senior portrait guide

this is a guide to choosing your outfits, accessories and location for your senior portrait session. 

often times a senior portrait session can be stressful for both kids and parents. these are the photos that you will look at to remember the time in your life when you were preparing to spread your wings a fly. you are still a little bit of a kid and a little bit of an adult combined into one awesome person. i'm here to help you make decisions about what to wear, what to bring and where to go for your senior portraits. i'm here to help you relax and have fun during this photo session. and i'm here to freeze this moment in time for you and your family to fondly remember how great it was to just be starting on this journey into adulthood.  read though this guide and hopefully you find it helpful. if you have any questions or concerns about your senior portrait session, please message me and i'll be happy to find the answer for you. 

location

the location of your senior portrait session will determine the vibe for all your photos. do you want something with lots of nature? maybe a favorite park is the place for you. do you like something more edgy? maybe a part of town with old buildings and graffiti is more your jam. is there a certain coffee shop you love? let's go there! really almost any place you can think of will be a great spot for senior photos. i'm always happy to provide samples of some different locations around indianapolis to see if any of those inspire you. 

outfits

i recommend bringing no more than 3 outfits to your senior portrait session. i recommend bringing something more casual and then something else dressy. this will give more variety to your photos. different styles that might interest you might be: casual, dressy, trendy (although not too trendy), sporty, etc. you should select colors that you like, as well as colors that look good on you. one tip is to hold outfits of different colors in front of yourself  and look in the mirror to see what makes your eyes, skin and smile stand out. you want to feel good and comfortable in your outfit selections. 

 certain colors photograph better than others. not all colors are equal in photography. some of my favorite color combos are navy+mustard, burgundy+dark green and gray+light pink. jewel tones always photograph well. think of those deep colors....blues, greens, mustard, dark reds, and purples. 

also think about your location when you are deciding outfits. if your location is really lush and green, try a color that pops against that....blues, yellows, reds, etc. also warm colors pop against a green background. if you've chose the city for your backdrop, maybe a black or white outfit would work best. 

if you are planning on making a graduation announcement, consider having a color scheme for your outfits. then when you make your announcements, you will have a cohesive look. now don't mistake this for every outfit looking the same or being the same color choices. this just means to make sure the outfits coordinate with each other. 

head and shoulders portrait

 this is a typical yearbook shot. solid colors tend to look better for these photos than patterns. also, v neck shirts make faces appear fuller while turtle neck shirts give the appearance of a fuller face. 

casual or everyday look portraits 

senior portraits are about expressing yourself. make sure your choices are comfortable and that the colors look good with your skin tone. for casual photos, you really can't go wrong with jeans and a neutral colored top. a black or white top with jeans is a classic look. you can always add a pop with fun shoes. also layering your outfit gives you more photo possibilities. something like a jacket or vest can easily be added or removed. this could also be the time to get a few photos of you in your favorite t shirt (it might be a favorite band or logo or sports team or your college of choice). just remember to wear an undershirt or cami for a quick change. you don't want to have to find a bathroom or go all the way back to your car to change into this for just a few photos. 

dressy outfit

this can be as dressy as you like. you can wear a suit and tie, rent a tux, wear a prom dress or dress like you're going out for a night on the town. remember all the undergarments that go with these outfits....especially those dresses! and don't forget that a dressy outfit usually requires different shoes. if your dressy shoes are uncomfortable, bring a pair of flip flops or something to walk around in. you don't want to be in pain during your photo shoot. 

sporty outfit

if you play a sport, please consider bringing your uniform or a letter jacket with you to your session. 

shoes

don't forget about the shoes. make sure they are cleaned up and looking good for photos. you don't want to look super sharp and then have nasty shoes. 

bring along shoes for each outfit if you want. if you are worried about shoes hurting your feet, bring along something to slip on while we are walking. 

bright colored shoes are always fun, but neutral colored heels will always elongate your legs. just something to consider. wear whatever you like! 

accessories

jackets, hats, earrings, fun shoes, suspenders, scarves, bracelets, necklaces, watches etc. these will only enhance your photos. bold earrings have a place, but dainty jewelry doesn't distract from your lovely face. you could bring both dainty and bold jewelry for easy and quick changes that have different looks. if you have something sentimental, that creates a really special photograph that your family will treasure. maybe you can wear something of your mom's when she was your age, like a jacket or jewelry. or maybe you have your grandpa's wrist watch that you can wear. 

 

dos and don'ts for your outfits

just say no to neon colors. they don't photograph well. usually they don't look great on most skin tones. if this is your absolute favorite thing in the whole wide world, bring it along and we can get a couple of photos, but don't plan on wearing it for very long. 

the same goes for really busy patterns and thin stripes. they just don't translate well from real life to photos. 

remember: think about colors that pop against your background, but that also looks good with your skin tone. this will give you the best photos. 

if you are comfortable in your outfit, that will translate well to your photos. make sure that your outfit isn't too tight or too loose. make sure it fits well. 

don't go too trendy-you want to look back at these photos and think "i look good" and not "what was i thinking?????" you can always keep your silhouettes classic, but with a modern twist. for instance, you could have a classic dress or suit, but add shoes that are funky or a really fun bright color. 

do make sure that your clothes are free of wrinkles. iron them before if you have to. bring them on hangers if you have to. do whatever it takes to keep them from being wrinkled. wrinkles show up really well in the camera and it's super tough to remove that. 

do wear your glasses if you usually do. but realize that we are going to be fighting glare for most of your session. if you are able to pop the lenses out of an old pair of glasses that would be fantastic. or if you can wear contacts, even better. but don't feel pressure to go without glasses if you can't do that. we can figure it out. 

props

the phrase i hear most often when i'm photographing seniors is, "what do I do with my hands?" many times accessories can help with that. accessories, not only give you something to do with your hands, but they can add a pop of color or just give more visual interest to your photos. you can use your car, instruments, flowers, balloons, confetti (try to get bio degradable if possible), signs, letter jackets, dance shoes, awards, ice cream cones, coffee, etc. if there is something you love, but you're worried it will look weird in photos, just ask. it will probably be just fine. i love photos that bring out your personality and props really do that!!!

tips for looking dapper and chic

even if you don't wear make up normally. even if you don't normally put hairspray or product in your hair, you might want to do this for your senior photos. make up can be done very natural and just give a little more color and definition to your facial features. you don't have to wear heavy make up to achieve this. and using a little bit of hairspray or product and help hold your style in place through blowing wind and outfit changes. 

hair

ladies and gents with short hair listen up....get a trim 1-2 weeks before your session. this allows the hair to grow out just a bit and doesn't look like a super fresh cut. but if you've procrastinated and it's either you go to the photo shoot looking a little shaggy or with a fresh cut....go with the fresh cut. just don't go any shorter than normal or try any different cut unless you are super confident that you will love it. 

those of you with longer locks, get a trim a couple of weeks before so that your ends look fresh. but if you don't, it's usually not a big deal as long as your ends don't look really ratty. 

now is not the time to try out a brand new hairstyle. if you do decide to get a cut before your session, just get a trim. get the big, life changing hair cut after your senior session. 

style your hair in a way that you normally would. if you never curl your hair, your senior photos aren't the time to do this. you want to look the way your family and friends normally see you. 

make sure your eyes are visible to the camera. no hair covering those pretty peepers. they say that your eyes are the windows to your soul. we want to see your soul in your photos. keep the hair out of your eyes. 

don't forget to bring along some hairspray or product, clips, curling iron, etc to your session for touch ups. you would hate for something to look out of place in the middle of your session. just bring it along and you've got it for a quick fix. 

facial hair

guys....do a shave the morning of your session. stubble is almost impossible to remove from your photos. if you are normally without a 5 o'clock shadow, let's keep it that way in your photos. please just be careful not to nick up that pretty face. 

make up

make up can be a great way to add a pop to your photos. even if you don't normally wear make up, you might consider wearing a little for your senior photos. sometimes facial features can appear more washed out in photos than they are in real life. so the little hint of color on your eyes, lips and cheeks can really give your face some definition. but, if wearing make up is really out of your normal and would make you feel uncomfortable, please don't do it. it's not a deal breaker. you will still have gorgeous photos without make up. 

foundation

foundation can really even out skin tone and put those blemishes under wraps. please please please make sure that your foundation matches your skin tone and is blended in well. nothing like having your face and your neck two different colors. it's not a good look. 

translucent powder

if there is one make up item that you will consider, please make it this one. translucent powder reduces the shiny spots on your face. it will just put a nice finish on your skin so that you don't look oily or sweaty in photos. make sure to bring this with you for touch ups. 

blush

blush is a great way to contour and add a bit of color to your face. please don't go over board with the blush. a little rosy cheek is great but looking like you're flushed isn't. 

mascara and eye liner

this can really enhance and frame your eyes. if you aren't used to wearing either of these do not try to do this the day of your photo shoot. practice ahead of time or skip it. 

eye shadow

there are lots of colors out there. many of them look really fun. but just remember these are the photos that you will want to look back on fondly. you don't want to look at them and say, "why did i do that?" my advice is to stay neutral with your eye shadow choices. if you do want something fun, metallic colors tend to make eyes pop. 

lip color

lip color can really brighten up your entire face. it can add a lot of color or just be very subtle. either way, it's going to add that little bit of something to your photos. 

and that's my advice for your senior portraits. do you have a question or think something is missing from this list of advice? please ask me and let me know. i'll be sure to answer you and fix it for the next person reading. 

i really can't wait to work with you in creating the most awesome senior photos.