In a world of impermanence, where thousands of images flash before our eyes every day, custom-made art is increasingly valuable. It’s particularly precious in a field like senior portrait photography, as teens snap dozens of photos of themselves each day and are more apt to forgo the tradition of professional senior portraits altogether.

However, for Melissa and Ty Thompson, owners of Thompson Portrait Studio in Cody, Wyoming, offering a full-service portrait experience to commemorate this milestone means they always have business. Working in a small community of less than 11,000 people and blessed with stunning natural scenery, the Thompsons have distinguished themselves as worthy of a loyal clientele and consistent bookings well above the average rates for the area.

PARTNERING FOR PROFIT

Like other husband-and-wife photography teams (see “In It Together,” March 2025), Melissa and Ty divide labor based on their talents. A photography major in college with a list of accolades, Melissa Thompson, M.Photog.Cr., CPP, is the primary photographer and the creative force behind the studio. Ty Thompson, CPP, assists with photo sessions and the studio’s business, including the establishment of a profitable pricing structure that has allowed the studio to thrive. “Photographers are their own worst critics, and as a result they have a lot of difficulty pricing themselves,” he says. “But if your photography is better than your competitors, then your pricing should not be the same as your competitors.”

The couple worked together to price their work to account for the myriad expenses involved in running a studio as well as the artistry and customer service. In fact, customer service has become a differentiator in an increasingly crowded market, Ty explains. “We thought about some things that our competitors aren’t doing,” he adds. “For example, no one else prints their own work, so, we started doing our own printing. That gave us the ability to touch the product from beginning to end. We may start at [the client’s] home, in some cases, to identify the space where an image will go and help them select a suitably sized image and then continue the process all the way to installing the artwork.”

“We really wanted to be full-service from start to finish,” Melissa adds, as they will even submit a senior portrait to the student’s yearbook or to create graduation announcements. “I want to deliver a finished product that they can enjoy without requiring any additional effort from them to get things printed or displayed.”

DRIVEN BY INTENT

Melissa captures her images with the intent of producing a physical product, not necessarily a digital gallery that can be clicked through or posted. That end goal impacts everything from her shooting style to how she collaborates with clients. Each senior portrait process begins with a discussion about what a client wants out of the session: A wall portrait? An image box? An album? Multiple items? These discussions help guide everything from locations to outfits. Included in the studio’s services are wardrobe consultations in which Melissa visits the client’s home and helps them pick out a range of outfits.

During the session, Melissa leans on her playful personality to get the most out of her teenage subjects. She jokes, asks questions, and often brings them into the creative process by asking them about posing or scenes. By engaging her subjects, Melissa says she shares ownership of the artistic process. The teen is then more interested and relaxed, and she gets a glimpse into their personality. That insight, in turn, helps Melissa strike a balance between a more experimental photography style the young subject often wants and the more traditional imagery their parents want to purchase.

“Senior portraits are different from other sessions because you have two clients: the parents and the senior,” Melissa says. “Seniors typically want something unique. Parents usually want something classic.” Finding the balance is something the Thompsons learned from photographing weddings for many years. “You develop a shot list to help you create images that will appeal to different generations,” Ty explains. “If you manage that well, you can get the teen to open up more and still produce images the parents want to buy.”

Creating saleable images also means varying locations and settings. Melissa gives clients the option of studio portraits, outdoor portraits, or both (her favorite). The studio’s location on the doorstep of Yellowstone National Park means an abundance of scenic spots for outdoor portrait sessions. Still, Melissa rotates her sessions among favorite locations to ensure that no two senior portraits look the same. Everyone gets a unique location and a unique backdrop for their images, a detail that distinguishes her work and justifies a higher price tag.

EVOLVING OPPORTUNITY

While factors such as social media and high-quality mobile phone cameras have irrevocably altered the field of senior portrait photography, the Thompsons still see it as rife with opportunity. Though a lot of teens choose not to do formal senior portraits and are content with taking photos of each other on smartphones, those who want and appreciate a fully curated experience are their ideal clients. “We have to stay true to what our product is, which is something that’s more polished, more intentional,” Ty says. “We are producing a hand-crafted product. It’s not mass-produced, and it’s not for everybody. But we have to be available for the people who want it.”

To other photographers looking to find success in senior portrait work, Melissa recommends starting with an understanding of your own value and the confidence to position yourself in the marketplace accordingly. “Learn the business side or find somebody who understands business to help you set profitable pricing from the beginning,” she says. “It’s really hard to start out cheap and then raise prices later, because then your current clientele can’t afford you. If you start out priced more appropriately, that path to profitability is much easier.”   

Jeff Kent is editor-at-large.