No, those aren’t amateur models you’ve seen striking a pose around town, draping themselves artfully on stairways, strutting their stuff on train tracks or leaning casually against tree trunks.

Those are high school seniors getting their senior portraits taken.

“Back in my day, everything was in-studio,” said Patty Deckard, who helped her daughter, Kaitlyn, with her senior portraits earlier this month. But now, simple studio portraits often don’t cut it for seniors. Outdoor senior photos are increasingly common.

None of Kaitlyn’s senior portraits were shot in a studio. Instead, the whole shoot took place outside around downtown Bend. To get ready for the shoot, Kaitlyn, her sister and her mom pulled together and labeled 10 outfits, which they carried to the shoot in a laundry basket. For costume changes, they held up a sheet for privacy.

Daniel Moor co-owns the photography business Dersham Daniels Photography with his wife, Suzanne Moor. He said, these days, 90 percent of his senior-photo clients go for outdoor shoots. Some opt for urban settings, while others go for a more natural theme. Students often include items that signify their interests, such as a musical instrument or a pet.

“We photographed one gal who had a cow, a dog, two cats and a little pygmy goat,” Daniel Moor said. He said it took two sessions to capture the right photos with the various animals.

Deciding factors

Senior photos can be costly, but one way to keep cost down is to be conservative about your print order. A basic photo shoot and print package may run $200 or less, but parents may shell out hundreds of dollars. Deckard said after ordering prints, including a large print for a wall hanging, two portfolios, and “lots of wallets” for graduation announcements, she’ll spend close to $1,000. But she said it’s worth it to have a quality keepsake.

“This is a point in a family’s history,” Moor said. “You don’t want to neglect this for your kid.”

Whether you plan to invest a few bucks for some simple photographs or a heap of cash for a family heirloom, preparation can help.

The shooter

Start out with choosing the right photographer. Most photographers will have a website that can help you get a feel for a professional photographer’s style — though there are some limitations to online shopping. For one, it can be hard to judge the quality of the images on a computer screen. This is why Moor suggested getting your hands on actual prints.

“Look at the image quality,” Moor said. While many professional photographers will clean up blemishes, the final result should still look natural, not airbrushed.

“Do the images look finished? Do they look retouched?”

In addition to your online research, ask other families you know about their experiences with senior photos.

“I believe word of mouth is the way to go,” said Bend photographer Kristi Eckberg. If you can look at the prints, all the better. You may get a good sense of the quality of the finished product.

Preparing for the shoot

If you opt for outdoor photos, there’s a good chance your photographer will schedule the shoot in the morning or the early evening to get the best light.

“If you’re being photographed in the middle of the day, either the photographer is really busy or they don’t care,” Moor said.

He also said it’s important to be well-rested on the day of your shoot. If you wake up feeling sick, consider rescheduling.

Bend photographer Heather Leggett suggested putting together different outfits that are easy to change into; she said bright colors tend to photograph well, especially in urban settings.

“Any bright color will pop against the background,” she said.

As for hair and makeup, she recommends going for a replication of the senior’s day-to-day look.

“Don’t go too over the top or fussy; go for something that really encompasses the feel of their look or their personality,” Leggett said. “Really, I encourage them to just be themselves.”

Several photographers said it can be dangerous to make any major changes to your look just before photos. Dramatic hairstyle changes can be risky if you end up not liking the change.

Eckberg said that while moms love going along on the photo sessions, it may not always be the best idea.

“Sometimes moms can be finicky and a little overboard with fixing the hair and clothes,” she said. What’s more important than having every hair in place is that the subject of the photo has a good time. This is partly the photographer’s job, but having a buddy come along on the shoot can help, too.

“I highly recommend bringing friends. This really does help bring out lots of laughs, true smiles and fun,” she said.

One point that’s sometimes forgotten: Try not to show up with a sunburn or a funny-looking tan.

Moor said this is especially a problem with guys.

“For guys, we sometimes deal with a farmer tan, or if you’ve worn a hat all summer, you’ll have a kid who’s tan from his eyeballs down,” he said. Some of these problems can be retouched after the photo is taken, but it might be a good idea to use sunscreen in the month or so before your photo session, or conversely, to spend some time without the hat or big sunglasses.

Paying the tab

To stay within your budget, consider making a list of must-have photos, separate from extras. Know how many large prints you’ll need for parents and grandparents and how many wallet-sized photos you’ll want for graduation announcements. Extras like bound portfolios, extra-large prints and 411 cards — small calling cards with contact info and photos — will add to your total.

Some photographers may also offer a copyright-free disc for an additional charge, so that you can make your own prints, but many don’t. Make sure you ask about the policy. Also consider ordering a smaller order to start with and ordering more later on if you want or need more — though you will only want to do this if you’re going to an established company you trust will be around for a while.

“We get kids who call us the next spring,” Moor said. “They can order what they want now, and what they can afford right now. We try to fit every person’s budget; we work across the socioeconomic spectrum.”

Moor said because Dersham Daniels Photography sells photos a la carte and because on-location photography charges can vary based on variables like travel time, it’s hard to say what a typical customer spends, but $200 and up is not uncommon. The company is running a summer special photo session for $123, which includes some location photos and a small order of prints.

Whether a family spends less than $200 or $1,000, Moor said he aims to give the same photo shoot experience; the price variations are largely based on the print order.

“We always work on the basis of this: Everyone gets the same chance to look good,” he said.

Eckberg said her packages start at $370, but with additional photos many families spend between $500 and $900. Leggett said her basic senior photo package costs $600, and with extra prints the cost can go up to about $1,500.

Sears Portrait Studio has a package for $99 that includes a studio session and eight sheets of prints (a sheet consists of one 8-by-10, two 5-by-7s, four 3 1/2-by-5s or eight wallets). Sears also offers on-location photography throughout Central Oregon, starting at $250 for a one-hour session. Be sure to ask about all the services offered. For instance, Sears Portrait Studio does not retouch photos, though copyright-free image discs can be purchased for about $75, which would allow you to retouch your own photos if you’re handy.