Senior portraits are a once-in-a-lifetime event for people. They’re typically taken around the time a young person is in their senior year of high school (grade 12), before they’re off to college or ready to join the workforce. A senior portrait often becomes a defining picture of that person for their whole lifetime, looked back on fondly over the many years to come…
For photographers shooting senior portraits there are some things which can help make these shoots “the best.” It’s helpful if the photographer stays up on trends, fashion-wise, and can offer good advice to the young person looking to buy clothes that they’ll look their best in.
Basically, a photographer ends up shooting a senior in 3 to 5 outfits, all of which are hopefully flattering and diverse enough to show the young person in different colors and styles. Generally, big and baggie is “out,” while timeless and trim is “in.”
Photographers tend to shoot the least attractive outfit first, which gives the subject some time to get used to posing with the camera– loosening up his or her nerves. And, like the old adage goes, they’ll “save the best for last!”
Typically, the senior portrait will involve outfits that are dressy as well as casual, capturing the young person’s look in different clothes they may or may not wear on an everyday basis. For senior girls, that can mean a jeans look, a sundress look, and a formal dress look. For senior boys, that can mean a jeans look, a button-down look, and a suit/blazer look. It’s always wise to involve a solid white or black shirt in some of the shoots– they’re considered a fail-safe since they always look good on camera. Indeed, it’s better to go with solids compared to patterns because patterns will ultimately give the pictures a dated look.
Ideally, with senior portraits, young people want to look their best because these pictures will literally last a lifetime. They’ll be the pictures their own kids will look at and say, “You looked like that? Wow!”
Digital Custom Photography can take your senior portraits; call 636-322-9641 to make it happen.