How to Prepare for Your Senior Pictures
Senior pictures are about so much more than showing up, smiling, and taking a few photos. They’re about you—your personality, your style, the things you love, and this little chapter of life that deserves to be remembered.
I want your senior session to be fun, relaxed, and completely YOU. The more comfortable and prepared you are, the more natural your pictures will feel!
Here are some of my favorite tips to help you prepare for your senior session.
A Few Things to Know Before Your Session
Skip the New Tanner on Picture Day
I know a tan can be part of the look you’re going for, but please don't try a new self-tanner on the day of your session! New tanning products can sometimes turn out differently than expected, leave streaks, or create uneven coloring. If you want to use a self-tanner, give yourself plenty of time beforehand so you know how it will look. The same goes for trying any new skincare products right before your session. Your senior pictures are probably not the time to experiment!
Keep Your Outfits Wrinkle-Free
If you're bringing multiple outfits, make sure the clothes you're changing into are ready to go. I recommend either:
Hanging your outfits up in your car.
Laying them flat somewhere they won't get crushed.
Bringing a small garment bag if you have one.
There is nothing worse than pulling out the perfect outfit only to discover it has been sitting in a pile for an hour and is covered in wrinkles! This happened to me in my senior pictures back in 2016, and all my pictures were great, except my tank-top was COVERED in wrinkles.
And don't worry about changing in random places. I bring a changing cape that you can use to change outfits during your session, so you don't have to stress about finding somewhere to change.
Please Skip the Perfume
I know, I know. Perfume is often the finishing touch to getting ready, but there is a reason I ask you to skip it for your session: bugs!
Strong scents can attract bugs, which is definitely not something we want joining us for your senior pictures. I have edited so many misquittos out of pictures that are activley sucking my seniors blood!
If you absolutely need your signature scent, keep it light and consider applying it after your session.
Check Your Wrists and Hair
Before we start shooting, take off anything you don't want showing up in your pictures.
That includes:
Hair ties around your wrist
Watches
Bracelets you don't want photographed
Anything else you might normally wear but don't want in your senior pictures
Hair ties are especially easy to forget!
Shoes: Cute AND Practical
I LOVE a good pair of shoes in senior pictures. A great pair of boots, heels, sneakers, or whatever fits your style can completely finish an outfit. But here's the thing: we walk a lot sometimes. Some locations require walking on grass, gravel, dirt, uneven ground, or other surfaces that aren't exactly high-heel friendly. My recommendation? Bring a pair of easy slip-on shoes to wear while we're walking between locations. Then, when we get to our photo spot, you can switch into those cute shoes you've been wanting to show off. This is also a great tip for the guys! If you're wearing a nice pair of sneakers or dress shoes, wearing something else while we're walking can help keep them from getting creased or dirty. Your cute shoes are for the pictures—not necessarily the hike to the pictures!
Parents: YES, You Can Get in a Picture!
I always offer parents and guardians the opportunity to jump into a picture free of charge. And honestly? Take me up on it! We have to take every opportunity we can to get pictures with our teenagers. I know the focus of the session is your senior, but someday you're going to be so glad you have that picture together. If you think you might want to jump into a photo, wear something nice that coordinates with your senior's outfits. You don't necessarily have to match perfectly, but choosing colors or styles that work well together can make the photo feel more put together.
What About Skin, Blemishes, and Editing?
Let's talk about something I know a lot of seniors (and parents) wonder about: editing. I will always take care of small things like:
Zits or temporary blemishes
Small flyaways
Stains or little distractions
Other small imperfections that aren't normally part of your senior's everyday appearance
I also use a light skin-smoothing technique to give the images a polished finish. But there is one thing I want to make VERY clear: I will never, ever edit your senior to look like a different person. I don't make someone a smaller size. I don't change their body shape. I don't alter their natural features to make them fit some unrealistic standard. What I will do is pose your senior in a flattering way, use lighting to our advantage, and find what I like to call their "favorite side." Everyone has one!
Your Senior Pictures Should Look Like YOU
One of my favorite things about owning my own photography business is having the freedom to create and edit images in a way that matches the personality of the senior I'm photographing. Not every senior needs the same editing style. I have seniors who are light, bright, and airy, so their gallery reflects that feeling. Then I have seniors who are dark, grungy, dramatic, and edgy—and you better believe I'm going to lean into that vibe when I edit their images. Your senior pictures shouldn't look like everyone else's.
They should look like you.
Your Ideas Are Welcome!
Please don't be afraid to speak up during your session.
Don't feel comfortable in a pose?
Got it! Let's move on.
See a location that looks really cool?
Tell me! Let's go!
Have something you're really into?
BRING IT!
Props are always welcome, and I LOVE when seniors bring things that make their session personal.
Bring your:
Car
Books
Sports equipment
Musical instruments
Makeup
Artwork
Favorite hobby items
Pets
Anything else that tells your story
And yes, I said pets.
Dogs are obviously welcome, but snakes and spiders are welcome too! If that's your thing, let's make it part of your session.
Are you a swimmer?
Let's jump in a pool!
Want to incorporate your faith?
Bring your Bible or something meaningful to you.
Already know what you want to be when you grow up?
Let's bring something that represents it!
Love makeup and beauty?
Let's incorporate that into your session!
Your senior pictures don't have to fit into one little box.
Most Importantly: HAVE FUN!
At the end of the day, I want you to have fun. Seriously. The more comfortable you are, the more you enjoy yourself, and the more you let your personality come out, the better your pictures will be. You don't have to know how to pose. You don't have to know what to do with your hands. You don't have to be a professional model. That's my job!
My job is to guide you, find the angles and locations that work best for you, and create images that feel like you. My job is also to make sure both seniors and parents/guardians feel respected and heard throughout the entire session. If you don't like something, tell me. If you have an idea, tell me. If you see something that makes you think, "Wait, that would be SO cool for a picture!"—tell me! I want to create your senior pictures with you, not just take pictures of you.
