Mars Prom Photos

This past weekend, I had a type of photo session I’ve never had before: pre-prom photos! And they were so much fun!

While lots of high schools in the area had prom, these photos are of some seniors from Mars High School.

If you’ve ever been to prom or been a parent/sibling of someone going to prom, you know that pre-prom photos can be a little chaotic - one parent (or multiple parents) have to take charge - people are looking at different cameras and giving different instructions, etc! But after the photos were over, several of the parents thanked me for taking the lead and giving clear instruction, because it gave them the opportunity to just enjoy the moment without having to worry about getting the perfect photo. And now the whole group has some photos of everyone posed well, in good light, and looking in the right direction!

If you’re interested in having pre-prom photos taken, please feel free to reach out to me by clicking here!

Josh K: Hartwood Acres Mansion Senior Photos

Josh is graduating this Spring with the class of 2023!

He's a super smart guy who's planning on studying biomedical engineering after high school at Duquesne University. And as you can tell, he came dressed to impressed in a suit and one of his favorite bow ties!

Congratulations on your senior year, Josh, and thanks so much for letting us celebrate with you!

Pittsburgh Senior Photographer: Senior Photo Highlights 2022

This year, I had the privilege of photographing another amazing round of seniors, including some seniors from the class of 2022 and some who will be graduating in the spring of 2023!

I photographed seniors at a variety of beautiful locations, including: McConnell’s Mill State Park, Moraine State Park, Hartwood Acres Mansion, Succop Nature Park, Mellon Park, the Strip District, the North Shore, the Mellon Institute, Phipp’s Conservatory, the Cathedral of Learning, Historic Harmony, and Preston Park! The most popular location choice by far was Hartwood Acres Mansion, which accounted for 38% of location choice, followed up by Mellon Park at 20%. The rest were distributed pretty evenly!

I also photographed seniors from a wide variety of different schools. The full list from greatest number of seniors photographed from that school to the least includes:

• Seneca Valley High School (23%)

• North Allegheny High School (20%)

• Pine Richland High School (12%)

• Mars Area High School (12%)

• Franklin Regional High School (8%)

• North Catholic High School

• Butler Area High School

• Upper St. Claire High School

• Canon McMillan High School

• Portersville Christian School

• Homeschool

A few of my favorite things about this year’s senior photo sessions…

• Hartwood Acres Mansion opened back up after over a year of being under construction, so I was able to hold sessions there again! The only downside was that they were MUCH busier this year, which mean the mansion area was closed many more evenings due to private events. I guess that’s what happens when you’re popular event venue that is closed for a full year!

• I photographed my first college senior (Erica) – who was the first in her family to graduate from college! College senior photo sessions should totally be more of a thing. They are so much fun!

• I had a senior who wanted photos in the snow… and they turned out to be some of my favorites from the year! (Thanks for letting me take them for you, Megan!)

• I photographed two seniors in the same family for two families who had two different seniors graduating (each family had one in 2022, and one in 2023). Also, that sounds really confusing but I hope it makes sense! It was such an honor to be able to take senior photos for each of these families twice!

• I had my first senior session inside Phipp’s Conservatory – and it was amazing, and so much fun! Did you know that you can rent a room out for an hour there?! This is such a great option for getting some beautiful, colorful plants in the background of your photos during the colder months! It also makes a great rain plan!

• I photographed a set of triplets for the second time in my career!

It was such a fun year… seniors are my favorite type of session to photograph, so it’s always a blessing to get to work with so many seniors and families!

To all of the seniors who gave me the honor of taking their senior portraits this year - THANK YOU. Truly, I can’t thank you enough for allowing me to be a part of such a sweet season of your life! And Congratulations to the Jenna Hidinger Photography Class of 2022 ✌🏼

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If you are a Class of 2023 senior who has yet to schedule their photos, or a Class of 2024 senior who is looking to have their photos taken, feel free to reach out via the contact tab above, or directly at jhidingerphotography@gmail.com. I’d be more than happy to give you some additional information!

Check out senior photo highlights from past years: 2021 // 2020 // 2019 // 2018 // 2017

Abby H: North Allegheny High School Senior Photos at Hartwood Acres Mansion

Abby is a field hockey playing senior at North Allegheny! She is graduating with the class of 2023. She loves sushi & Italian food, and she had the BEST day I think I've ever experienced for a senior session in November - she was even able to go barefoot for some of her photos! I could get used to this 70+ degree weather in Pittsburgh in November!

I absolutely adored all of Abby’s outfit choices for her session - especially her red boots the last dress she chose (but that gray dress is so beautiful, too)! In addition to some adorable fall outfits, Abby’s mom brought some beautiful bouquets of flowers and mums to incorporate into her photos. Because we were shooting in November, we weren’t sure how much color we would have to work with - but those bouquets and potted mums added a beautiful touch that really brought an extra element to her images!

Congratulations on your senior year, Abby! Thank you so much for the honor of taking your senior photos for you!

Mykaela S: Seneca Valley High School Senior Photos at Hartwood Acres

Mykaela is a part of the Seneca Valley High School class of 2023, and was a joy to photograph on the most beautiful of fall evenings! She's in chorus, loves Sheetz (same), and has the prettiest ice blue eyes - which her first outfit helped pop SO well!

To me, one of the best things about being a Pittsburgh senior photographer is getting to photograph people in the fall! It’s always for clients (and for me!) to not work up a sweat while taking photos, and there’s just something so pretty about that fall light… not to mention the beautiful, vibrant foliage on the trees. It’s the perfect combination!

Congratulations on your senior year, Mykaela! Thank you so much for the honor of taking these photos for you!

Alexis B: Franklin Regional Senior High School Photos at Hartwood Acres

Meet Alexis! She is a part of the class of 2023 - she's a tap dancer, cookie dough ice cream lover, and was a joy to photograph on a beautiful early fall night at Hartwood Acres Mansion!

On the way to her session, it started raining - and I could hardly believe it, as I had checked the weather forecast just that afternoon and had seen no chance of rain! When we arrived to the mansion, it was pouring and looked like it was going to rain all the way until sunset - but we decided to wait 20 minutes to see if the weather would lighten up. And thankfully... it DID! AND we were able to shoot for her full 90 minute timeframe, which was such a blessing. It always amazes me how fast Pittsburgh weather can change! A huge thanks to Alexis and her parents for being willing to give it a shot… you never know what might happen!

For her session, Alexis brought a few bouquets of fresh flowers to incorporate into her photos… which I LOVED! Fresh flowers add some vibrancy and life to images, so I always love when seniors bring them. They’re such an easy prop to incorporate!

Congratulations, Alexis, on your senior year!

How to Prepare for Your Senior Photo Session

Preparing for senior photos isn’t hard, but it certainly can be if you wait until the last minute!

Today, I’m sharing things to think about months and weeks out from your session, as well as what to remember the day of your senior session!

One to Three Months Out:

• Schedule any hair, makeup, or nail appointments you might want!

• Start thinking about what you might want to wear - go through your closet in advance to see if you’ll need to purchase any additional garments

• Choose a location where your senior photos will take place

The Week of Your Session:

• Finalize and steam or iron all of your outfit choices (wrinkles be gone!) & props!

• Drink LOTS of water! This is good for your skin and will give it a nice glow!

• Make sure you are applying chapstick, especially if you are prone to chapped lips! (Chapped lips can’t be fixed in photoshop!)

• Make sure your nails are clean or, for the ladies, painted!

• Refrain from wearing sunglasses for the week leading up to your session so you aren’t squinting during your session!

The Day of Your Session:

• Give yourself plenty of time to get ready – more than you think!

• Don't forget to arrive 10 to 15 minutes before our scheduled start time. Your session will begin at the time we set in advance, not at the time you arrive.

• Eat a snack before you come – it’s not fun getting your photo taken while you’re hangry!

What to Bring:

• Any outfit changes you might have

• Any props you may want to include (an instrument, soccer ball, pet, etc.!)

• A change of comfortable shoes to walk in

• A hair brush or comb (or anything for on location touch ups!)

• A parent or friend (moral support is always a good thing – plus, if you’d like they can step in for a few photos at the end!)

HAVE MORE QUESTIONS?

One of my favorite ways to prepare my clients for their senior sessions is through my blog! Check out the popular blogs below to see if any of your senior Q’s can be answered, or reach out using the contact tab in the navigation above to start a conversation! ☺️

• Pittsburgh Area Location Ideas for Senior Girl Portraits

• Pittsburgh Area Location Ideas for Senior Guy Portraits

• 4 Tips for Preparing for Your Senior Photo Session

• When to Have Your Senior Photos Taken

• 4 Ways to add more “Umph” to Your Senior Photo Outfits!

• 4 Reasons to Have Your Senior Photos Taken Over the Summer

• Why Professional Prints are Worth the Investment

Abigail & Lydia: Twin Pittsburgh Senior Photos

What an absolute treat it was to take photos of twin sisters Abigail and Lydia! We had so many awesome locations to go to that we spent not one, but two days together over the course of a week, traipsing all around Pittsburgh!

Abigail & Lydia both attend Oakland Catholic in the heart of Oakland… so it was only fitting to use Oakland as the backdrop for their senior photos! We started off on Pitt’s campus, then ventured over to Phipp’s, then lastly, to Schenley Park. For day two of our time together, we spent all of our time at one of my favorites - Mellon Park! The light is always SO good there!

It’s so easy to tell that these two ladies are the best of friends! Abigail and Lydia, it was such an honor to take your senior photos. Congratulations on your senior year!!!

Anthony V: Hartwood Acres Mansion Senior Photos

A suit never goes out of style - and really, it’s the perfect choice for a senior session at Hartwood! Not only is Anthony a super down-to-earth, kind guy - he’s also a total natural in front of the camera! And even though there were tons of kids having their prom photos taken around us, he never let it phase him - and I’m so excited to share a few favorites from his session! Congratulations on your senior year, Anthony!

Gracie D: McConnell's Mill Senior Photos

One of my absolute favorite things I learned about Gracie during her senior session at McConnell’s Mill is that she is named after “Gracie Lou” (played by Sandra Bullock) from Miss Congeniality! And really (in the short time I got to spend with her!) I can tell that she’s much like the character she’s named after - kind and sweet, but tough and more than able to hold her own!

We had the most beautiful day for Gracie’s senior portraits, and were even able to find some flowers around the park to incorporate into her photos. Congratulations on your senior year, Gracie!