You’re ready to book your Clemson senior portraits, but you’re stuck on one big question: should you book a group session with your friends or go with an individual session just for you? It’s a decision SO many seniors struggle with, and honestly, both options are amazing for different reasons! Let me break down exactly what each type of session offers so you can figure out which one is right for YOUR senior year celebration.
What’s the Difference?
Before we dive into the pros and cons, let’s make sure we’re on the same page about what each type of session actually includes.
Group Sessions are designed to capture the friendship and memories you’ve shared with your college besties. The focus is on group portraits together, with a few individual shots of each graduate sprinkled in. Think: celebrating your journey together, documenting your squad, and honoring the friendships that got you through these four years.
Individual Sessions are all about YOU! These are personal, comprehensive portrait sessions filled with various individual portraits that showcase your personality, style, and this milestone moment. We take our time creating a diverse gallery that’s completely focused on celebrating your unique achievement.
Why Choose a Group Session?
You Want to Celebrate Your Friendships Let’s be real, you didn’t get through Clemson alone! Your roommates, study buddies, and college best friends are a huge part of your story. Group sessions beautifully capture those relationships and give you portraits that honor the people who made these years unforgettable.
Sharing the Cost Appeals to You Group sessions split the investment among multiple people, which makes professional portraits more budget-friendly. If finances are tight but you still want beautiful senior photos, a group session can be a great option!
You Want Fun, Candid Energy There’s something special about the energy when you’re with your friends. The laughter comes naturally, the moments feel authentic, and you’re not worried about being awkward because you’re surrounded by people you’re comfortable with. Group sessions often feel more like hanging out than a formal photoshoot!
You Don’t Need a Huge Variety of Solo Portraits If you’re not planning to use senior portraits for professional purposes like LinkedIn, job applications, or extensive family gifts, and you mainly want a few good shots for social media and announcements, the individual portraits from a group session might be all you need!
The Reality Check About Group Sessions
Here’s what you should know before committing to a group session:
Limited Individual Attention Because we’re focusing on the group dynamic and making sure everyone gets some individual shots, we’re not spending as much time on YOUR specific portraits. You’ll get several great individual images, but it’s not the comprehensive, varied gallery you’d get from a solo session.
Coordination Can Be Tricky Getting multiple people to agree on a date, time, location, and wardrobe can be like herding cats! Someone always has a conflict, scheduling gets complicated, and the planning process takes more effort and compromise.
Your Vision Might Get Diluted If you have specific ideas about locations, styling, or the vibe you want, group sessions require compromise. You might not get to do everything exactly how you envisioned because you’re balancing multiple people’s preferences.
Fewer Photos of Just You The majority of images will be group shots, which is wonderful for capturing friendships but means your personal collection of solo portraits will be smaller. If you’re hoping for lots of variety in your individual portraits, this might not satisfy that need.
Why Choose an Individual Session?
This is YOUR Moment to Shine An individual session is completely focused on YOU and celebrating YOUR achievement. Every single photo is about your personality, your style, your journey, and your milestone. There’s something really special about having that dedicated time that’s all yours!
Maximum Variety and Creativity With an individual session, we have time to explore multiple locations, try different poses and angles, capture various moods and expressions, and really create a comprehensive, diverse gallery. We can be creative, experiment, and make sure you have portraits for every purpose you need them for.
Professional and Personal Use Individual sessions give you the range you need for everything: professional LinkedIn headshots, family portraits for grandparents, images for graduation announcements, social media content, and prints for your first apartment. You’ll have options for every use case!
Your Vision, Your Way Want to incorporate props from your major? Interested in a specific location that’s meaningful to you? Have particular outfit ideas? An individual session means we create exactly what YOU envision without compromise or coordination with others.
More Comfortable for Camera-Shy People If you’re nervous or awkward in front of the camera, an individual session actually helps! Without the pressure of performing in front of friends, many people relax more. Plus, I can give you my full attention for posing guidance and making sure you feel confident.
A Complete Portfolio You’ll walk away with a full gallery of beautiful, varied portraits that comprehensively document this milestone. Different outfits, multiple locations, various poses, different moods—everything you could want!
The Investment Consideration
Here’s the honest truth: individual sessions are a bigger investment than splitting a group session. BUT you’re also getting SO much more! Think about what you’re actually getting:
Group Session: Focused on group portraits + a handful of individual shots of you Individual Session: Entirely focused on you with comprehensive coverage and maximum variety
It’s like comparing ordering an appetizer sampler to getting a full multi-course meal. Both are valuable, but they serve different purposes!
Can You Do Both?
Here’s something many seniors don’t realize: you absolutely can do BOTH if it works for your budget and schedule! Book a group session to capture your friendships AND book an individual session to get that comprehensive personal gallery.
Some of my favorite senior experiences have been shooting a fun group session with friends one day, then scheduling a separate individual session another day. You get the best of both worlds—celebration of friendship AND celebration of your personal achievement!
How to Decide
Ask yourself these questions:
What’s most important to you? If celebrating friendships is your top priority, group session. If comprehensive documentation of YOUR milestone is most important, individual session.
How will you use these photos? Need them for professional purposes, family gifts, and announcements? Individual session gives you more options. Mainly for social media and fun memories? Group session might suffice.
What’s your comfort level? Camera shy and prefer being with friends? Group session energy might help. Want dedicated attention and guidance? Individual session provides that.
What’s your budget? Working with limited funds? Group session splits costs. Room in your budget for more comprehensive coverage? Individual session is worth it.
How much variety do you want? Want lots of different individual portraits? Individual session is necessary. Happy with a few good solo shots? Group session delivers that.
Still Can’t Decide?
Let’s talk about it! I’m happy to discuss your specific situation, what you’re hoping for, and help you figure out which option (or maybe both!) makes the most sense for you. Every senior is different, and there’s no wrong choice here—just different approaches to celebrating this amazing achievement!
Ready to book your Clemson senior portrait session? Whether you’re leaning toward a group session to celebrate with your besties or an individual session for comprehensive coverage, I’d love to help you create beautiful portraits that capture this milestone exactly how you envision it. Contact me today and let’s discuss which option is perfect for YOU!
The most important thing is documenting this achievement in a way that feels right for you. Let’s make it happen!
