson chose two outfits for this shoot and I think they were absolutely beautiful for her look and really made the portraits shine. She chose a green dress and a white sweater with orange skirt. The hat she brought was so cute and just added extra to the outfit for sure. Matison came to her shoot, makeup all done and looked ready to rock her session.

At the start of her session, we started up front at the Gardens with mostly greenery and a pop of other color. We did the ivy column, which is a fun spot. We also shot on the wooden bridge there as well. After that we went to the restroom (very handy for portrait sessions with outfit changes) for Matison to change outfits. We then went more to the back, where the roman columns are and the skinny Cypress trees are. We grabbed a few by a pond and then finished up with some color at some flower beds in the back.

Mercer Botanic Gardens asks for no extra equipment like lighting, so we worked with the natural sun that we had. A late afternoon start helped us a ton. I also brought a reflector/skim as well. We wanted a confetti shot, but they ask for no confetti on the grounds either. That’s no problem as I simply photoshopped in some Confetti. I’m definitely going back to shoot at Mercer as much as possible. It’s a green location, for both the girls and the guys!

Treven's Senior Portraits in Downtown Houston

Treven moved here from Alaska recently and wanted to explore downtown Houston for his senior portrait session. Treven was a football player and a Class of 2022 graduate. He really wanted some shots with building in the background. He also wanted some color added into his images from backgrounds. He also had several outfits to wear, so it was good that I brought my trusty folding wagon. With a variety of backgrounds, textures and surfaces, I think we got some great shots for Treven.

Treven was eager for the skyscraper background first, so we went straight to the top of the parking garage of Franklin and Milan St near Market Square Park in Houston. We worked some different looks and poses, and also got one great shot of an impromptu exciting and smiling moment. I worked different apertures to get a variety of background blurriness for sake of variety. Luckily we found some spots out of the direct sunlight for better lighting.

Treven was a really camera friendly face and worked well with little direction from myself. That’s not a common find with senior guys, but I’ll definitely take it and I appreciated it well. Treven’s parents were great at being helpful with holding reflectors, scrims, and helping with wardrobe and hair. All these things go a long way to make a smooth senior portrait session.

One thing I love about shooting downtown is that its easy to get a variety of looks and not get the same ones over and over. It’s also easy to find softer light from all of the cover provided by buildings. I also like the experience the seniors have just being downtown. A lot of them have never been downtown so it’s quite an experience in its own right. This was the case with Treven, an Alaskan that just moved to Kingwood, Texas.

Jonas' Senior Portraits At Old Downtown Humble

For Jonas’ senior portraits, we wanted something outdoors with a small town feel to it. One of my favorite local places to suggest is Old Downtown in Humble, Texas. There are lots of different brick and wall elements with a variety of textures and colors. There’s also along the road there for a full small town feel.

I always like to start down on one end (Feed store) and work our way down. I enjoyed learning more about Jonas’ and his future while we were shooing. He’s a smart kid with goals. He’s busy applying to several colleges right now. He plays in the Orchestra and is on the varsity wrestling team. He is graduating in 2022 from Kingwood High School in Kingwood, Texas.

The late afternoon sun with cloud cover helped give us great lighting for our shoot. It’s actually usually not crowded at all down there. That was the case for his shoot. It’s nice not having to rush and/or be patient to get the spots you want. I had a changing tent available for outfit changes for Jonas. These is this rustic, ugly ole patched up wall that I love for shoots. You will see it down further in the gallery.

The upkeep in Downtown Humble is really good. They are hoping to revitalize the area and bring back more business there. There is a nice little park in the middle. I like the feed store down near the railroad tracks as well. I think its an undervalued spot for senior portraits in the Humble/Lake Houston area.

Overall, this session was great. I think we really hit the theme and look Jonas and his parents were looking for. I think his outfit choices were good and I like showing off some school colors for some of them as well.

Austin Senior Portraits at Mercer Botanic Gardens

For Austin’s senior portraits, we wanted something outdoors with some different elements for a variety of looks. One of my favorite places to suggest is Mercer Botanic Gardens in Humble, Texas. Although very colorful with flowers and such, there are lots of different landscape elements, rocks, wood, benches, fences, etc. to get some great variety of poses, even for guys. It was a joy to learn more about Austin as we went around and did our shooting. He’s a smart kid with goals, and was in the band playing percussion. He is graduating from Kingwood Park High School in Kingwood, Texas.

The tree cover helped with lighting. We had to be careful with some posing to avoid harsh highlights, as they don’t allow off camera flash, stands, etc. It’s a very busy location typically, but we went on a weekday evening and this helped limit the crowd for the day. Having a watchful eye is key to try and hop to the different areas while avoiding crowds. They have a restroom on site which is very handy for outfit changes. Towards the back, their is a rock pile wall that I just love for photos. It’s probably my favorite spot in the entire gardens. They were hit pretty hard with the Arctic Freeze we had this winter, but they are recovering well by this point of the year.

If you don’t know, Mercer Gardens is going to have a huge expansion to their location. They plans look absolutely amazing and I cannot wait to see it when it’s done. It’s really a beautiful place for both portrait sessions and other casual photography as well.

Overall, this session was excellent. I think we really hit the theme and look that Austin and his parents were wanting for his senior session. I love senior sessions and still get excited whAustin and his mom love their final portraits.

Xavier - Senior Portraits at Graffiti Park and Discovery Green

Xavier chose downtown Houston for the scene of his senior portraits. We started at the graffiti park on Leeland Street in Houston, Texas before crossing over to Discovery Green Park. He chose the bright colors of the graffiti to highlight his senior portraits on this day. This outstanding young man is going into the Air Force and will go to boot camp this summer.

I enjoyed getting to know him better and this helped him ease into the shoot better. He has a lot of goals in life. It was a bit overcast, which worked well to control the lighting for the day. The graffiti park is typically crowded, so a lot of planning and keeping a watchful eye to see where we could jump in quick to get shots. It’s a really cool place for senior portraits. Even for shots where the content of the art isn’t great, it’s still useable by getting more bokeh! I love doing the cap and gown shots, but man those tassles are hard to control to get them to face the right way for the shots. I’m going to try some rubber tack putty to maybe use on the top of the hat in the future to hold the string for us.

Choosing the Right Accessories for Your Senior Portraits

You’ve got your outfit planned, know exactly what you’re doing with your hair, and have already spoken to the makeup artist about that wicked cat eye. Now it’s time to consider your accessories, which can make or break your outfit. Here are four things to keep in mind.  

1. Don’t let the accessories wear you. Too big or too zany can overwhelm your face and body, taking away from the overall image. This is about you.

2. Choose accessories that mean something to you. Maybe you want to wear a ring your mother gave you, or those earrings that always earn you compliments.

3. Try not to choose anything that’s heavily ornamented. In a few years, ultra trendy items can look really, really dated. Funky and fun are A-OK, of course, but be thoughtful in your decisions.

4. Make sure your accessories all work well with your outfit. For example, a thin belt may flatter your figure more than a thick belt. And those dangly earrings may look best with your hair up while the studs look good with your hair down.

5. Get a second, and third, opinion. Wear everything you plan to put on for your session day and ask for someone else’s advice. Take some pictures, even, and ask your friends and family if they have any suggestions.

These subtle flower earrings really tie in with this cool, hip outfit.

For the guys, just a pair of your favorite sunglasses can create a whole new smooth look.

Kaitlyn Senior Portrait Session

Kaitlyn looked fabulous for her senior portraits this year. The location she chose was Mercer Botanical Gardens which was a beautiful choice this early spring, where there were lots of colorful blooms all throughout. Kaitlyn is a 2020 graduate of Atascocita High School in Texas. She is planning to pursue nursing and is slated to attend Texas Lutheran University next fall. The outfits she chose were very nice and stylish. I’m glad Kaitlyn chose Zam Photogrpahy for her senior session!

How to Personalize Your Senior Session

Your senior session is all about YOU! We want to make sure that we really show off your personality and make your photos unique to you. Now is the time to start planning your session so we can fully showcase you during your photo shoot. Think about your routine – where you like to go, what you like to do, etc. We want to get to know you through your photos. We’d love for you to take a list of your hobbies and extra-curricular activities and send them over to us so we can help you prepare your perfect session.

Below are some ideas of things you might want to incorporate in your session. These are just suggestions to get your brainstorming started:

• Sports

• Art/Theatre

• Music

• Favorite movie or book

• Your job or the career you’re planning on going into

• Your car

• Your school

• Your future college

• Your pet

• Your BFF

• And don’t forget about your favorite hang out – whether it be a coffee shop, park, football field, book store, etc. We can try to add this location to your session.

Alyssa incorporated basketball into her shoot because that was her biggest passion in high school.

Best friends Hailie and Sean had their senior shoots together on the same day so they could pose for a few pictures.

How Long of a Senior Portrait Session do I need?

Not sure how much time you need for your custom senior session? You’ve come to the right place! We’re here to help you figure out the perfect length for your photo shoot. We currently offer three slots:

• 30 minutes: This half hour session is great if you just need some basic photos to document you during your senior year. You will be allowed one outfit and one location for this session. We can do a variety of poses and headshots in this time and we’ll still get some awesome photos!

• 1 to 1.5 hours: This session will allow us some more time to get creative. We can add in another location and up to two additional outfits. This is our most popular option.

• 2 to 2.5 hours: This is the ultimate senior session. It allows for up to four outfit changes, three location changes, and you’ll have time for hairstyle changes and adding in pets or friends.

If you have any questions about which session you should choose, feel free to contact us at zamphotographytx@gmail.com

Sean Senior Portrait Session

What an exciting time to be a senior in high school. Graduation is a wonderful time of the year. I’ve had the pleasure of teaching Sean for the past three years. He’s been a great student and a great friend to all of his classmates. He will definitely be missed. Congrats Sean, Class of 2019, from Hargrave High School.

Hailie Senior Portrait Session

What a beautiful senior portrait session for this class of 2019 graduate from Hargrave High School. Hailie is one of my former students for the past three years. It’s been so cool to watch her grow these past few years. Hailie chose this beautiful location at Mercer Botanical Gardens near Humble, Texas. The garden is beautiful with lots of shade, color and different backgrounds. My personal favorite is the bamboo garden. I love that spot!