What To Wear for Senior Pictures

After deciding on a photographer for senior pictures and setting a date (me…cough*cough*), your next step is to decide what to wear for senior pictures.

Planning your wardrobe ahead of time eliminates stress and makes your session a lot more fun because you’ll look and feel confident! Here are my five tips for choosing outfits for your senior pictures!

1.  Start with three outfits – casual, dressy, and personality.

You can always choose more outfits, depending on the length of your session. But having these three outfits ready to go is a great place to start! Just make sure that your outfits make sense for your location and season.

The Casual Outfit

I think of a casual outfit as something you’d wear to school or a night out with friends. Think ripped jeans, your favorite t-shirt, Vans, your most comfortable cowboy boots, or that polo you always wear.

• Jeans and a t-shirt with tennis shoes or sandals (girls)
• Shorts or capris and a casual blouse (girls)
• A flowy sundress and sandals (girls)
• Overalls or shortalls (girls)
• Jeans and a t-shirt with tennis shoes (boys)
• Shorts and a polo shirt with flip flops (boys)
• Jeans and a casual button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up (boys)

The Dressy Outfit

The dressy or formal outfit doesn’t have to mean a tux or prom gown (but it totally could if that’s your thing!)  Instead, think of it as  just a spiffier, more put-together look than your everyday go-to.  This would be an outfit you’d wear to a cousin’s wedding, what you’d wear when you travel for sports, or if you had to go accept an award at the Rotary Club.

Here are some ideas:

• A fitted dress with some structure paired with a ballet flat or heel (girls)
• Dark denim jeans with a fitted colored t-shirt paired with a blazer or cardigan and dressier shoes (heels make your legs look AMAZING ladies!)
• Black pants with a sweater and statement necklace (girls)
• A romper with wedges (girls)
• Dark slacks and a crewneck sweater or long-sleeve button-down shirt
• Dark wash jeans and a dress shirt
• Suit pants, dress shirt, and a suit coat, or some combination of the two (boys OR girls).  Your mom will LOVE this look and you’ll be amazed at how powerful you feel in a well-cut suit.  

The Personal Outfit

A personal outfit incorporates something unique to you and makes a great addition to your wardrobe for senior pictures.  It might be related to your activities, interests, personal history, or future goals!

Here are some examples!

• FFA Official Dress
• Sports uniforms or jerseys
• Dance costume
• Letter jackets or team swag
• Heirloom items
• Shirt or sweatshirt of the college you plan to attend
• A vintage or themed outfit that reflects your style

Remember, the three outfit suggestion is just that…a suggestion as a starting place.  Feel free to bring other outfits to your session, choose three great casual outfits or three glamorous outfits.  These are your photos and you need to look and feel like your own amazing self!

2.  Add accessories!

Once you have the basic idea of your outfits, accessorize them!  Use the following to round out your outfit and add color, texture, depth, and polish to your wardrobe!

• Hats – ball caps, fedoras, cowboy hats, sunhats, bowlers, ski caps or Scotch caps
• Jewelry – necklaces, earrings, bracelets, watches, rings or hair accessories.  Remember jewelry isn’t just for girls!
• Sunglasses
• Scarves
• Jackets, vests, or blazers – use them as prime piece of your wardrobe or as an accessory in just a few photos
• Shoes – don’t overlook the impact your shoes can have on the overall look of your outfit!  Pair a bold shoe with a more neutral upper outfit for a pop of color, or choose a neutral shade and to keep the focus on your torso!
• Bags
• Flowers
• Ties, bolos, cufflinks, or suspenders

3.  Choose a variety of colors and patterns

Add variety to your senior pictures just by using a variety of colors and color families for your outfits.  For example, if you choose three white shirts, all your outfits and photos will have a similar look.  Ditto for outfits in the same color family.  But choosing different colors in different families helps change up the look and vibe of your photos.

For example, if you choose a pale, pastel shade for a dressy maxi dress, consider using a shirt in a bold jewel tone as the base for our casual outfit.  Or if your soccer jersey is white, choosing a jacket with warm fall colors for your casual outfit as a nice complement.

The same thing goes for patterns.  Mix them up between outfits!  If you have a patterned shirt for one outfit, balance that with a solid color in your second outfit.

And finally – don’t choose a color that will match the background.  If we’re shooting in a park with lots of green grass – your green dress will blend in to the background.  A cream dress in fall grass or a red shirt against a red brick wall also fails to pop.  Pick a colors that you love that will also contrast from the background.

4.  Plan no more than one outfit per 25-30 minutes of session time

I don’t limit my seniors on how many times they can change clothes.  But you need to balance different outfits with how much time we have for the session.  Don’t plan so many outfits that we end up rushed or that you spend more time changing than we do photographing you!

5.  Make sure you can move and feel comfortable

I have my seniors stand, lean, sit, crouch, and lie down during a photo session!  You’ll want to choose outfits that give you good range of motion and aren’t too revealing in different poses.

For example, if you’re constantly tugging down the skirt in the dressing room, you’ll hate it during a session.  If you’re a guy planning to wear a suit coat, make sure you can button it comfortably and raise your arms over your head without splitting a seam.

Shoes are another thing that should be comfortable!  If your feet hurt, your session won’t be very much fun!  Don’t be Dani from Ted Lasso and vow to burn your shoes after your session.

6.  Pick out the right bras, underwear and socks

Ladies, pick a bra that works with your outfit.  I cannot emphasize this enough.   

If you’re wearing something with straps or off the shoulder, get a strapless bra.  It just looks nicer and we aren’t worried about fixing bra straps all the time.  

If you’re wearing light-colored clothes, choose a plain, neutral bra and underwear so nothing shows through.  

Gentlemen, take a test run with your underwear and the pants you’re wearing.  Make sure your boxers aren’t bunching at the leg under your jeans or that we can’t see your SpongeBob briefs through your khakis.

And please, please, PLEASE…match your socks to your outfit, too.  

7.  Consult your parents

Hear me out on this one.

Yes, these are your pictures and you want to feel like you!  But your senior year is also a big deal for your parents!  Just like you’ve been imagining how your year will go, your parents probably have some visions of their own for this experience!

Ask your parents for their ideas or input and try actually listen to their suggestions.  It will make them feel like an important part of the process, and they might have some great ideas!

And if there’s something your parents would really love to see you incorporate into your sesison, give it a try for a few images.  You’ll be amazed at how happy you can make the people you love with a small gesture like taking a few images in your grandpa’s hat or wearing your mom’s favorite shirt for a series.

8.  Take your outfits for a test run

Try on all your clothes and accessories a few weeks before your photos.  Make sure they fit, aren’t stained, or aren’t torn.  This is also a good time to plan your underwear/accessories.  Realizing your jeans are two inches too short the day of your session is something we’d all like to avoid!

If you’re a senior in southeastern Wyoming and are ready to book your senior photo session, give me a call! I’d love to talk with you about your vision for your senior photo session!