When it’s so easy to take out your phone and take a good photo, you might be wondering whether it’s really necessary to hire a professional photographer for your senior photo session. Most smartphones have some impressive cameras and they’re great for capturing your everyday moments with friends and family. However, your phone won’t quite hit the mark for your senior portraits – here’s why.
- Your Photographer Has Experience. There are a number of elements that make for a good photo and a photographer knows how to bring them together. What’s more, they can help guide you during your senior shoot, which can be helpful if you’ve never posed for important photos before.
- They Know How to Use a Location to Their Advantage. The location of your senior shoot matters, as does the lighting. When you work with a professional photographer, you benefit from someone who knows how to use their surroundings to create beautiful images. Over and above that, your photographer can provide you with the best location options based on your vision for your shoot.
- They Have the Equipment. Your smartphone’s camera might be impressive, but it will never match up to professional cameras, lenses, and accessories. When you hire a professional senior photographer, you are also hiring their equipment. Plus, professional equipment is necessary for different scenarios, including bad weather and indoor shots. - Editing is a Part of the Package. It’s one thing to add a filter to a photo and another to edit it in a way that highlights all your best features at once. A professional photographer can edit your images in ways that are natural but eye-catching.
- They Bring an Artistic Eye. When you work with a professional senior photographer, their job is to bring your vision to life. However, you can also benefit from their artistic eye – you might end up using ideas you never even thought of.
In the end, this is a big milestone, one that deserves professional photos. Your senior photo session is an investment and an experience you won’t soon forget.
Anyone who hasn’t been in front of a professional camera before or simply doesn’t like photos can end up looking a bit stiff when posing.
It’s completely natural to feel nervous before your senior photoshoot, but you still want your images to look natural and highlight your personality and style.
Here are a few ways that you can pose more naturally and enjoy your upcoming session.
Keep It Light-Hearted
One way to feel more relaxed throughout your session is to talk to your photographer. Get comfortable, be a little silly, and have some fun. The result is photos that look more authentic. Your photographer is there to get to know you and make sure you enjoy yourself. If you haven’t found a photographer yet, make sure you choose someone you feel comfortable with.
Lean Back Slightly
This is a very slight lean and should be done from your waist. This minor movement stops your body from tensing, making you look more natural in your photos. Yes, it’s going to feel weird at first but don’t overthink it.
Lean Into the Frame
Another way to make your poses more natural is to lean into the frame. Again, this needs to be very slight, almost as if you’re leaning in to listen to someone telling a story. If you had to try doing this right now, you would immediately see how your posture and demeanor changes.
Keep Your Hands Busy
It’s only until you’re standing in front of a camera that you realize your arms and hands aren’t doing anything. To stop your poses from becoming awkward, keep your hands busy. Place your hands in your pockets, twirl a finger around a lock of hair, or use some props. What you do with your hands depends on the photo style and story you’ve decided on.
Get Moving
Not every photo needs to be posed, you also have the freedom to move around and have some fun. Walk, spin, laugh, lay on the grass, do whatever makes you feel most like yourself. If you’re not sure what to do, ask your photographer for some guidance – they are there to help.
It’s important not to overthink your session. When you get too nervous about doing the right thing, the anxiety will automatically affect how you look in your photos. Do something that will help you feel more relaxed before your session and let your photographer help you with the rest
There are a number of decisions you need to make when planning a senior photo session and choosing a location is one of them. You can’t choose just any location either – it needs to fit in with your personality and the style of your shoot.
Here are a few tips to help you narrow down your options a little quicker.
- Decide what you want your photos to say about you. Who are you? Do you love the outdoors, art, sports? Are you a bit of a flower child? By jotting down the things you love, a few location ideas should spring to mind. Your photos need to showcase your personal style, so choose your location accordingly.
- Look for locations with different features. To ensure your photographer can capture a variety of photos, look for a location with different spots and features. Examples of features include fences, trees, a swing, water or anything that could act as a backdrop.
- Find out about possible restrictions. If you’re considering using a commercial location, find out whether you need a permit to take photos. Keep in mind that permits can sometimes take several weeks to process.
- Consider timing. Some locations are busier than others and if you want to avoid crowds of people, you will need to time your shoot well. It’s better to have as little people in the background of your photos as possible.
- Lighting matters too. Natural light is a must for photos, including your senior portraits. You could have the best background, but if the lighting is bad, you won’t get the best results. It’s also important to remember that you might need to time your shoot around the best lighting.
- Decide what you want to wear. The outfit you choose for your senior photo session also matters when choosing a location. For example, wearing an evening dress to the park doesn’t exactly work very well. Your outfit should also match your personality, so decide on this before you start looking at locations.
- Get creative. There are no set rules when it comes to choosing a location for your photo session. Get creative, think outside the box, and choose a location that suits you. Ask around about interesting venues, take a drive through your city, or turn to Pinterest for some inspiration.
If all else fails, explain your vision to your photographer – they will have a number of location suggestions to offer.
