Lily's Senior Portraits at East End Park - Kingwood, Texas

Lily is a family friend of ours who was a cheerleader with my daughter, so making sure we got great senior portraits was definitely a must. She was really into something outdoors and wanted tall grass. At the time of year we were shooting, the tall grass was a bit of a challenge, but East End Park in Kingwood, Texas came through in the clutch with their ever popular tall grass.

Lily showed off her excellent long flowing hair and did a great job of not over-bearing her makeup. I liked the color pallet she chose for her outfits for this shoot. She also made sure to accessorize as well.

We started our shoot at the pier walk way that goes to Lake Houston. There was some nice green surroundings and some water areas that fit her future career, marine biology. She is studying at the University of Southern Mississippi, as you can see in one of her photos. We got some casual shots there and her cap and gown photo as well.

We then made our way back to the open fields of grass for some shots in a beautiful brown skirt and also an orange dress as well. My favorite shot with a lot of grass surrounding her in and around the frame was made with a 70-200 2.8 lens. I had to change perspectives to make that shot by getting down low and shooting from literally ground level.

For the grass shots, we got some near the edge, some deep inside the grass and some in between. At the end of our shoot her dad put a little flower on her ear to really set up a cute shot of her. Little things like this are so cute and really make neat shots.

Overall, I’m really pleased and excited with how her photos came out and so was Lily and her parents.

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.

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.

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