Guest Post by Erin Marie
Senior photos can be one of the most memorable moments of a senior’s high school years. When we started taking senior photos my sister and I wanted to make sure that we not only captured some great photos but that we also made the sessions a fun experience for the senior. Both my sister and I had awful experiences and photos for our senior sessions. So, we wanted to make sure that never happened to any of our seniors! Once the session is booked, we get to work on planning and believe it or not there is a lot that goes into planning out the session.
Understanding School Requirements for Senior Photos
We always start with having a phone or video call with the senior and their parents.
Some of the questions we start with are, “is there any school requirements” with regards to outfits, framing of the photos, (i.e. portrait vs landscape), and finally lighting. For the most part schools tend to tell seniors that their clothing for the photos must follow the school dress code. Framing for the photo used in the senior’s yearbook is usually always portrait and usually shoot from bust up.
With regards to lighting, I have only encountered one school that had a very strict lighting requirement, which was the senior could not be backlit. So, in that situation we are carful of the location of the sun in the photos and making sure it is not to bight or overexposed.
How to Choose the Best Location for Senior Pictures
The next thing we talk to the senior about is the location they would like to take their photos at. Sometimes I have seniors that are very involved in sports such as football and soccer, so they know they want to be at the schools’ field for their photos.
Other students have no idea where to go. In this situation it is our job to guide them to pick a location that will showcase their personality best. But most of the time the senior asks us where the best place is to shoot. And luckily we have three amazing locations that we love to shoot at, and all three are very different from each other. In most cases we will send the senior and their parents a few photos from each location and let them decide with a little guidance from us, which location would be best.
What to Wear for Senior Photos: Outfit Tips & Ideas
The outfits for senior photos can be the most challenging part of the process. Many different things need to be considered when picking an outfit. First and most important would be if the school they attend have certain requirements. Usually, schools are not picky about what the senior wears, but we have seen schools not allow certain colors and require the students to be dressed in their school uniform (usually only private schools). In most case the schools usually tell students to follow the schools dress code.
With our girls we usually recommend that they have two different outfits to change into. The first outfit should be something dressy, usually a dress, and we always have our seniors pick a dress that is flowy and filled with texture. The reason we do this is because we love to have a seniors move and create motion with the dress. This adds so much dimension into the photos, and it is also great for that senior who is very nervous about being in front of the camera because it is a good distraction.
For outfit number two we usually have them pick something more casual, like jeans and a t-shirt. Or in some cases I have had seniors who are a cheerleader or play a sport and they sometimes want to be photographed in their uniform. When it comes to hair and makeup for the girls, we usually tell them to keep it light and airy. The goal is usually to keep a natural look that doesn’t take away from the photo. For the boys, we follow the same rule, one dressy outfit and one casual outfit. But a lot of the time the boys usually play sports and choose to be in their uniforms for some of the photos.
Senior Photo Poses & Props: How to Capture Natural, Fun Moments
When it comes to posing, we are very laid back. We like to start off by just letting our senior move around and pick their own poses. The reason we start the shoot this way is because we want to capture the most natural photos of our senior and sometimes you just got to let them do their own thing. However, there are some seniors who are very nervous and have a hard time posing themselves. In this situation we would step in and make some little suggestions of where hands should go, or feet positions, etc.
A couple of great tips we have learned over the years to help make our seniors more comfortable is, play music of their liking during our session, movement of any kind is a great distraction, and props like hats, athletic gear, and sometimes animals can all help with their nerves.
But whether it will be jumping waves, playing with smoke bombs, or just dancing to their favorite song, we always make sure to have fun! Remember you are not just creating a photo you are creating a memory!
Ready to take the next step? Dont' forget to check out our go to faves for celebrating the grad in your life & What to Do With Your Senior Pictures for more inspiration.
