What a fantastic time I had photographing this gorgeous high school senior in Downtown Dayton, Ohio! We spent some time wandering the streets of the historic Oregon District as well as getting some great views of the city from the Dayton Art Institute. As a photographer, I love photographing high school seniors in urban settings and Dayton is an amazing city for unique locations, textures, and backgrounds. 

After many years in the photography business, I began to realize that most people want their senior photos captured in the fall.  I think the reason is that picture day has always been in the fall at school and parents and students are conditioned to think that senior portraits have to be taken in the fall. (Spoiler alert: This is NOT TRUE!)

While senior pictures truly can successfully and beautifully be captured in any season, here are my top 5 reasons why I think summer is a great time for senior photos!

1. Check senior pictures off of your to do list!

There tends to be a little more flexibility in the summertime, so why not check off something from your senior year to do list? Once the school year begins, there is a lot of activity preparing for ACTs or other testing, visiting and applying to colleges, sports, activities, dances, school functions, etc. so I recommend having your photos taken in the summer to have one less thing on your plate for the school year. 

2. Backgrounds are alive!

If you are a fan of nature, summertime is full of life in the trees, flowers are blooming, and there is beauty everywhere! 

3. More daylight = more flexibility

In the fall, it can start getting dark very early. This pretty much rules out weeknights after school for photo sessions because there just isn't enough time to get ready for portraits and complete the session before it gets too dark for outdoor sessions. Plus, summer light is gorgeous!

4. More clothing options

Show off your casual look in a sundress or shorts and then add a jacket for a fall look. In the summer, you can dress for any season for a few photos to get many different options for your images.

5. Show off your summer glow

Everyone seems a bit more relaxed in the summertime and it shows on the skin and in the photos! 

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The time of year of your senior pictures is up to you, but consider summer for some amazing portraits!

Lebanon, OH is one of my favorite places to take senior portraits! There are so many great textures and colors and it also has a mix of urban and parklike settings. There is a great variety for senior photography.

This is another little park near Liberty Township, Fairfield, and Trenton that I frequent! There are many colors, textures, and spots in nature to make this one of my favorite portrait locations for high school seniors.

Another great senior photography session in downtown Lebanon! 

Another great location for senior pictures is this great little park! I love the many different looks we can photograph with the barns, fences, porch, brick, and greenery. 

I love, love, LOVE photographing high school seniors in Downtown Lebanon, Ohio! It is such a quaint downtown with lots of colors, textures, and backgrounds to work with. It truly is a photographers dream! The seniors love the modern yet outdoorsy looks which offer a lot of variety.

I have known this family longer than pretty much anyone I know outside of my own relatives. They were my second family growing up and most of my memories somehow involve being at their house, being carted around in their mini-van with the fake wood panels, and being treated like the extra child in the family.

I have photographed them for several years but this year was different. Someone was missing this time. Not just someone. The one that supported each one of the people in these pictures and loved them wholeheartedly. The one that had no greater love than being with these people. The one with a laugh I can still hear in my head and a voice I can still imagine. There was no one quite like her.

She was given a gift card for another round of family pictures for this year and it pains me so much that she is not in these photos. I know how deeply she loved her family, her friends, and how she touched so many of our lives. She was an example to us of how to love your people well and I know her legacy now lives on through her family. 

We miss you, Pat.

Downtown Lebanon, OH is easily becoming my favorite spot to photograph seniors. It has so many colors, textures, and backdrops and makes senior photo sessions a dream! Here is another Lebanon native rocking her senior portrait session!

We are blessed with so many great MetroParks here in Cincinnati and they never disappoint for Senior photos! I love photographing senior pictures while the leaves are still green because the photos look great on the wall all year long!