By Erum Rizvi
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Although it only takes a millisecond to press the button on the camera to take a picture, there is much more involved with the process in taking pictures from professional photography companies. Senior Kathleen Keller said she had a great time at the photo shoot at Cripe Photography where she had her senior portraits taken. She said there were some aspects about the photo shoot she had not known about before the experience.

“I had to bring about six different outfits as well as some make up. The photographers had me take pictures indoors and outdoors to make the pictures look really spectacular,” Keller said.

Most photography studios in the area like to get a feel of the personality behind the people they are photographing. According to Master Photographer Sheila Kneringer, photography sessions at Studio K are all about the client.

“We never schedule more than one client at a time. We have music playing, fresh flowers in the dressing room, and the photographer does a wonderful job making sure the client is comfortable. We work hard to capture your personality as well as your inner beauty,” Kneringer said.

Sophomore Haley Breeden had photographs taken by Wyant Photography for the “Peter Pan” play. She said the photographers made the process easy and comfortable.

“I felt really relaxed when getting my picture taken,” Breeden said. “I think it’s good that photographers try to get to know their clients personalities because that helps them take better pictures,” Breeden said.

In order for people to have photography sessions, they must first schedule an appointment with the photography company. According to Lois Wyant, the master photographer at Wyant Photography, people can contact their company through their Web site, which has a calendar to let clients know what days are open. Clients can also call the company to schedule.

Besides everything that goes into a photography session and scheduling appointments, photographers are vital in the process. According to Wyant, her photographers kept working with photography in order to turn it into a professional career. Wyant herself is a testament to that dedication.

“I studied photography in college and have loved it from the beginning. That’s why I have been in this business for 26 years now. There’s something about the art of photography that has a quicker gratification that I get when I take a picture. It’s different from painting because that art takes much longer than the instant photograph you take,” Wyant said.

Junior Sonia “Sonnie” Irons said she has been interested in perusing a future career in photography. She is currently in the independent media arts class at this school and has previously taken a photojournalism class.

“I have wanted to become a photographer since I was in the fifth grade. I love how there is so much you can do with pictures as they are everywhere. I want to continue studying photography in school so that one day I can open a company and even travel and take pictures,” Irons said.

Wyant said students interested in photography careers should continue to study photography, and also study business and marketing.

Wyant said, “You have to know how to market if you want to start a business in photography. With the economy so bad today, you have to know how to market to survive.”