Senior Ambassador Program
— Class of 2026 —
We are so happy that you are joining our Senior Ambassador Program for the Class of 2026. It is going to be a great year of fun creating some incredible images together.
So what’s next? What we have lined out below is a general order of things.
Program Information
General
Communication
We work very hard to communicate in a timely and effective manor with our Senior Ambassadors and their parents.
Over the last several years texting has proven to be the best method for staying in contact. We’ll set up a group text that includes Becky & Marco here at the studio, the Senior Ambassador, and at least one parent. Most of our contact will be through texting.
When we need to send longer messages or files of some type we’ll use the email addresses you provided us. Just like with texting, the emails we send out will always include both the Senior Ambassador and at least one parent.
Questions, Concerns, and Comments
We have been doing this program for ten years. Over that time we’ve made adjustments, added items, and deleted some things. Most of these changes were due to input by the Ambassadors or their parents.
Please feel contact by phone, text, or email if you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns.
Our goal is to make this program a fun part of the Senior year. We are always open to making accomodations and changes when needed.
Program Outline
Photo Sessions Included in the Program
Headshot: Planned for April
Portfolio/Concept: Planned for late April through mid May
Senior: Starting in June
Friends: June through August
Celebration: Anytime before graduation
Family: Anytime until June 30, 2026
Ordering Session
Scheduling
Who should attend
What to expect
Social Events
Pool Day: Soon!
The Big Reveal: Late May
Tubing: Winter Break
Referrals
Points for Trip to Hawaii: Earn 10 between now and October 31 for the trip
Cash for Class of 2027: Winter Break 2025
Photo Sessions
Headshot
This will be your first photo session with us. It is a kind of “get to know you” event. It’s meant as a way for you to shoot with all of us and see how we work.
Our thought is to schedule these sessions beginning in early April. We’ll start planning these around the middle of March. We’ll contact you to get the process started.
We’ll need an hour of your time for this. To avoid being inconvient we’ll work around your schedule to find a suitable time. The session will last an hour from start to finish. You’ll spend about ten (10) minutes with each of us.
To create a variety of photos we’ll shoot in the studio and a variety of locations. If the weather cooperates, some of the locations will be outside. On the other hand, if the weather is inclement the day of your headshot all the locations will be indoors or protected from the elements.
You don’t need to make any special preparations for your headshot session. You can if you want but it is not necessary. This is a show up and shoot as you are.
We will post photos from these sessions to our social media accounts.
Portfolio / Concept
This will be your second photo session with us. We’ll shoot this sometime between late April and mid May. The exact timing and location is determined by the concept you select and what we need to do to make it happen.
This is your opportunity to design a photo session to create a killer image. You come up with the idea and we’ll figure out how to create it. You can use almost anything that interests you for your source of inspiration: hobby, fashion, sport, a skill you’ve developed, dance, a song, a movie, a book you’ve read….
Don’t purchase any wardrobe items or props for this before coordinating with us!
Your concept will also determine the length of this session. They typically tend to involve an hour of photography. The preparation (makeup, props, wardrobe…) may take a while. If the concept is complicated, the length of time needed to complete the photography may be longer. We’ll talk about this in detail as we begin planning this session together.
The images we’ll create in this session will grace the walls of our studio for the next year and be the central part of our initial marketing for the year.
Your Senior Photo Session
This is the most important part of the program – your Senior Photos!
After we complete your Portfolio/Concept session, we’ll set up a time for you to come in to the studio to plan your Senior Photo Session. During your consult we’ll discuss photography styles, locations, items you may want to include, wardrobe, and makeup. At the end of your consult we’ll have a plan on the schedule.
These sessions can be up to three hours and three different locations. The locations need to be no more than about a 30 minute drive from each other. We’re pretty flexible in where we’ll go for your session. In the past we’ve been to Hatcher Pass, Matanuska Glacier, Talkeetna, Big Lake, Girdwood, and Whittier.
Friends
Your friends session is an opportunity to be photographed with your friends. Over the years Seniors have include friends from school, church, sports, and dance. Siblings, parents, and pets have also been popular to include in this session.
This is a relatively short session, about 30 minutes. It will take place at a single location of your choosing at places as far north as Matanuska Lakes and far south as Beluga Point.
These can be as formal or informal as you would like.
Celebration
This is another relatively short photo session, about 30 minutes.
You can use this session to comemorate a significant event from your Senior year. Some possible topics are, cap & gown near commencement, your 18th birthday, or prom. It’s up to you how and when you use thi session!
Like your Friends session, it will take place at a single location of your choosing at places as far north as Matanuska Lakes and far south as Beluga Point.
Family
Parents typically love this session.
This is a 60-90 minute family session conducted at a single location. While we hope to photograph these somewhere between Matanuska Lakes and Beluga Point, we can be flexible on the location.
Your family can take advantage of this session any time from now until the end of June 2026. That give you a whole year so you can take advantage of the season you love most.
Ordering Session
Scheduling
Over the years we’ve found that the right time to schedule the ordering session varies widely. We are happy to work with you in choosing the best time to review the photos and place your order.
Our program includes a lot of photo sessions for your Senior. Some families are ready to order as soon as we complete the Senior Session. Other families want to include photos from all of the sessions in their ordering session.
Many families are concerned with the yearbook deadline for the Senior portrait. Depending on the high school this deadline can be as early as mid-October or as late as April. If the deadline falls before we’ve completed all the sessions you plan to include in your order, we have a method for working that out. This is something we’ve successfully managed over the years.
Who Should Attend?
We recommend that all of the family’s decision makers participate in the ordering session. Most families have found it easier to finalize their order doing this.
In the event everyone you want to include is not physically present, we can link them in electronically.
What to Expect
Our goal for the ordering session is to complete your order.
The typical length of the ordering session is about 90 minutes.
We’ll begin with a review of everything we’ve selected from all of the photo sessions. After that we’ll guide you through a process to narrow down the photos to the ones you love the most and want to order. The last step is to select the photo products you want.
As a general rule your order is ready for pickup in six to eight weeks.
We do get the yearbook portrait file to you in a day or two.
Social Events
Pool Day
This is a pool party and photo session!
We rent one of the municipal pools for two hours. You are welcome to bring a couple of guests.
Throughout the event you can hang around on the deck, swim laps, or splash around in the shallow end. It’s a pool…
Meanwhile we’ll be set up to take underwater photos of anyone interested. We’ll bring a few long, flowy dresses. You can bring your own wardrobe item for the photo.
The Big Reveal
This is our studio gallery event where we debut the photographs that we’ll create together during the Portfolio/Concept sessions with all of our Class of 2026 ambassadors. Our plan is to hold the Big Reveal at the Century 16 Theater in Anchorage. We’ll begin with a slide show of the photos and then watch a movie that the Ambassadors have selected through online voting.
You’ll be able to invite a few guests to participate. The seating in the theater will be limited. How many guests you can bring will be based on how many members of the program decide to attend.
We have a variety of options on when to hold the Big Reveal and lots of choices of which movie to select. To choose the date and movie we will get input from you and the other members of the program using online surveys. You’ll receive the links to them as we get closer to completing all the Portfolio sessions
Tubing
Over winter break we’ll take everyone that’s interested tubing at Arctic Valley.
We’ll pay for our Ambassadors and one friend. More friends are welcome but they’ll need to pay their own way.
The tubing sessions last about 90 minutes.
Referrals
If you’re interested in earning the trip to Hawaii for a photo session, our referral program is how you do it.
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- This is totally voluntary part of our program.
- You earn one (1) point when you refer someone to our studio that books a Senior Session, Family Session, or Forever Beautiful Session
- Anyone in your family can make the referral
- We accept referrals for this until October 31, 2025
- If you earn enough points for the trip to Hawaii but would rather go to a different destination, we might be able to make that happen. If the travel cost is the same, or less, than going to Hawaii, we are happy to change.
- These are the premiums you earn for the number of points you’ve earned.
- 3 points – Instax camera or a $100 print credit
- 6 points – Beats Headphones, Nintendo Switch, or $200 print credit
- 8 points – iPhone 16 or $850 print credit
- 10 points – Trip to Hawaii or $3000 print credit
- The trip to Hawaii (or other desintation) includes travel to and from the destination and lodging expenses for four days for the Ambassador and one parent.
Cash for the Class of 2027
Beginning in late December of 2025, around the time winter break begins, we’ll start looking for Class of 2027 students to join our Senior Ambassador Program. Our search generally continues to the end of March. You can help us and get some coffee money in the process!
If you know anyone in the Class of 2027 that you think might enjoy participating in our program have them contact us by phone call, text, or email. If they schedule a meeting with us to discuss our Senior Ambassador Program, we’ll pay you $10. Should they enroll in the program we’ll pay you an additional $10 finders fee.
You do have to remind them to let us know you sent them to us so we can credit you.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns – we will answer them as soon as we possibly can.
Gutierrez Photography
11823 Old Glenn Hwy, #107
Eagle River, AK 99577
Ph: (907) 726-1284
gutierrez@gci.net
gutierrezphotography.com