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.
Your senior year deserves to be celebrated and commemorated, and there are so many fun ways to do this – a photo session is one of them.
If you’ve never scheduled a professional photo session before or simply want to know what to expect from a senior session, this guide covers the basics.
This is what you need to know…
The Before
- Yearbook deadlines. If your school is creating a yearbook, find out when they need your digital photo file. This will help you plan ahead.
- The location. The location of your senior session should fit in with your personality and the story you want to tell. Picture yourself doing what you love – where would that usually be? There are always lots of great location ideas to choose from.
- Sooner rather than later. Photographers get a lot of requests for senior photo sessions, so it’s best to schedule it a few months early to avoid missing out.
- The outfit. You can decide on an outfit once you’ve chosen your location, or you can do both at the same time. Your outfit should also represent who you are and fit in with the location you’ve chosen. Just make sure your outfit isn’t too distracting or it will end up being the focus of your photos.
- Hair and makeup arrangements. Don’t leave your hair and makeup arrangements for too late either. Decide on your final look and whether or not you want to do your own hair and makeup.
The During
- Set aside 2 hours. The average senior photo session takes 1 to 2 hours, so take a few hours out of your day. This should include time to get ready.
- Meeting up. On the day of your session, you will meet your photographer at your location at a specific time. There’s no need to be nervous. Your photographer is there to make sure you have a good time and get the photos you’ve envisioned.
- Prepare to change outfits. Some seniors prefer to bring along an extra outfit to change into during their shoot. This is because one outfit might look better in a certain location than another. You can discuss this with your photographer ahead of time.
- Bring some company. If having a friend or family member with you will make you feel more comfortable, bring someone along. Just don’t bring too many people or they could end up being a distraction more than anything else.
- Sign a model release. Your photographer will also require you to sign a model release form before you leave your photo session.
The After
- The wait. It takes several weeks for your photographer to complete your images, so you will need to be patient.
- Share and enjoy. Once you receive your photos, you can share and print them as you wish.
This is a basic idea of what you can expect from your senior photo session. Don’t be shy to ask your photographer more questions if you have any.
