Tips for Planning Your Kansas City Senior Portrait Session
Kansas City Senior Portrait Sessions are in the air! Something about the changing leaves makes me so excited for my favorite season AND my favorite session season, too. Locations are one of the best ways to genuinely show the “real you” and not make your images look like everyone else’s. Whatever location you choose, it should represent things you love. I love the park and field senior portrait sessions so much, but there’s also a lot of my work that’s very urban. I love photographing in Downtown Kansas City on the fly, and finding unexpected corners of the city (or countrysides) that reflect YOU as a senior. So let’s dive in.
PRE-PLANNING IS A MUST
Senior photos in the Kansas City area, whether it be downtown or the suburbs around Overland Park or Lenexa, or even in my gorgeous Shawnee studio, all requires a lot of planning prior to your session. I work with many clients from all over the Greater Kansas City region, from a lot of different schools. I know seniors are involved in a lot of activities, clubs, sports, and part-time jobs, which means their calendars are tight. So is mine! It all needs to sync up perfectly so that everyone gets the time that is needed for the best senior portrait session experience and results.
Contact me early to book your session by going HERE to fill out the Contact Form. Then we can discuss everything and get you on the schedule quickly. Don’t put it off too long, because someone might book the date you want while you’re waiting to decide. So moral of the story is, book now - shoot later! Once your day is booked, it’s all yours. We can work out the details and planning when you’re ready.
LOCATION
Because Kansas City and the many surrounding areas offer endless location options, sessions can range from a couple of hours to several. Shorter sessions typically keep us in one specific area usually close to home, where we’ll capture as many different looks and “city feel” shots as possible.
If you’re interested in combining locations, let’s say starting in Downtown KC and then heading out to Shawnee Mission Park, we need to plan the timing carefully. Travel time between locations plus outfit changes adds up quickly, and we only have so many hours before sunset. Don’t worry about the locations. I’ll guide you through all of this during our initial call and fine-tune everything during the styling and planning, so we can time everything just right.
STYLING
After we pick the locations, the next part is to style the session accordingly. From your outfits to the accessories, maybe some props or your favorite instrument, your pet, or even your car - lots of my seniors love to involve things that mean something to them in their photos. We can make your session whatever you want. Light and airy feel with fields and creek streams, or an edgy look downtown with a killer dress or your favorite polished suit. That’s how we style your session to match the location. It just means we consider the look, vibe, and energy of the locations you’ve chosen during our styling call.
TIMING
The best time to shoot in the city really depends on location. Generally, Sunday mornings and afternoons are when most areas are the quietest downtown and the parking is best. In places like parks and lakes in Shawnee, Lenexa, or Olathe, a random Wednesday when others are at practices or church events works great.
AN OPTION WITH MORE FLEXIBILITY
Another great option is a studio + outdoor combination. I have a gorgeous studio with tons of natural and professional lighting in Downtown Shawnee, KS. I love shooting here because of so many indoor options which offer a completely different look. Pair that with nearby outdoor park or city shots, and you get a beautiful mix.
EXPECTATIONS
This is your chance to fully lean into the city vibe with its great architecture, getting candid motion shots, edgy moments, and lots of movement. The energy of the city doesn’t allow us to linger in one spot for very long, which is honestly one of my favorite parts of shooting there, but we get a lot of great shots in that amount of time and you’ll be surprised how many great looks we can create in one spot!
Kansas City senior photo shoots can be absolutely magical, but they do require advance planning to make sure timing and locations work in our favor. I’ll guide you every step of the way, using what years of experience have taught me about what works and what doesn’t.
HOW TO BOOK
First things first: GET IN TOUCH - Remember, advance planning is always to your benefit. I can’t wait to hear from you. Let’s make your senior portrait experience amazing!