Unique locations help senior photos stand out

It’s that time of year — when a walk downtown or to a local park will have you in the midst of what seems like several different magazine shoots.

They’re not professional models, though. They’re high school seniors.

Naturally, some locations are timeless in popularity.

But what if you’re not exactly feeling Falls Park as your backdrop?

Photographer Sarah Miller of Bernie Mae Studios, which she runs with her sister Hannah Merkle, said figuring out the senior’s passions is key to ensuring that your photos come out unique.

“I always go towards thinking about things that you love,” Miller said. “Think about the style that you have, hobbies that you’re into, things that you like to do for fun. Then, we can pull that into the senior photos and just really portray who each senior is.”

Miller has taken photographs everywhere from a friend’s house to pools to parking garages, but one of her signature locations to take seniors is Studio 240 in downtown Sioux Falls. She said its differences from a traditional studio help her models express themselves in a more creative way.

“I think that that specific studio fits our style, where it’s a little more lifestyle-oriented,” Miller said. “It’s not super posey, not super traditional. I walk in there, and we’re able to just play with it however they (the seniors) want to.” 

Sioux Falls-based photographer Brock Nguyen said that while choosing a location is part of having unique senior photos, often it’s the seniors themselves who encourage him to think out of the box.

“One of the things I’ve learned from today’s seniors is that they already have this desire to be unique and expressive,” Nguyen said. “All I have to do is embrace their incredible ideas, and everything else will follow.”

Something like this: a photo at Five Guys Burgers & Fries.

Nguyen, like many other Sioux Falls photographers, said he has found Instagram to be a convenient place to reach potential clients and uses it as his primary marketing tool.

“Since all of my senior photo leads are generated within Instagram, I often ask my clients to share their favorite photos and tag my account,” Nguyen said. “The tags lead their audience to my feed, where they can check out my body of work. I receive way more engagement from Instagram than my personal website.”

Nguyen said another important aspect of senior photos is ensuring that the seniors are comfortable, whether that means picking locations that are tailored to them or bringing other people to the shoot.

“I highly encourage the seniors to bring their friends and family along to help hype them up during the shoots so they are more relaxed when it comes to posing,” Nguyen said.

Here are a few more senior photos we sourced online that feature extra-clever settings.

Photographers represented include Bernie Mae Studios, Rod Evans, Jake Photography, Jordan Kaylea, Laura Marie Photo Design, Brock Nguyen, Sara Elizabeth Photography, Tracy Pollard and Suzie Richards.