If you have been considering taking your own senior photos or somebody else's senior photos, then you might have a lot to consider and not even know it!Here's why: Senior photos are taken in a very short period of time that tells a very unique story that generally has a central narrative of one of life's pivotal rights of passage.
No longer are the subjects of the senior photos children, now they are embarking upon adulthood.
No further proof of this is necessary than the life they are leaving behind being like a picture album that will be forever closed, and that analogy is at the heart of understanding why special consideration needs to be given to deciding anything relating to taking senior photos: these are the pictures that go into those precious albums, both literal and figuratively speaking.
Forever will those pictures crystallize the memories of times gone by, never to return again.
So, the question now becomes: what do you need to know about taking senior photos?Here are a few things to consider before making any important and long-lasting decisions:

• Are you the right person for the job?Do you think that you can take great pictures?Are you sure?If so, then you might be a good fit for the job of taking the senior pictures.
  
• Do you have the right tools?Of course, just because you know what you are doing does not necessarily mean that you have all of the tools of the trade.
  You will need a variety of lenses, flashes, lights, panels, and perhaps even a small studio to take all of the normal senior photographs that people tend to expect.
  
• Do you have the knowledge?Do you know that an f stop is?Or how to control the field of depth?Do you know the difference between a higher ISO setting and a lower ISO setting?If not, then you really need to consider brushing up on your photography knowledge.
  Books and schools abound to help you, as do forums but you will need time, patience, dedication, and probably a thick skin and photographers tend to be a rather artistic and critical group of people.
  
• How about the experience?Even after you have learned all of the techniques, how naturally do the come?Can you set up the perfect shot on the fly to catch that special moment, or will it be lost to time?These are no trivial questions.
  
• If you've said yes to all of the above - If you said yes to all of the above, then there is one last question: do you want to be in the photos?If so, then you need the technical capability and all is good.
  Otherwise, what you are really looking for is a professional.
  Do not worry!Even in relatively expensive locations such as New York, Los Angeles, or Tampa, there are always professional photographers willing to take amazing senior photos to fill those albums.
  A few dollars saved in return for fuzzy pictures that equate to poor recollections of the good times may not be a good decision.