Prom Picture List

We're gearing up for another prom.  This will be our fourth.

In two weeks, we'll be celebrating another high school graduate.

But this week it will be all about the dresses and fancy suits.  Up-do's and corsages.  Dinner and dancing.  And the party bus.

As I look back through the photos I took the last three times we did this, I see all of the pictures that I didn't take and wish I had.  I also see that we were blessed with good weather every time.  Unfortunately, tomorrow's forecast doesn't look as promising.

So I give you my lessons learned, in the form of a Prom Picture List.  The photos I took, and all the ones that I wish I'd taken.

• The prom tickets.  Our school comes up with a unique and crafty design every year, and chances are good they'll come home wrinkled up in a pocket at the end of the night.

• Preparation photos.  Dress shopping.  Hair and nail appointments.  Tuxedo fitting.  Getting that tie done up properly.

• Your son/daughter in their dress/tux/suit - alone.  I took a ton of photos of my kids with their prom dates, and they're wonderful, but a few years later they're no longer with the same people.  I treasure the photos, and the memories, but I wish I had a few of my kids by themselves. Try to take a few different poses, showing different angles of the outfit that cost you a small fortune.  The temptation is to capture the entire outfit in full body shots, but try to zoom in close for a few pictures.

• A photo of you with your child.  Every year that we've done this, I've been behind the scenes in my shorts, T-shirt, and ponytail, and I've resisted being in any of the photos.  I regret this.

• Couple shots, including putting on their corsages.  Again, zoom in close for a few.

• Group shots.  And if you're a boy mom, get those girls in a few pictures.  All of those colourful dresses are an amazing sight!

• In the car.  Maybe you rented a limo.  Maybe they're driving Dad's normally off-limits convertible.  Maybe they're all piling into a party bus.  Capture it.

• The surroundings.  All of our graduating classes choose the lakeshore for their pre-prom photos, which makes for some nice scenery.  Zoom out and take it all in.

I've also learned to use the flash, even on sunny days, to cut down on the shadows that surrounding trees can create.

Hopefully tomorrow night I will remember to change up the poses and angles, capture the details and scenery, and have a back up plan for the thunderstorms they're forecasting.

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