As high school and college seniors prepare to graduate, many are lining up for popular graduation photoshoots, seeking to memorialize their experience with shots of them in their caps and gowns, ties and heels. But for some, professional shoots are hard to pay for. 

Tucson photographers offer a range of services for senior photos that can cost anywhere from a few hundred to thousands of dollars.

Students opting for a premium brand for their graduation photoshoot can spend as much as $6,000 for their memories to be captured by popular Tucson brands like Love & Lumen Photography.

Angelica Valdez, founder of Love & Lumen Photography, began taking photos as a way to learn how to use a camera. 

“I got a camera for my birthday and just wanted to learn to use it,” she said.

She started by photographing her friends and their children in 2016, and is now completely booked for senior photoshoots for 2025. 

“Once my skills started to develop I’d get friends of friends, and even strangers, asking me to take their pictures and I thought I should start charging,” she said.

As an amateur, there is no standard fee for photographers, so they generally start with  minimal rates per session, Valdez said. But that isn’t enough to sustain a photography business. 

“Five years into business is when I became an actual established business,” she said.

Valdez attended a workshop held by two local photographers who showed her another world of photography – one centered around becoming profitable and sustaining a business. 

“It focused on making your brand premium and the experience,” she said.

She built Love & Lumen Photography on the idea of empowering young women, she said. 

“That was already my brand and I just wanted to make it known to people that that’s my goal,” Valdez said. 

On her website, she advertises to potential clients with that message of empowerment, writing that she sees the beauty in her clients and will photograph them in a way that makes them “light up like never before.” 

As a premium brand, she now charges an average of $2,250 to $3,500 dollars a session. 

“My regular grad sessions are all inclusive. The starting package is at $1,500 and goes all the way up to $6,000,” she said.

The price includes more than photos.

“I can include things like products, hair, makeup, announcements – basically everything you need for senior photos,” Valdez said. “It’s more than the photos, it’s also the experience.” 

Valdez consults with clients and can recommend locations, outfits and even provide dresses from her own Love & Lumen closet. 

“Sixty percent of the shoot is the senior telling me the vibe they want, and then I’ll say, ‘Based on your vibe I have this, this, this and this,’” she said. “It’s all aligned with what they want.”

Genna Burns is a sophomore at the University of Arizona and a client of Valdez. 

“I did a free shoot with her over the summer before my senior photos because I wasn’t even sure if I wanted senior photos,” she said. “She was super helpful.”

She said the packages, including a Pinterest board for outfit ideas, links to clothing and makeup and hair artists came to her house before the shoot.

“We were in contact months before my shoot,” Burns said. “She was very hands-on through the process.” 

The only downside: the cost.

High-end pricing of  premium brands is out of reach for many students. 

“For kids with jobs paying for their own senior pictures, most photographers are insanely overpriced for them,” said Sofia Urbina, a senior graduating from Canyon Del Oro High School. “So, a lot of people just opt out of taking photos professionally to save the hundreds for something better.”

Urbina said she is still unsure if she will pay for senior photos because of the cost and the difficulty of finding a photographer in her price range.

Photographers often rely on word-of-mouth to reach clients. That can make it difficult for students to find a photographer who fits both their budget and style.

Jaime Williams, a professional photographer and former teacher, emphasized the importance of knowing your market to reach graduating students. 

Many of Williams’s former students have come to her for their graduation photos. Like Love & Lumen, Williams has more high school then college clients, she said. 

“It started out as word of mouth, and that’s still an absolutely huge source for me,” Williams said. “But it’s important knowing where my market hangs out and who they talk to. I have to be familiar with my target market on socials and strategically market my social media and search engines.” 

Williams began taking photos in high school as a hobby and later began photographing her children. It grew organically from there, she said. 

As Williams’s skills increased and her bookings got busier she gradually increased her rates. “I try to stay competitive in my market.”

“When I first started, I was charging maybe $75 dollars for a session,” she said. “I charge $500 now.”

Her prices include a session guide she designed, developed and tweaked over the years, with tips on what to wear and how to prepare. It also includes edited digital high resolution images with an option to pay for merchandise or prints. 

“My philosophy in today’s age is that people want digital images,” she said. “They want to post them more than they want the prints.” 

Still, even $500 prices out some college students looking for photos.

Many students on a budget turn to friends to get photos at discounted rates. Some of those student photographers also end up offering discounted graduation shoots to mutual friends or even strangers. 

Liam Duffy began taking photos about three years ago, and in Spring 2023, he received his first request from a friend to take her senior photos. 

“I was just starting out for grad photos, so I only charged her $150,” he said. “You don’t want to overcharge for your abilities, but you don’t want to undercharge either.”

Since then, he has raised his price to $250. 

“It’s about realizing your worth,” he said. “As you go on taking photos you start realizing, ‘You know, I’m pretty good at this’. I wanted to set it at a level where it makes sense for me to not only take the photos but edit them in between work and school.”

Duffy considers himself an amateur and knows many of his clients are students paying out of pocket. He takes that into consideration when he sets his price. 

“You can be an amateur and take way better photos than a professional,” he said. “A lot of times, it comes down to being able to talk to people and having good relationships with people.”

He said there’s a balance between camera skills and people skills that makes a good photographer. 

Still, Duffy doesn’t think there’s a problem with premium brands charging more. 

“If people are willing to pay for it, it’s fair. But a lot of the time, it’s out of people’s price ranges,” he said. “I feel like there’s not a lot of affordable options that are able to be found.”

Despite the high cost of professional photoshoots, Burns said her experience was worth it.  

“I think you could find similar experiences for a lesser price, but when it’s all said and done, I did really like my photos,” she said.

Arizona Sonoran News is a news service of the University of Arizona School of Journalism.