Not at all. Most people I photograph aren’t accustomed to being in front of a camera. I’ll give you direction when you need it, keep things moving and make adjustments along the way. You don’t need to know how to pose.

Yes. I’ll guide your position, expression and movement without forcing you into a collection of canned poses. The goal is to give you enough direction to feel comfortable while still creating photographs that feel like you.

The complete session includes up to two hours of photography, two to three locations, three to four outfits and a minimum of 45 finished photographs. You’ll receive full-resolution images through a private online gallery along with a personal print release.

The Söder 8 Session is $550 in the North Iowa and Charles City area. Sessions in Cedar Falls, Waterloo and Rochester are $750, including travel, advance location scouting and planning. Två adds a separate second session and is $850 locally or $1,150 in the travel areas. There are no required upgrades.

Once you know you want a Söder 8 session, it’s worth getting in touch. Summer and fall dates tend to be the most popular, and booking earlier gives us more choices for timing, weather and locations.

You don’t need to arrive with a complete location plan. I’ll ask what kind of setting feels right, then we can build the session around good light, useful variety and places that fit you. A location doesn’t have to look spectacular on its own to photograph well.

Most seniors bring two or four outfits with some variety—casual, slightly dressed up and anything that feels especially like them. You don’t need to buy an entirely new wardrobe. We’ll talk through your choices before the session if you want help narrowing them down.

Absolutely. An instrument, uniform, book, skateboard, vehicle or other meaningful item can give us more to work with but are not required.

You don’t need to bring a collection of props just for the sake of having them.

We’ll keep an eye on the conditions as the session approaches. If the weather won’t allow us to make strong photographs—or creates an unsafe situation—we’ll choose another date. Clouds are not automatically bad, and forecasts are not always right, so I don’t make that decision unnecessarily early.

Your finished gallery will be delivered within 30 days, although most are ready in about three weeks. You’ll receive a private online gallery with your finished, full-resolution photographs and a personal print release. You can download, share and print them wherever you choose. Prints are also available through the gallery, but there is no required print package or inflated markup.

Start with the Plan Your Session form. Once we’ve confirmed the date and basic details, a signed photography agreement and $200 retainer reserve your session.