I get asked a lot: “How much do senior pictures cost?” The short answer is – it depends! The longer answer? Read on with this blog post to learn more about my local and adventure sessions. 

At the end of the day, how much your senior pictures will cost depends on your photographer, their experience, the market (rural area versus urban area, etc.), and what’s included in the package.

Planning for your senior pictures with Emily Noelle Photo

Senior pictures costs can be all over the place (from free to $3,000+, for example). While I can’t say why or how other senior photographers price their packages, I base my packages on creating a truly custom experience for my seniors. I want you to walk away from your senior session feeling like you had such a fun day. 

It makes it even more rewarding for you to look back at your senior pictures knowing how fun the day was, and that it was a celebration of this time in your life!

Here are some details about what you get when you book a senior session with me (as of 2024 pricing):

• Help with selecting locations that fit your vision
• Outfit input and ideas
• Custom mood board
• Photos edited in Emily Noelle’s style with printing rights
• High res and web size downloads
• A friend, cheering you on and hyping you up during this season!

What to expect from the senior pictures process:

Step 1: Inquire with me

You can get in touch with me by inquiring here. I’ll respond within 24 hours with all the exciting details!

Step 2: Prep work and planning for your senior session

This part of the process is where it gets fun and creative! I’ll create a mood board and help you collect inspiration for your session. You’ll fill out a session questionnaire, and stay tuned for reminder emails and checklists to be prepared for your session! Making sure everything is organized in advance is essential to having a stress-free experience and getting the most out of your senior pictures.

Step 3: Your session (the fun part!!)

Whether you’ve booked a local session or adventure session, we’ll meet up at your locations! This day is designed to hype you up and really celebrate this time in your life. My seniors love to bring items that are special to them, like musical instruments, their pet, books, and more! We’ll make it a whole celebration with music. (P.S. if you’re a Taylor Swift fan, I got you!)

Step 4: Senior pictures delivery

I deliver pictures through Pic-Time Gallery and give you digital and printing rights to all your photos, so you can get them printed where you want to, use them on grad invites, post them to social media, and more! This is super convenient for seniors who want a variety of photos at the end.

Learn more about the Senior Experience here:

You can learn more about the Senior Experience here. Still have questions? Contact me here.

How much do senior pictures cost with Emily Noelle Photography?

Package 1: The Local Session

The local session is best if you don’t want to travel far for your senior pictures, or if you have a lower budget to work with. You get up to 2 hours of photography coverage, within a 40 minute drive of Newberg, Oregon. 

You’ll receive an edited gallery with 80 images after the session. The total investment is $1,200 (as of 2024) with payment plans available. You can view everything that’s included here.

Some pros of this package are:

• Staying closer to home (or the Portland area, if you’re ok with traveling to the area from wherever you live!)
• You love the beauty of Newberg, Oregon or surrounding areas like Portland, Beaverton, Lake Oswego, etc. Some popular senior pictures locations in these areas include:
  • Forests
  • Rivers
  • Fields
  • Rose gardens
  • Plus some spots that I keep secret for seniors who book with me!

This package might not be the best fit for you if:

• You want your senior pictures at the Oregon Coast, in the Columbia River Gorge, Mount Hood, Waterfalls, or any location further than 40 minutes from Newberg, Oregon.
• You want more than 80 photos from your senior pictures session
• You want more than 2 hours dedicated to your senior pictures session
• You want more than 3 outfits in your pictures

Package 2: The Adventure Session

This is my most popular package! A lot of seniors love this package because we can adventure to some pretty iconic places, like the Oregon Coast, Columbia River Gorge, Eugene, and more. You get up to 2.5 hours of coverage and we can travel anywhere within 2 hours driving distance of Newberg, Oregon. As of 2024, the investment is $2,000. View the full package here. 

This is best for seniors who love nature and the outdoors and have their heart set on an epic coastal view, a stunning waterfall, or mount hood in the back of their photos. Adventure Session locations require a longer session because they often include more walking from place to place. There’s also so much more space to explore and we’ll definitely need the full 2.5 hours.

Some pros of this package are:

• Taking photos in locations that might be more unique than where your peers/friends are taking theirs
• Stunning locations options that you just can’t get locally.
• Maybe you grew up going to a certain coastal spot or grew up hiking a lot and want to go back to that meaningful spot. An Adventure Session allows for that! 

This package might not be the best for you if:

• You don’t want to travel farther than the Portland area for your photos
• Your budget doesn’t fit this package.
• You have your heart set on a Local Session location already.

Package 3: The Big Adventure Session

The Big Adventure Session is exactly what is sounds like – a big adventure! Seniors who book this package often take photos in areas like Bend, Sunriver, Smith Rock, Mount Rainier and other southern Washington or Oregon destinations. Keep an eye out on my Instagram for details on when I’m traveling in other states, in case I’m somewhere near you! I travel to California pretty regularly, so there’s a good chance we can book your senior session here if you get in touch in advance. Reach out via email or Instagram if you live in California and want to work with me. Chances are, I’m heading your way very soon and can fit you in!

With this package, everything is bigger: think more pictures, more outfit changes, and a total of a 3 hour session. You also get a 1-hour zoom planning call with me to make sure we can iron out all the details of your Big Adventure Session since these sessions typically take more planning and logistics.

The total investment for this package, as of 2024, is $2,400. You can view the full details here.

This is a good fit for you if:

• You live closer to somewhere like Bend than Portland
• You live in Washington and want me to travel to you
• You want up to 200 edited images
• You want a 1-hour Zoom planning call with me

This package isn’t the best fit for you if:

• You want to spend less than $2,400 on your senior pictures
• Traveling up to 3.5 hours from Newberg, Oregon sounds like too much
• You’re happy with fewer photos
• You want to book less far in advance (I still book up quickly for all sessions, but I have very limited availability for Big Adventure Sessions each year!)
• You don’t have the free time to travel to a Big Adventure Session Location

Stay up to date on how much senior pictures cost with Emily:

View more details on my current senior pictures packages here.

Where we can adventure to!

For senior sessions, I travel to the Northern Oregon coast, Southern Oregon Coast, Mount Hood, the Columbia River Gorge, Mount Rainier, California, and sometimes beyond. Stay tuned on where I’m traveling to and my availability over on my seniors Instagram!

When you’re dreaming up your senior session and trying to figure out how much senior photos will cost, be sure to plan out the location based on how far it is from Newberg, Oregon (where I’m based). This will help you know which package will be the best fit for you.

When is the best time to book your senior photos?

I book senior sessions throughout the year, outside of winter. Stay up to date on my website and Instagram to see what my current availability is for the next Spring, Summer, and Fall seasons.

Here’s how to decide which season is best for you:

Spring Senior Photos:

These are great if you want to take photos at the end of your senior year or even a full year before you graduate, AKA when you’re a junior before you begin your senior year. You’ll want to think far in advance to book this session. Most people who do a spring shoot at the end of their junior year choose to do so because they are set on the wildflowers in the Columbia River Gorge which bloom in early May.

Spring photos allow you to get photos with any of the following: wildflower or cherry blossom blooms, Oregon coast photos, the best green fields in nature parks around Oregon. 

View my Spring Senior Pictures guide here.

Summer Senior Photos:

Summer photos are good for seniors who want photos done right before their senior year (summer after your junior year).  This is the most popular time for senior photos so make sure to join my summer date waitlist when I share about it on Instagram.

Summer senior photos are really the best fit if you want the highest chance of sun in your photos. Some of my seniors even like to have summer activities, like paddle boarding or surfing, as part of their sessions. It’s a beautiful time to get photos on the Oregon coast and during summer we have the least chance for rain. Summer is ideal for wildflowers on Mount Hood too!

View my Summer Senior Pictures guide here.

Fall Senior Pictures:

Fall is truly such a magical time to have your senior pictures taken! This is a good fit if you want to take photos the same school year that you graduate or maybe you have a super busy summer. You’ll want to plan in advance and get these taken early in your senior year (so plan ahead by booking during your junior year!). If you love Rory Gilmore vibes you’ll love a fall photoshoot!!

Some fun opportunities during fall are foliage photos, Oregon coast photos, book stores, coffee shops, pretty hilly grassy areas, and sunflower fields. View my fall senior pictures guide here.

Ready to book your senior pictures?

Make sure you reserve your senior pictures early! I offer flexible payment plans to make it even easier. After a 20% retainer, you can make payments monthly, quarterly, or bi-monthly to give you some more time. My typical payment plan is a 20% retainer to book and then 80% is due one week before your session date. 

As of February 2024, I have one July date left (and that’s it for summer!).  Fall dates open on March 3rd for the waitlist only. If you’re not on this waitlist, you won’t get first dibs for fall 2024 dates! Get on the waitlist here. You can also book a Q&A call here (link only valid through March 1st!). 

Still have questions about booking senior pictures? Reach out here or get in touch on Instagram!