A lot goes into a 2.5 x 3.5-inch picture in the yearbook, but many would say it is worthwhile to capture this last moment of childhood before college. Senior portraits have been around for years, but they have become much more elaborate than the basic ID picture.

Now, seniors are taking them in multiple locations with numerous outfit changes to get that perfect picture for the yearbook and hallway. Students have taken their pictures at the Arboretum, downtown Wayzata, downtown Minneapolis, and a picturesque park next to Plymouth Lifetime. However, some shoot locations are in random places where the background simply looks good. “To be honest I go to random places,” owner of Lahzeh Photography and BSM alumna Saige Fehresti said.

Sometimes the location is dictated by the parents. “I wanted to take it in nature, but my mom wanted to take it kind of like city vibes, so we did city vibes,” senior Meghan Lamb said.

Other students were able to decide where they wanted their senior moments captured and Claire Lancaster ended up in Hunt & Gather, a thrift store in Minneapolis. “There are so many different rooms in there that there are a lot of different backgrounds you can use,” senior Claire Lancaster said.

The most popular season for senior pictures to be taken is in the summer usually around July or August. “I wanted them to be in the summer so that the weather was nice,” senior Lily Nederveld said.

However, some people chose to take their pictures in the fall and spring. Lancaster wanted to have a fall vibe to her pictures but took them around the end of August. “If you are going to do it in the fall, try to actually do it in the fall so you’re not dying,” Lancaster said.

Like the location, the outfits are also picked out by some parents. “My mom actually picked out my outfits because she cared about it way more than me,” Lamb said.

A large part of a senior picture is what the person is wearing. “I picked out my outfits with clothes that didn’t have a lot of patterns so it wouldn’t be distracting,” Nederveld said.

It is also important to wear something that describes one’s personality. “Wear what you feel confident in,” Fehresti said.

Taking senior pictures is intimidating for a lot of people because they aren’t used to being photographed this professionally. “I don’t have expectations, like, I know you’ve never done anything like this before, have fun with it,” Fehresti said.