Senior photos are an imminent part of not only the yearbook, but are also a great way to commemorate your senior year and mark this milestone in life. Whether you are getting them professionally done, or having a friend or family member take them, it will be a nice memory to look back on and celebrate.

If you are looking to go the professional photo route, Central MA is home to many great photographers who specialize in senior portraits. A few photographers Class of 2022’s seniors have used are Kelly Burneson Photography, Angel Art Photography, and Renee Thompson Photography just to name a few. They are very popular amongst WHS seniors, who all claim to have a personalized and special experience working with them. 

In most cases, you get to choose a location that best-fits your wants and needs. This is super important to personalize because it encapsulates the aesthetic and details you like in a setting. This also goes for the time of year you take your photos and the time of day. Some like a summer day with the bright green features, others like a fall background with the changing leaves for a pretty scene; again, this is all important to having a unique portrait. In Westborough, there are lots of photogenic locations including Lake Chauncy, Tufts field, Fruit Street, and Mill Pond, and various farms, but these professional photographers will work with you to find the best location for you, which could mean leaving Westborough.

WHS Senior Rebecca Sherr talks about her experience on choosing a location for her senior photos; “I wanted something that represented me as a person. I went to two locations, one of them was Mugford’s Flower shop, with some natural aspects because I love being outdoors. I also went to Chestnut Hill farm, where it was also outside with flowers.”

Another huge part of the process is choosing outfits and accessories, which should be unique to your own style. Different photographers have different packages, where you can choose the number of outfit changes you can have, also depending on the length of your session. From a number of different photographer’s websites, they encourage choosing outfits you feel great about, as well as including color, having a variety of looks, and having some jewelry to accompany the clothing. Having a variety of looks is helpful, so choosing a mix of dressy and casual outfits if you are having more than one outfit.

 The photographers are very helpful with choosing your looks, whether it’s the colors, patterns, and styles. They also are experts in knowing what outfits look best with each location. 

Lia Casey, WHS senior, talks about her experience with Kelly Burneson in choosing outfits; “Kelly was really helpful with choosing clothes and colors she thought would look good on camera and made the whole process fun.” 

Lia got to choose three outfits for her shoot, known as the “Editorial” collection, which features a social media ‘sneak peek’, a private online gallery, and 2-3 outfit changes. There are three different packages to choose from with Kelly Burneson, which feature different lengths, outfit changes, and criteria, but all get a standard social media post, online gallery, and high-resolution yearbook photo. 

Renee Thompson, based in Westborough, is loved by many seniors for her fun energy and great images with each session. She charges a flat rate for an hour session, three outfit changes, and lets you choose the location. People who work with her have said it’s super easy to schedule with her and comment on her flexibility.

Julie Clausen ‘22 recounts her senior session with Renee Thompson; “I absolutely loved working with Renee. She is so fun and an amazing photographer. I overall had a great experience working with her, and the pictures came out great!”

Another big component to recognize is the pricing. This varies based on length of session, number of outfits, location, and other factors. When getting photos professionally done, expect to spend a minimum of 100, but realize that certain photographers can be upwards of $600, depending on different packages, quality, and options. Regardless of how much you pay, you are going to have a great session!

Angel Art Photography is a great choice for senior photos. She offers four different senior packages with varieties of these features; a Pre-session consultation on the phone to go over the shoot, about 1-2 hours of photography where you can have multiple settings, up to three outfit changes, a sneak peek on social media, a private online gallery, and a high resolution yearbook photo. 

A bunch of seniors have opted to have family or friends take their senior photos and comment on the flexibility and money saving that comes with this option. 

“My sister took them because she does photography for her school. It was a fun experience. I like how they came out and it was a lot faster and easier than going through the whole process with a professional photographer.” An anonymous source states. 

Another WHS senior, Olivia Profitt talks about her mom taking her senior photos. “Mainly it was because my mom has experience with using a camera so I didn’t want to make her pay money for what she can do herself. Also it’s very flexible with time, I can do it on my own schedule and redo it if I don’t like the pictures.”

With your highschool experience coming to an end, don’t miss out on your senior photos to commemorate a special year! Be sure to submit your photos to the yearbook staff by January 1st, 2022.