AURORA, Colo. — A group of local photographers called “Pay What You Can: Senior Photos Class of 2024” is making school portraits more affordable for high school seniors and their families. It’s a concept that was created after the group’s organizer, and professional photographer, Kristi Harvey heard parents asking around for affordable photos sessions.
“The 'Pay What You Can' program is something that I started a few years ago when I saw the price for senior photos at some of the studios locally,” Harvey said. “I did see a package from a studio where your base price is $500, and I think five photos were another $500 so you can easily get up into the thousands of dollars for the studios.”
Harvey is one of five professional photographers in the group snapping pictures this year. She said each photographer sets their own photo event on the group’s Facebook page. Then families who need senior photos can select a photographer and a location around the metro area. Harvey said then whatever’s in the family’s budget for senior photos is what the group will accept.
“I’ve had a family pay me $50 because that’s what was in their budget, and I had a family pay up to $350-$400,” Harvey said. “So, it really just depends on what you're able to afford at the time financially.”
The group will be scheduling sessions along the front range in areas like Denver, Colorado Springs, Aurora and Longmont. Harvey said this year, she’s seen an increase in requests.
“I have my events set up on the Facebook page for June, July and August, and they’re actually almost full which is different than the years before,” Harvey said. “There are a lot of clients that we have that actually tell us that without this program, they wouldn’t be able to do senior photos for their kids.”
Clients like Lipi Khan who is getting her daughter Shariah’s senior portraits taken at the 17 Mile House Farm Park in Aurora. She said programs like this help.
“Being a single mom, it’s not that easy. You have to think about other expenses than a photograph,” Khan said. “This is the most important part of their life and my life too because I didn’t actually get to graduate from school so she’s doing it so this is like the greatest moment of my life, and I would have to say my entire family too.”
Her daughter Shariah is going to be a senior at Chapparal High School and said she’s going to look back on these photos for a lifetime.
“I was really excited to take them,” Shariah said. “I wanted to take pictures for a while, but I wasn’t sure with who and then my mom found them.”
Harvey said she hopes the Pay What You Can sessions will lift a burden from the parents of high school seniors who are hoping to capture a milestone in their lives.
“I hope these seniors have these photos to look back on the rest of their lives and have something that they’re really proud of and brings back some good memories for them,” Harvey said. “There are a lot of clients that we have that actually tell us that without this program, they wouldn’t be able to do senior photos for their kids so they would have no picture in the yearbook, no photos to hang on their walls.”
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