Senior Photo Tips - Torrington Wyoming Senior Photographer

The weather is warming up, summer is almost here and this year’s juniors will soon be seniors. Hooray! That means you’re starting to think about senior pictures.  So what do you need to know?  As you start to plan your senior photo session, here are a few ideas to keep in mind.

My Top Senior Photo Tips

1. Use the questionnaire

If your photographer sends you a questionnaire, take some time to fill it out honestly and thoroughly.  Your session will be better for it, I promise!  I use the questionnaire to make sure you and I are on the same page as subject-client for your session.  I also use it to help me get to know you and as things we can highlight or even just chat about during your session.  And I genuinely like reading about you and getting to know you better!

2. Start with one piece of clothing you really love.

Putting together an outfit can feel really intimidating.  So start small.  Pick one item of clothing you really love as the foundation of your outfit and then build from there slowly.  For example, if you have a favorite sweatshirt start with it.  Then try it with two or three different pairs of jeans.  Once you’ve selected a top and bottom, then move on to shoes.  After you’ve got shoes figured out, accessorize!  Alternately, maybe you know you absolutely want to wear that awesome championship belt buckle or bracelet you earned.  Start with that piece in mind and work backward.  If you add in one piece at a time, it’s a much less daunting chore!

Want more tips on wardrobe and style?  Check out my comprehensive What to Wear Guide for Girls, written just for my seniors!

3. Tell your photographer if you plan to wear glasses in your session.

Maybe you’ve never met your photographer.  Or maybe she’s only seen you in contacts.  Either way, let her know you’ll be wearing glasses in your session. She might have some tips to follow or need to alter your session plan slightly.

Transition lenses, for example, darken up in bright sunlight and sometimes even with off-camera flash.  Not ideal if you’re planning on great closeups to show off those killer eyes you’ve got.  Your senior photographer can help come up with a plan to make sure you, your glasses and your eyes are all looking fabulous.

4. Get a haircut 2-3 weeks out from your session.

I don’t know about you, but it takes me a while after a haircut to adjust to how I look and how it styles.  Even if it’s just a trim!  Get your haircut at least two weeks before your senior photo session so your hair has a more natural look to it and you feel like you!

5. Bring all your gear.

If you’re going to use sports gear or music equipment in your session, take ALL the related gear with you.  Your photographer might not use all of it, but he’ll appreciate having different options and can use different pieces in different ways.  If you want basketball pictures, for example, take your jersey, a basketball, your shoes, your warmup jacket and a gym bag.  If you want pictures of you with an instrument, take your instrument, the case, a music stand, your favorite sheet music and other music-related items you use all the time.  That way you are limited to a single prop and your photographer can use each item individually, together or mix-and-match to tell your story!

6. Stuff it.

If you’re using a bag in your session, stuff it with newspaper before you arrive to your photoshoot.  It sounds like a really dumb thing to worry about, I know.  But bags will stand up and photograph so much more beautifully when they are full.  This goes for purses, gym bags, handbags, backpacks, gear bags, rope bags, etc.

7. Use Pinterest for inspiration, NOT as to-do list

I love Pinterest.  Last time I looked, I think I have more than 2,000 pins!  You might have even found this post from a pin.  Pinterest is a super helpful place to find inspiration and ideas.  You can use it to inspire your wardrobe, location or even the over all “look” you want for your senior photo session.  But it shouldn’t be a list of images to copy.

Nothing will make your photographer more anxious than hearing you say “I have a list of ten different images I’ve pinned that I want to recreate.  Why?  There are a few reasons.

First, if you’re just recreating someone else’s images, you are just rewriting their story…not telling your own.  Your session should feature your authentic, awesome self, not be a cheap knock-off of something someone else has already done.

Second, what worked in that senior’s session might not work in yours.  You have a unique style, body, attitude, personality, photographer, location, outfit, etc.  Not every pose works for every body.  Lighting conditions change.  Your photographer might have a completely different style.

And finally, some focusing on recreating specific poses or ideas eats up time you could be using to focus on tell YOUR story.  You’ve hired a professional photographer for a reason…let her work to create images that are yours and yours alone!  Let pins inspire, not confine you!

8. Talk to your Photographer bout your concerns before your session

We all have our insecurities.

All.Of.Us.

If you’re not a fan of your arms or legs or you’re fighting some mid-season acne, talk to your senior photographer!  She can suggest different clothes, poses, lighting, or even post-production editing to make you feel confident and look fabulous.  It’s important to have these conversations before your session, though, so you and your photographer can work through the solutions together.  And you’ll want to know if there will be extra editing fees or time involved.

For example, I work during our session to pose you in ways that are flattering and empowering.  I retouching for temporary blemishes like acne, cold sores, cuts, scrapes, small bruises, etc.  If it’s not going to be around next week, for example, I feel comfortable editing it out.  I also play up your eyes, teeth and correct skin tone so it’s consistent across your entire session.  But I never get rid of freckles, moles, birthmarks or scars.  And I don’t change your body shape or remove braces or touch up your roots unless you specifically ask for it (and that level of editing comes with a surcharge).

So be upfront about what might be bothering your or your expectations of editing.  Your photographer will appreciate your honesty!

9. Be open to new poses

“Okay, now look down across your shoulder and sniff your armpit.”

Sound ridiculous?  It’s actually one of my favorite prompts both for how it looks and the awesome expression it creates.  As a photographer, I occasionally nudge my client out of her comfort zone.  And it’s a good thing.  No, you might not normally sit with your legs pointed like that.  But your photographer knows what looks flattering and photographs well.  At worst, it’s an image you let malinger in your gallery never to been seen again.  But who knows?  It might wind up being one of your favorite images in the end!

10. Make (and Take!) a Playlist

I love music.  My tastes are eclectic.  I’m equally happy listening to 1980s George Strait as I am bopping along with a little Megan Trainor.  Music give us energy, helps us relax and can change the entire tenor of a situation.  So make a session playlist!  Find music that makes you happy and feel confident.  Play it on the way to the session and during your sesison.  I’ve added a bluetooth speaker to my senior photography kit, but a phone works too!

11. Don’t forget to spruce up the pets

I love sessions when you bring your pets.  Or livestock.  Or horses.  Give me all the cows, pigs, dogs, hedgehogs, sheep, cats, or exotic tigers you have.

But don’t forget to get them ready for your session, too!  Brush their coats.  Trim up nose whiskers on horses.  Clean your tack.  Take along a brush, some rags and treats for them, and a lint roller for you.  Your animal should reflect how amazing you look.

So there you have it!  Eleven tips to make your senior session be fun and enjoyable and to give you images that celebrate who you are at this time in your life!

If you’re looking for a photographer you can connect with, laugh with AND trust for these special pictures, I’d love to be considered.  Check out my 2020 Senior Portrait Pricing!  I’m a Senior photographer serving Torrington, Wyoming, Cheyenne, Wyoming and all the areas in between!