Selecting a senior photographer
For many, senior year is the most memorable part of high school. Why else would countless teenage movies feature narratives of last hurrahs and perks of being the top dog on campus? One of the exciting preparations for the last year of high school is the senior photography session. Three acclaimed Mt. Lebanon photographers share what goes into capturing the perfect moment and explain everything families need to know to find their perfect fit.
Taryn Boyd, Blu Hippo Photography
Taryn Boyd, Rocklynn Place, is a photographer and Mt. Lebanon resident of more than 20 years. She attended the University of Pittsburgh for communications, where she took up photography as a hobby by joining Pittsburgh Filmmakers in their dark room.
As a former self-proclaimed “girl with the camera” during high school, Boyd is the owner of Blu Hippo Photography. After seeing her grandfather’s skill in picture-taking during her adolescence, when she had children of her own, she purchased a high-quality camera and fell in love with photographing children (hence the name, Blu Hippo).
“I’m very sentimental and nostalgic and obsessed with remembering the past,” Boyd said. “Documenting it was a way to go back in time.”
Primarily self-taught, Boyd was mentored on the evolving photography landscape over social platforms like Facebook as she built her brand. Senior portraits once featured a classic head shot and several in-studio poses. Now, seniors and their families have access to various outdoor locations, new posing techniques and props.
“Girls now know how they want to look in front of the camera; they grew up in front of cameras,” Boyd said. “It’s really cool to see that level of confidence.”
If she could make one thing clear to families new to the senior experience, it’s to choose the best fit and style for your child.
“The art that I would hang on my walls is not the art that you would hang on your walls, and that’s okay.”
Boyd offered two additional words of advice.
First: “I think it should be a collaborative effort between the senior and the parent,” Boyd said. “Sitting down in front of their computer for five minutes with maybe three to four websites pulled up, looking at the images saying who do we both like and what do we like about them.”
Second: get to know the student before they get on-camera.
“I think that’s one of my superpowers,” Boyd said. “Because I try to get to know the kid as well as I can, as many touch points as I can get with a senior, the better, in those circumstances. I can help bring them out of their shell.”
Laura Mares Photography
Forestview Drive resident Laura Mares is a longtime Pittsburgher, having graduated from Baldwin High School in 1997. Much like Boyd, she began studying photography in high school through an apprenticeship with Pittsburgh Filmmakers.
More experienced than most high schoolers, Mares completed assignments, developed film in a dark room, then printed images in red light with different chemicals aiding the process.
During her undergrad studies at Robert Morris University, as a communication and international studies double major, she took numerous photography classes and continued with Pittsburgh Filmmakers. By this time, she had moved into the color realm and even took Photoshop courses.
Mares said she never felt her lifelong goal of becoming a photographer to explore life stories was “too big of a dream.” When websites commoditized the photography business, Mares combined her academics with her hobby, created a brand and worked to establish a name for herself.
Although she assisted on all sorts of shoots when first starting out, now Mares is firmly in the senior photography business. Unlike with weddings and newborns where the pictures are all about “connecting” with other people, senior photography is about “capturing their individual essence” and celebrating one person.
“The most powerful thing about seniors is to be included in something that’s beyond you,” Mares said. “To help someone see themselves in a new light.”
Again, reflecting on her own high school days, Mares recalled how different the industry is now, compared to what it once was during her adolescence. She especially enjoys the individuality of each shoot. From locations to prop options, each experience is a markedly unique reflection of the senior’s own personality and interests.
Mares recommends thoroughly reviewing the artist’s portfolio before choosing a photographer. Seek referrals from older friends and family members because, typically, whatever worked for those you trust most will work for you, too. Finally, familiarize yourself with the products that each photographer offers, whether that be digital-only, physical packages or both.
Missy Timko Photography
Missy Timko, Lakemont Drive, knows the most scenic locations in the area for her photography sessions. Originally from San Diego, Timko taught high school photography courses for 12 years before moving to Mt. Lebanon in 2012. After receiving her B.F.A. from Cal State Chico and a master’s from Parsons School of Design, her time on the East Coast “informed [her] work as a photographer a great deal.”
Beginning her craft in eighth grade at a fine arts magnet school, Timko also got her start in a dark room. As an adult, she lived in for a time where photography was a side hustle to her teaching career. It was not until the move to Mt. Lebanon that she made an ultimatum with herself to go all in.
“When you’re a portrait photographer, you kind of think you’re going to be doing photography all of the time. Of course I am, but a big part of running a small business is the day-to-day,” Timko said. “That’s the kind of thing I had to learn just by doing. They don’t teach you that at Parsons.”
Timko finds it particularly special that many of her clients have matured on camera. She enjoys watching families expand alongside her business, from children to seniors in high school.
Because she was so comfortable with teenagers from teaching, it was a natural progression into the senior photography business. Reminiscent of how much has changed since she graduated high school in 1995, Timko echoes Boyd and Mares in their appreciation for the art.
“Watching them launch into their lives is a really important time,” Timko said. “This is going to be how you’re remembered by your classmates forever.”
Similarly, Timko receives many clients by referral. However, she also insists on an in-person meeting with the senior before a shoot to build rapport and comfort with one another before picture day. Above all, Timko urges families to explore multiple avenues and remember that just because every Mt. Lebanon high schooler will need a traditional yearbook headshot, any photographer can produce this “timeless” style, so don’t forget to lean into your creativity and make your shoot one to remember.
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